While Americans were celebrating their Independence on July 4, 2024, Jamaicans were just beginning to survey the damage caused by Beryl’s lashing of the island. For many Jamaican Americans, it was not participating in Independence Day festivities, but providing disaster relief to the island, that was top of mind.

Providing aid to those affected was particularly personal to sisters Alison Smith, a trailblazer in the South Florida legal fraternity, and Meisha Smith-Coulter who grew up in St Elizabeth and Manchester, two of the parishes most heavily hit by the hurricane.

Both sisters, who are attorneys, worked with their respective US-based employers to provide much-needed monetary donations to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), through Consul General Oliver Mair.

Smith’s employer, law firm Weiss Serota Helfman Cole and Bierman donated US$5,000, while Smith-Coulter’s employer, Spirit Airlines, donated US$10,000.

The donations were presented at the well-attended annual Independence church service hosted under the patronage of Mair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All offering collected at the service was allocated to Beryl relief.

Mair was delighted by the contributions, noting: “We are indeed grateful for each donation that has been made to the recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl. Standing together we truly make a difference. Many individuals made contributions during our ecumenical church service. We appreciate our Jamaican Diaspora!

Marlon Hill, a community leader, long time friend of Smith’s, and a partner in the same law firm, worked with other community partners such as the American Friends of Jamaica and the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) to seek donations of vital disaster relief items such as first aid kits, tarps, canned goods, batteries, radios, and other items.

Hill, who hails from Kingston, said: “Whether it was only one parish or the entire island, our people need us to organise and mobilise funds and resources to help them recover, heal and rebuild their lives and their livelihoods. Let’s treat each other like immediate family members and donate and support at a level of your own capacity.”

Smith-Coulter struck a chord in the service, saying, “Jamaica is always home and I was simply heartbroken to see parts of St Elizabeth like Black River, where I grew up, and Treasure Beach, Flagaman and Pedro Plains where our beloved grandmother grew up, so battered by the hurricane.

“I had to do something. I am grateful I work for a company like Spirit Airlines that cares about the global community, and in particular my hometown.” Smith echoed that she felt personally convicted to do something despite being so far away and shared that she and her sister had just visited Black River, St Elizabeth four days before Beryl hit.

The two have pledged their commitment to continue assisting with disaster relief so that their home parishes can be built back even better than before.

Florida Caribbean Students Association members, galvanised by Jamaican Marlon Hill, pose for a photo after volunteering to pack hurricane relief supplies in Florida.

Attorney Meisha Smith-Coulter presenting a cheque to Jamaican Consul General in Miami Oliver Mair to assist hurricane-hit residents of St Elizabeth.