WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — A team of volunteer carpenters led by Dirk Bartalozzi of Bartalozzi Homes arrived in Jamaica from Wisconsin in the United States recently to build new wooden homes for victims of Hurricane Melissa in Westmoreland.

A total of eight new homes were built, with each home taking two days to construct.

The initiative was launched by The Issa Trust Foundation to serve the victims who are employees at Couples Resorts.

Bartalozzi, whose wife is Jamaican, said he was moved to assist after witnessing the level of devastation left behind by the Category 5 hurricane.

He builds residential homes in Wisconsin and has been building his entire working life.

Bartalozzi and his volunteer team also brought their equipment and tools to work on the projects. These included battery-powered framing guns, saws, drills and hurricane straps.

“It’s pretty much the same construction like what we do at home, but [it’s] challenging building a new floor to the roof on stilts,” he said.