DORAL, Fla. – The Global Empowerment Mission in Doral continued its mission Thursday in spearheading a relief effort in response to Hurricane Beryl’s devastating impact on parts of the Caribbean.
Devastating images and videos emerged from several Caribbean countries as Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 3 storm, left a trail of destruction in its path.
“Beryl is going from Union Island, Grenadines, Granada, and hopefully not but potentially the Yucatán Peninsula,” said President and CEO of the Global Empowerment Mission Michael Capponi.
“There are going to be thousands and thousands of homes that will need to buy plywood, roofing paper, shingles, all that… or they will never get to go home again,” he added.
In response, the GEM in Doral is packaging emergency relief boxes to send to the affected countries.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava shared the items being collected during a news conference Thursday.
“Exactly what is needed -- sheets and blankets, cots, sleeping bags, trash bags, tarps and tents,” said Levine Cava. “The generators should come to this location.”
The relief boxes also include canned goods, first aid kits, hygiene items and generators.
Donations can be made at the GEM warehouse in Doral, as well as county libraries in South Dade, North Dade and Aventura.
These efforts aim to help the Caribbean communities severely impacted by the hurricane.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert emphasized the close ties between South Florida and the Caribbean.
“We are not neighbors, we are family, and we respond like family,” Gilbert said. “They don’t have the sanctity of an air conditioner or WiFi and they are not lounging around the pool. They are trying to figure out what they are going to eat next, how they are going to cover their heads, where they are going to sleep, and where their children are going to sleep.”
At Miami International Airport, a key gateway to the Caribbean, Vincent Alexander, a property owner in Barbados, shared his experience with Local 10 News.
“By the grace of God, we were good,” he said.
High winds hit Barbados on Monday, but Alexander took precautions and stayed indoors.
Tourists from New Zealand, stuck in Barbados for four extra days, expressed gratitude for their safety.
“We were actually in a good place… It was still really windy and stuff, but we didn’t have flooding and destruction,” said Rob Port.
Hurricane Beryl also tore through Jamaica, leaving over 60 percent of the country without power.
Kamone Wildman, who lives in Kingston and has family friends in South Florida, compared the storm to past hurricanes like Ivan.
“If this hurricane had come exactly as Ivan did, Jamaica would have been flat,” she said.
In Doral, workers urge the public not to donate clothing or used items.
Miami-Dade County and GEM have designated the following drop-off locations to collect items
• Global Empowerment Mission HQ, 1850 NW 84th Ave STE 100, Doral, FL
• North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St., Miami Gardens, FL
• South Dade Regional Library, 10750 SW 211 St., Cutler Bay, FL
• Aventura Library, 2930 NE 199th St., Aventura, FL
• Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First St., Miami, FL
GEM has provided a section on its website with detailed information on how the public can contribute to the relief efforts that will help with the aid and recovery operations in the Caribbean.
CLICK HERE for more information on how you can contribute to their mission.
Local 10 viewers can also CLICK HERE for more information on what items you can donate.
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