Ontarians look to aid Caribbean in wake of Hurricane Beryl

As Hurricane Beryl moves toward the Cayman Islands and Mexico, Ontarians with Caribbean connections are concerned about their friends and family back home and working to aid in the recovery.

Rowan Thompson's entire family was hunkered down back home in Jamaica Thursday, as the Category 4 storm ripped through the island, while he tried to stay in touch from a Niagara farm, along with a group of other migrant workers.

"Me and my co-workers, we were very concerned about our relatives back home and our friends," he told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Thursday.

Thompson says he's been able to reach his family, but he's waiting to hear about others.

"I'm still concerned about friends and other Jamaicans," he said. "Some lost their home because of the devastation."

The hurricane caused damage and destroyed homes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados and other eastern Caribbean islands this week. As the hurricane moves on toward the Cayman Islands and Mexico, the overall death toll across the Caribbean has now reached at least 10 people.

Torontonians are looking to help.

Local charities trying to get relief to island nations

Anyika Mark, director of communications for Black Urbanism TO, says she was relieved earlier this week to hear her family in Grenada is fine, and her organization is now fundraising to bring relief to the island nation.

She and a friend from Reclaim, Rebuild Eg West are hosting a fundraiser Friday, collecting relief supplies.

"This personally impacted us and we wanted to do our part to make sure we could get as many things down there as possible," she told Metro Morning.

Mark and her co-organizer have been in constant contact with family back home, she said, trying to determine what people need. They'll be collecting non-perishable food items, toiletries, sleeping bags, blankets, blow-up mattresses and other essentials to help those struggling in the storm's aftermath.

The fundraiser will be the first of many, she said, as she hopes to help collect aid for other islands impacted by the hurricane. 

Global Medic, a Canadian charity, is also looking to bring supplies down to Caribbean countries as travel reopens. 

Executive director Rahul Singh says air travel to affected islands is reopening, and they'll be sending supplies to Jamaica, Grenada and small islands around St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He says getting large transports of aid to smaller islands will be tough, as they don't have capacity for larger planes, but the charity is already mobilizing. 

He says Torontonians can help by donating money and essential items to the charity to make sure people who need aid get it. Global Medic is also looking for volunteers to help pack supplies for transport.

As communications reopen fully, he says they'll have a better idea of what's needed where, but some things are already clear.

"It's all the basics," he said. "People need access to clean drinking water. They need their roofs back on their homes. They need access to some food."