Atlanta Caribbean community uniting for Hurricane Beryl victims

Leaders of the local Caribbean community are working to get in touch with loved ones left digging out after Hurricane Beryl smashed Jamaica overnight.

Robert Shaw is from Jamaica, but he lives in metro Atlanta now. He said it was stressful waiting to see how strong the hurricane was when it hit the shore.

“Major concern, major concern for our families,” Shaw said.

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Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco was with him as he called his brother, Richard Shaw, to check on him.

“Well, we are fortunate that we did not get a direct hit,” Richard Shaw said.

He described trees blown over. The death toll was at two in Jamaica at that point on Thursday.

Families from Atlanta who were visiting Jamaica said they could not get flights out before the storm.

After several hours of trying, calls went through to them, but they did not maintain a cell signal. In text messages and e-mails, families said generators are providing power on-and-off every half hour.

They said everyone at the resorts, even guests, grabbed brooms, leaf blowers, and trash bags and helped clean debris Thursday morning.

Members of the Caribbean community in metro Atlanta are uniting to coordinate hurricane relief efforts.

Leaders from Barbados are hosting a fundraiser on July 27 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Stonecrest Distillery. It will include live music, food trucks, and games for kids and adults.

Other groups, such as the Atlanta Jamaican Association, are asking for donations. They are partnering with Caribbean International Shipping Services in Stonecrest to help get money to the affected islands fast.

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Lawrence Prescott is the founder of Caribbean Life TV. He said organizers are asking for baby diapers, toiletries, heavy-duty trash bags, and work gloves.

Prescott said you can drop donations off at his business location on 6254 Memorial Dr. in Stone Mountain.

You can also drop off donations at Caribbean International Shipping Services at 3048 Miller Rd. in Stonecrest.

Shaw said he plans to visit Jamaica next week to check on loved ones.

His brother Richard said this to those still in the storm’s path, “Do the preparedness, follow the instructions and pray.”

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