NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Teams from a Middle Tennessee nonprofit are traveling to Jamaica this weekend to help the government build field hospitals after Hurricane Melissa destroyed much of the island.

The Category 5 storm made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28 before it weakened and moved onto Cuba. According to the Associated Press, Hurricane Melissa has killed dozens of people and caused widespread destruction across Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba.

“The initial wave of needs is gonna be shelter. From what they're telling me, most people don’t have roofs in a lot of these areas,” Bob Pasquale, CEO of Beacon Rescue, said. 

Beacon Rescue is a Nashville nonprofit that responds to natural disasters here at home and across the country.

“We aim to always work with first responders. We don’t go into an area, domestically or internationally, if we're not connected to the government some way," Pasquale told News 2.  

In addition to shelter and power, Pasquale said Jamaica needs medical supplies.

“On the medical side of things, with these hospitals just being obliterated with these storms that passed through, pharmaceutical stuff is going to be huge, medical equipment, even just simple stuff like bandages for your basic triage type stuff,” Pasquale explained.

According to the Beacon Rescue CEO, the first team is flying out Saturday, Nov. 1 to work with the government to establish field hospitals across the island.

“They're going to be working with the government to identify probably specific areas based on geography. I know one of the big issues right now is they're predicting massive landslides," Pasquale said.

Pasquale told News 2 that's a big concern since Beacon Rescue also plans to potentially help with search and rescue efforts and provide critical resources.

“Outside of the medical stuff...we're going to be focusing on tarps, tents, and small portable generators. It's a fairly poor country, so from what I understand, most people don’t own generators, so [in] a lot of these areas, it's going to be weeks or months or even longer before they start getting electricity," Pasquale described. 

If you’d like to donate to the nonprofit, click here. If you have a medical background and are interested in volunteering, either follow this link or reach out to Beacon Rescue.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/middle-tn-nonprofit-heading-to-jamaica-to-help-with-recovery-efforts/