A Miami Gardens woman says she is searching for her father, who was in Jamaica during Hurricane Melissa.
“I just feel empty. Hollow. Like just a shell. Until I can put my eyes on my dads. At least hear his voice,” said Kimali Stephen.
Last contact before hurricane made landfall
Stephen says she has not heard from her father, Albert Stephen, since before the Category 5 hurricane made landfall.
She took video of their last conversation.
Stephen’s father moved to Argyle Mountain in the parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica, to enjoy the rest of his life.
Veteran and father figure missing
She told me the 85-year-old once served in the Jamaican military and is all she has since her mother died from cancer when she was 13.
“My dad and I are very close. We talk, I’m not going to say we talk every day. You know, every couple of days we talk normally. And this? I cannot sleep,” said Stephen.
Storm damage leaves her shattered
Stephen says seeing the destruction left behind by Hurricane Melissa, especially in the parish where her father lives, shatters her.
“You know some people they don’t have water. They don’t have food. The houses are flat,” said Stephen.
Social media connects other families
She posted to social media to find help locating her dad and received several messages from people desperate to find their loved ones.
“We’re all on the same mission. Trying to reach our families. We’re there to give and try to rebuild. Make the community stronger and bring it back,” said Stephen.
Donation drive planned this Thursday
Stephen says she is partnering with fellow Jamaicans and planning a trip to locate their family members.
They are also collecting items to deliver directly to people who live there.
She will be at Lick the Grill on Northwest 7th Avenue and 48th Street this Thursday if you want to donate.
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