Maroons abroad leading Portland’s Rio Grande Valley recovery efforts

Hurricane Melissa ripped through western Jamaica, devastating Cornwall county and parts of Manchester and St Elizabeth. Other parishes, too, felt the wrath of the Category 5 storm. In the east, Portland’s Rio Grande Valley — long recognised as Maroon territory — suffered some of the storm’s most severe impacts.

“Families saw their homes destroyed, farmers lost entire crops overnight, and several communities have continued to navigate life without electricity long after the storm passed,” said the Moore Town Maroon Diaspora Ambassadors (MADA), a volunteer-led collective founded by overseas Maroons Dr Harcourt Fuller, Dr Brittany Osbourne and Dr Melissa Buckley.

MADA described its mission as serving the Rio Grande Valley and uplifting communities that preserve ancestral memory and identity.

“This region, rich in history, culture and ancestral strength, has been working steadily toward recovery as the long-term effects continue to unfold. As Maroons living abroad, we felt called to support our people during this moment,” the group said.

In the days after Melissa’s landfall, Katawud Village, an eco-tourism and cultural preservation site in Ginger House, became the hub of MADA’s response. Residents gathered there to charge phones and connect to the world via StarLink Internet.

“Through continuous communication with residents, community leaders and Valley-based volunteers, we identified urgent needs and coordinated relief in a way that honoured the Valley’s rhythms and realities,” MADA said.

Donations from Maroons abroad and friends of the community funded care packages delivered across Portland and St Elizabeth, including Accompong, the Leeward Maroon town. “These packages carried more than supplies; they carried a message of solidarity and love,” the group said.

Relief efforts also extended to housing recovery. Carlos, a skilled carpenter from Seattle and member of the Garifuna people — Afro-Indigenous descendants of Maroons from St Vincent — flew to Jamaica to help rebuild two homes for families who had lost everything, according to MADA’s release. “Their collaboration was a powerful reminder that Maroon lineage and care transcend borders,” the group said.

Support for farmers has been central. In the Valley, farming is not simply an occupation but the heartbeat of family life and community survival. Melissa’s destruction of crops threatened livelihoods and resilience. “MADA remains committed to helping farmers restart, rebuild and replant as they chart their path forward. What guides us is not charity, but responsibility — an understanding that service is part of our heritage,” the group said.

Speaking with The Gleaner on Thursday, Dr Fuller noted: “After one month, MADA continues to assist people, including farmers, craftspeople and the elderly. We raise funds from overseas — the United States, the UK, Canada — to provide whatever assistance we can, and we liaise with other groups in the Valley to coordinate support.”

Plans are underway for Christmas at Katawud Village on Sunday, December 21. The event, to be livestreamed, will showcase local talent — drummers, singers, poets and more — while raising funds for farmers, craftspeople and vulnerable residents. A farmers’ market and craft fair are also planned.

“We believe that, in addition to donations, if the public can support the livelihoods of Rio Grande Valley Maroons, recovery will be faster. Particularly for farmers, the quicker they recover, the quicker they can contribute to food supply and security out west,” Dr Fuller said.

On the same day, MADA and partner organisations will distribute care packages to needy residents. “It’s going to be a coalition of individuals and organisations operating within the Valley. We’ll come together on that day and use it as a day of giving — sharing whatever we have collected to assist recovery,” Dr Fuller added.

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