October 30, 2025 • 8 mins
Executive Director of The Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke, joins the show with a firsthand account of the devastation Hurricane Melissa left behind in Jamaica. She details the relief mission now underway, how the Sandals Foundation is supporting affected communities, and what’s most needed as recovery efforts continue.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And right now I want to bring in the executive
director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clark, who's coming to
us live from Jamaica. Heidi, we really appreciate you taking
a few minutes to join us this morning. I know
you were born and raised on the island of Jamaica.
Our thoughts are with you and everyone there, And first
of all, give us a sense as to what it
was like as Hurricane Melissa was making its way through
(00:24):
the island.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
You know, the last couple of days have been very
terrifying and a lot of unknown because the storm was
very unpredictable, a little bit all over the place, so
it's been difficult, but you know, we are out on
the other side now, thank goodness, and we are starting
our recovery.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
As the storm was hitting, as you were experiencing this
all time strong hurricane, what were some of the the sounds,
some of the things you saw. What was that like
for you?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well, there was a Kingston.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Fortunately it was not hit as bad and so we're
very grateful for that because we were able to do
so much from here to help the other parts of
the island.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
But it was a lot of very heavy wind, a
lot of breaking trees.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
You know, we saw the flooding starting and really just
kind of staying on top of keeping in touch with
people as long as we could, and then we lost communication,
so it was difficult not knowing.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, I think that was the hardest thing.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
How others were What were the preparations like on the island.
Were people there taking this storm seriously as it was approaching.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
I think that they were taking it very seriously.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I think the government did an excellent job here, the hotels,
the tourism industry, everybody was getting the word out, and
of course the main thing for everybody was safety, safety
of our communities, safety of our guests, safety of our
team members, and just ensuring that we were taking all
precautions because above everything, life mattered.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
We're joined by the executive director of the Sandals Foundation,
Heidi Clark, coming to us live from Jamaica. You can
learn more about the work they're doing for Jamaica relief
at Sandalsfoundation dot org. What have you heard about the
aftermath of the storm. What have you seen there in Kingston,
as you mentioned, didn't get hit quite as hard as
(02:28):
other parts of the island, but what have you seen
and heard since the storm first hit.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
So for us now it's all about relief efforts in
the areas that were hit hard, so the south coast
and the west, and we are kind of assessing what
damages are down there, and yes, there have been some
great damages to hospitals, to schools and to various communities.
So it's now about looking how do we help people
(02:57):
with first relief and then how do we help to
rebuild as quickly as possible. And I must tell you,
I'm so grateful that so many people love Jamaica and
they were reaching out. So I think that together with
our partners, we are going to recover as quickly as
we can and with all hands on deck, you know,
it is anything as possible nowadays.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I'm looking at some of the overhead shots right now
of saying Elizabeth Parish and one of the challenges and
you would know this better than I, but it appears
to be that you've got some areas where it's going
to be difficult to get in there just because of
the remote location, the terrain, and you know, some of
the floodwaters and things like that. What have you heard
(03:38):
about some of the challenges that officials are going to
face trying to get a solid assessment of what happened,
and on some of those search and rescue or recovery missions.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Well, I think that, you know, first of all, they're
going to prioritize access to those communities, so clearing roads.
You know, we also have sea access coming from Kingston
and Montigua Bay, so we have helicopters up. We have
an incredible Jamaica Defense Force who are accustomed to doing
relief efforts in other islands and assisting them, So I think.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That they will prioritize.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
They were very carefully planning what would be the strategy
to get to these communities when they recognize this, and
of course, unfortunately we did deal with this last year
with Beryl and we worked the Samos Foundation a lot
in that area. So I'm hoping that we will have
access very quickly, and we do have quite a few
people from outside looking to help us so react. We
(04:38):
have a group that we work with out of the UK.
They're flying in and they're all trained in this, so
I think that we will. We'll get there. It just
takes a little time, and of course we have to
be super careful with downpower lines and those kind of
things in the area. Safety first, but yeah, we will
find a way to get to those communities.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Coming to us live from Jamaica, we have the executive
director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clark, So tell us
about the Sandals Foundation, the work you do, and how
specifically you're going to be helping in the aftermath of
Hurricane Melissa.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So unfortunately, this is something that we've become more accustomed to,
you know, doing relief efforts, not just here in Jamaica,
but in all the areas climate change and all we
have to deal with.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
But we're pretty great at it now.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I have to see in that we have wonderful partners
and we know how to activate very quickly. So first
relief is always the most important thing to us, getting
water and essentials, ensuring people have a safe, dry place
to be, and we are working with wonderful partners. We're
now executing various things for a World Central Kitchen who's
(05:49):
flying in today. We're working with REACT as I said,
who is a rescue team, and then of course our
teams in Miami that are helping to send stuff in
and of course the person of Jamaica that are are
not affected, and so we're able to mobilize very quickly
from those areas and then we go into long term recovery.
So that is looking at assessing things like healthcare and education,
(06:11):
which are the basis for us. We think those are
two of the most important things.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
We have to focus on recovering those.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
And I'm really pleased to say that every dollar donated
to us goes directly back into the community work. Because
Santos Resorts funds the governance of this foundation, and because
we've been doing it for a while, I think we've
been doing it well and we recognize what works and
what doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
So what do you need from everyone listening right now?
If they want to help the people of Jamaica again
after seeing these these horrific images from the island, what
is it that they can do through the Sandals Foundation
to assist you in that relief mission.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
You know, every dollar helps us to make a difference.
So donating at Sandalsfoundation dot org. It can be a dollar,
it could be twenty dollars, it could be whatever you
have that all goes to helping immediately, so you know,
we can purchase things in Kingston O Cherias, we can
get them there very quickly, and so that is really
(07:13):
the best way to help. And then of course those
funds start to help with long term recovery, of rebuilding schools,
of helping hospitals get equipment for life saving work. So
I think that is the quickest and best way to
really help at this stage of the game.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
All right, Executive director of the Sandals Foundation, coming to
us live from Jamaica, Heidi Clark. Again, if you want
to help with their Hurricane Melissa relief mission, you can
go to Sandals Foundation dot org. That's Sandals Foundation dot org. Heidi,
thank you so much for taking a few minutes. I'm
sure it's been a very challenging couple of days. We
(07:50):
appreciate the time and best of luck with the work there.
Our thoughts again are with you and everybody in Jamaica.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Huge thanks.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
We really really appreciate cate awareness, and we will recover
and we will welcome everybody back very soon.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
So thank you, all right, Thanks again, Heidie, Stay safe.
The Ryan Gorman Show five to nine every weekday morning
on news Radio two u FLA
And right now I want to bring in the executive
director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clark, who's coming to
us live from Jamaica. Heidi, we really appreciate you taking
a few minutes to join us this morning. I know
you were born and raised on the island of Jamaica.
Our thoughts are with you and everyone there, And first
of all, give us a sense as to what it
was like as Hurricane Melissa was making its way through
(00:24):
the island.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
You know, the last couple of days have been very
terrifying and a lot of unknown because the storm was
very unpredictable, a little bit all over the place, so
it's been difficult, but you know, we are out on
the other side now, thank goodness, and we are starting
our recovery.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
As the storm was hitting, as you were experiencing this
all time strong hurricane, what were some of the the sounds,
some of the things you saw. What was that like
for you?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well, there was a Kingston.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Fortunately it was not hit as bad and so we're
very grateful for that because we were able to do
so much from here to help the other parts of
the island.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
But it was a lot of very heavy wind, a
lot of breaking trees.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
You know, we saw the flooding starting and really just
kind of staying on top of keeping in touch with
people as long as we could, and then we lost communication,
so it was difficult not knowing.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, I think that was the hardest thing.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
How others were What were the preparations like on the island.
Were people there taking this storm seriously as it was approaching.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
I think that they were taking it very seriously.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I think the government did an excellent job here, the hotels,
the tourism industry, everybody was getting the word out, and
of course the main thing for everybody was safety, safety
of our communities, safety of our guests, safety of our
team members, and just ensuring that we were taking all
precautions because above everything, life mattered.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
We're joined by the executive director of the Sandals Foundation,
Heidi Clark, coming to us live from Jamaica. You can
learn more about the work they're doing for Jamaica relief
at Sandalsfoundation dot org. What have you heard about the
aftermath of the storm. What have you seen there in Kingston,
as you mentioned, didn't get hit quite as hard as
(02:28):
other parts of the island, but what have you seen
and heard since the storm first hit.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
So for us now it's all about relief efforts in
the areas that were hit hard, so the south coast
and the west, and we are kind of assessing what
damages are down there, and yes, there have been some
great damages to hospitals, to schools and to various communities.
So it's now about looking how do we help people
(02:57):
with first relief and then how do we help to
rebuild as quickly as possible. And I must tell you,
I'm so grateful that so many people love Jamaica and
they were reaching out. So I think that together with
our partners, we are going to recover as quickly as
we can and with all hands on deck, you know,
it is anything as possible nowadays.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I'm looking at some of the overhead shots right now
of saying Elizabeth Parish and one of the challenges and
you would know this better than I, but it appears
to be that you've got some areas where it's going
to be difficult to get in there just because of
the remote location, the terrain, and you know, some of
the floodwaters and things like that. What have you heard
(03:38):
about some of the challenges that officials are going to
face trying to get a solid assessment of what happened,
and on some of those search and rescue or recovery missions.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Well, I think that, you know, first of all, they're
going to prioritize access to those communities, so clearing roads.
You know, we also have sea access coming from Kingston
and Montigua Bay, so we have helicopters up. We have
an incredible Jamaica Defense Force who are accustomed to doing
relief efforts in other islands and assisting them, So I think.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That they will prioritize.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
They were very carefully planning what would be the strategy
to get to these communities when they recognize this, and
of course, unfortunately we did deal with this last year
with Beryl and we worked the Samos Foundation a lot
in that area. So I'm hoping that we will have
access very quickly, and we do have quite a few
people from outside looking to help us so react. We
(04:38):
have a group that we work with out of the UK.
They're flying in and they're all trained in this, so
I think that we will. We'll get there. It just
takes a little time, and of course we have to
be super careful with downpower lines and those kind of
things in the area. Safety first, but yeah, we will
find a way to get to those communities.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Coming to us live from Jamaica, we have the executive
director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clark, So tell us
about the Sandals Foundation, the work you do, and how
specifically you're going to be helping in the aftermath of
Hurricane Melissa.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So unfortunately, this is something that we've become more accustomed to,
you know, doing relief efforts, not just here in Jamaica,
but in all the areas climate change and all we
have to deal with.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
But we're pretty great at it now.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I have to see in that we have wonderful partners
and we know how to activate very quickly. So first
relief is always the most important thing to us, getting
water and essentials, ensuring people have a safe, dry place
to be, and we are working with wonderful partners. We're
now executing various things for a World Central Kitchen who's
(05:49):
flying in today. We're working with REACT as I said,
who is a rescue team, and then of course our
teams in Miami that are helping to send stuff in
and of course the person of Jamaica that are are
not affected, and so we're able to mobilize very quickly
from those areas and then we go into long term recovery.
So that is looking at assessing things like healthcare and education,
(06:11):
which are the basis for us. We think those are
two of the most important things.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
We have to focus on recovering those.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
And I'm really pleased to say that every dollar donated
to us goes directly back into the community work. Because
Santos Resorts funds the governance of this foundation, and because
we've been doing it for a while, I think we've
been doing it well and we recognize what works and
what doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
So what do you need from everyone listening right now?
If they want to help the people of Jamaica again
after seeing these these horrific images from the island, what
is it that they can do through the Sandals Foundation
to assist you in that relief mission.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
You know, every dollar helps us to make a difference.
So donating at Sandalsfoundation dot org. It can be a dollar,
it could be twenty dollars, it could be whatever you
have that all goes to helping immediately, so you know,
we can purchase things in Kingston O Cherias, we can
get them there very quickly, and so that is really
(07:13):
the best way to help. And then of course those
funds start to help with long term recovery, of rebuilding schools,
of helping hospitals get equipment for life saving work. So
I think that is the quickest and best way to
really help at this stage of the game.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
All right, Executive director of the Sandals Foundation, coming to
us live from Jamaica, Heidi Clark. Again, if you want
to help with their Hurricane Melissa relief mission, you can
go to Sandals Foundation dot org. That's Sandals Foundation dot org. Heidi,
thank you so much for taking a few minutes. I'm
sure it's been a very challenging couple of days. We
(07:50):
appreciate the time and best of luck with the work there.
Our thoughts again are with you and everybody in Jamaica.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Huge thanks.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
We really really appreciate cate awareness, and we will recover
and we will welcome everybody back very soon.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
So thank you, all right, Thanks again, Heidie, Stay safe.
The Ryan Gorman Show five to nine every weekday morning
on news Radio two u FLA
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