A Jamaican restaurant on Troost Avenue in Kansas City is raising funds for the island of Jamaica after the country was ravaged by Hurricane Melissa.
Wah Gwan, which serves Jamaican and Nigerian cuisine at 6228 Troost Avenue, has established a GoFundMe to send support to owner Tanyech Yarbrough’s homeland, Yarbrough told The Star. “Wah gwan” is a greeting in Jamaican Patois, the county’s native language, which means, “What’s going on?”
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Yarbrough explained how she has lost connection with her family who lives in St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica, because of storm damage.
“Communication lines are down. Power is down, so we are basically facing the unknowns if any of our families are affected,” Yarbrough said in the video. “[T]he images are scary to watch right now, but with faith in the Most High carrying us through this time and Jamaica, we have faith that we’re going to pull through like we always do.”
Relief efforts and other fundraisers will be posted on Wah Gwan’s social media pages.
Three people died in Jamaica during storm preparations, according to Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie on Tuesday, and the death toll has continued to mount in the wake of the storm.
St. Elizabeth Police Superintendent Coleridge Minto told Jamaican news outlet Nationwide News Network on Wednesday that at least four bodies were found in southwest Jamaica. One death was reported in west Jamaica when a tree fell on a baby, state minister Abka Fitz-Henley told Nationwide News Network, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. State Department said it was deploying a “regional disaster response team” and other resources across Caribbean countries, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Other countries are also contributing humanitarian aid to the region.
Yarbrough aims to remain positive as she hopes for the best for her family and her country.
“I am thankful for the community and standing with us as a business during this time of need, and it shows what we can do when we unite during this hard time,” Yarbrough said.
