The Jamaican Association of Bermuda (JAB) is appealing for cash donations and other items after the country suffered a pounding by Hurricane Dean last Sunday, which brought around 145 mile-per-hour wind gusts.

JAB, responding directly to the tremendous outpouring of concerns for Jamaicans back at home, held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to help co-ordinate relief efforts.

And, JAB's annual picnic planned for the Labor Day weekend at the Shelly Bay Field has been cancelled in order to focus attention on the current relief efforts.

The association has set up a special relief fund account to facilitate urgent needs. Monetary donations may be made as follows: cheques and money orders may be made payable to The Jamaican Association (Bermuda) and either deposited directly to Relief — Fund account number: 010-407146-012, HSBC Bank of Bermuda or mail to: Jamaican Association (Bermuda) P.O. Box HM 2890 Hamilton HM LX.

Cash deposits can also be made directly to this account. The collection of items is also encouraged. However, the problem of storing, sorting and shipping items to Jamaica in a timely manner remains an issue, according to JAB.

Anyone interested in co-ordinating a shipping effort should contact: Ralston Wright, President, at 537-2511; Traddie Simpson, Vice President, at 505-6882; Lisa Bailey, Treasurer, at 524-1049; Dave Medley, Secretary, at 524-1288; Joan Richardson, Assistant Secretary, at 238-1933 or by jabermuda@gmail.com.

It's understood the Jamaican Government and all relevant agencies are in the process of making a final assessment of the full damage sustained to the island. According to the Jamaica Observer, a local paper there, 107 public schools were damaged, in varying degrees, by Hurricane Dean on Sunday, according to the latest estimate from the Ministry of Education.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) office in Jamaica has mobilised US$100,000 from the agency's national committee in France and was expecting another £50,000 from the counterpart committee in the United Kingdom.

And according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, Hurricane Dean was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since record-keeping began in the 1850s, based on its central atmospheric pressure.