February 6, 2026 — On October 28, 2025, a destructive Category 5 storm made landfall in Jamaica. With wind speeds of up to 185 miles per hour, Hurricane Melissa was one of the deadliest and costliest storms to ever strike the island. The impact is still being felt, with about 90,000 people still displaced or unhoused.
PEF member Joan Rosegreen was visiting the island when Melissa hit.
“Where I was able to find shelter, the roof was destroyed, the solar panels were destroyed, I was not able to communicate with anyone,” said Rosegreen, who has been a nurse for more than 30 years and is the Council Leader of PEF Division 198 at SUNY Downstate. “I was completely locked out of communication. No lights, no Wi-Fi, nothing. It was a traumatic experience.”
Rosegreen volunteers with the JAHJAH (Jamaicans Abroad Helping Jamaicans At Home) Foundation as well as the Rotary Club International. Immediately following the storm, she and her fellow volunteers assisted with recovery efforts. On November 4, she was finally able to return to New York, but found it hard to focus on her work.
“I was not myself. I went to a doctor and was told that I was suffering from PTSD,” she said.
To stay involved and help process her trauma, she organized a donation drive, eventually sending $5,500 in donated supplies to the island, including flashlights, toothpaste, towels, sleeping bags and more. Three-thousand of those dollars were her own.
“I had to do it, I had to reach into my own pocket,” she said. “This is my country and these are my people.”
All told, the JAHJAH Foundation has so far raised more than $204,000 to help Jamaicans rebuild.
Rosegreen returned to Jamaica in late November to visit her brother and further assist with recovery efforts.
“I knew I needed to go back,” she said. “I needed that closure.”
While visiting with more Rotary Club members from the United Kingdom, Rosegreen and other volunteers distributed clothing, lamps and additional supplies. They also helped set up water filtration systems.
At the PEF Executive Board meeting on December 4, 2025, two fellow board members — Raymond Moroz (Office of the State Comptroller) and Maureen Kozakiewicz (Department of Motor Vehicles) – contributed funds to the Rotary Club to help rebuild schools in Jamaica.
“Raymond told me that he wanted his contribution to go toward rebuilding of schools in memory of his aunt who was a school teacher,” said Rosegreen. “The Rotary Club was grateful to receive the donations.”
At a January 20, 2026, meeting of Rotary Club members, Moroz and Kozakiewicz were awarded Certificates of Appreciation for their donations.
Rosegreen said that throughout the experience, the one thing that has helped pushed her forward is knowing that the people of Jamaica are resilient.
“I was glad I was able to go down again and be with the community, my relatives, and see that things are already beginning to repair and grow,” she said. “People are feeling positive, people are getting their lives back on track. A full rebuild of lives will take time, but we will overcome.”
