South Florida was spared a direct blow from Hurricane Melissa, but the massive storm still hit home for the millions of residents there who have deep roots in the Caribbean.

Now, the Caribbean diaspora from Miami to New York City is turning its heartbreak into action: filling warehouses with emergency supplies to send to communities across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas that were battered by Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Centers of global wealth — and vibrant exile communities that run generations deep — both cities have long been major points of entry for immigrants and cultural melting pots. Miami-Dade County, Florida’s largest county, is now home to more immigrants than native-born Americans.

For many in Miami, the city is an unofficial capital of

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