Across the Tampa Bay region, people are rallying to send help to Jamaica as the county continues to recover from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Melissa. For one local man, the mission is deeply personal.

Basil Francis has called Tampa home for the past 20 years, but his heart remains in Falmouth, Jamaica, where he grew up and where most of his family still lives.

When Hurricane Melissa tore through the island, Francis went days without hearing from loved ones.

That was scary, then not being able to contact or hear from anyone was scary. I remember sending a message on WhatsApp to my uncle that said if you see this please, please just say something and you can look and see he hadn't been online. Finally, his son contacted my mother, and we felt a little more at ease.

When he f

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