What Now?

Hurricane Melissa has come and gone, leaving behind a corridor of destruction, heartbreak, and uncertainty.

An aerial view of Black River, Jamaica, on Thursday in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Matias Delacroix / AP

For those who only felt the edges of her force, we now find ourselves suspended between gratitude for what we have been spared and deep sorrow for our compatriots whose lives have been upended overnight.

The sun has returned. The damage is still being assessed. Yet one question lingers: What now?

It is not easy to picture the road ahead after such devastation. Imagine spending years building your world—brick by brick, day by day—only to watch it vanish in a matter of hours. The loss is not just physical but emotional, even spiritual as well. And still, somehow, we must begin again.

The “how” may look different for each of us, but one truth is constant: we need each other. This is a time in which we must embody what it means to be neighbors, to be our brothers’and sisters’ keepers. Let us hold space for grief while also holding out our hands to help. Let us lift one another up, however we can, as we rebuild not just homes, but hope.

Since its inception, Centric has placed community at the heart of everything we do. We are nothing without the people around us—our clients, our friends, our fellow Jamaicans—who remind us that strength is shared, not solitary.

In light of that, Centric will be donating building materials to support families in the hardest-hit areas to rebuild better, stronger and safer. We also understand that after a tragedy of this magnitude, the appetite for leisure—specifically Pilates—might be low. But movement is healing, and community is medicine. So, over the next 4 weeks, 10 percent of every Centric class booking will go directly toward the purchase of rebuilding materials for those in need.

As we join hands and hearts in this collective effort, let us not forget to extend compassion inward as well. Everyone’s situation is different, and not all forms of giving look the same. Do what you can, with what you have, and trust that it matters.

From all of us at Centric, we send our deepest love and concern to every Jamaican. And to the victims of Hurricane Melissa: you are not alone. We see you, we stand with you, and we will walk beside you as we rebuild—stronger than before.