Dirk Bartalozzi, owner of Bartalozzi Homes, led a team of volunteer carpenters from Wisconsin to Jamaica to build new wooden homes for victims of Hurricane Melissa in Westmoreland. 

A total of 8 new homes were built and it took 2 days to build each home. The initiative was created by The Issa Trust Foundation along with The Couples Resorts.

 The victims are employees at the Couples Resorts.

Dirk, whose wife is Jamaican, says he was moved after Hurricane Melissa to assist and has never witnessed the level of devastation seen in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa. He builds residential homes in Wisconsin and has been building his entire working life.

Dirk and his volunteer team brought down their equipment and tools to work with on the projects. He brought battery-powered tools, including framing guns, saws, drills and hurricane straps.

Dirk commented, “It’s pretty much the same construction as what we do at home, but challenging to build a new floor to the roof on stilts”.