Jamaica- Hurricane Melissa
Mission in Motion
Standing with the Caribbean Through Readiness, Rescue, and Recovery
The Situation
As Hurricane Melissa tracks toward the Caribbean, Fill the Needs is mobilizing with partners across Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti to prepare for impact and strengthen coordination ahead of the storm. Our mission is not to arrive after the damage — it’s to connect trusted responders before, during, and after landfall.
Fill the Needs works behind the scenes, helping partners align communication, procurement, and logistics so local teams can move faster when every hour counts.
What’s Happening
Jamaica’s geography, coastal exposure, and hilly terrain make it especially vulnerable to flooding, landslides and extended infrastructure disruptions. Recovery is not just about repairing houses—it’s stabilising communities, preserving livelihoods (especially for coastal and rural subsistence and tourism economy), and building forward.
At Fill the Needs we believe in bolstering the island’s strength before the storm hits — reinforcing preparedness, connecting communities, and strengthening local systems ahead of impact.
Hurricane Melissa has intensified to a Category 5 storm, threatening Jamaica’s south and west coasts with 160+ mph winds, storm surge up to 13 feet, and rainfall exceeding 30 inches in some regions. The system’s wide track will also affect Haiti and the Dominican Republic, bringing flooding, mudslides, and infrastructure disruption.
As the storm advances, Fill the Needs is helping connect established local responders and supporting partners who are already in position for immediate action once conditions allow.
What We’re Doing
(Fill the Needs’ Response)
Fill the Needs is coordinating across a growing network of trusted partners in the Caribbean. We’re assisting with immediate resource needs, helping synchronize logistics, and ensuring communication channels stay open when traditional systems go down.
Our efforts are focused on:
- Readiness and safety. Supporting teams in Jamaica already staging for search and rescue and field hospital operations.
- Procurement and logistics. Helping partners source and ship critical supplies once ports reopen and conditions are safe.
- Network building. Linking response organizations across Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to avoid overlap and strengthen coordination.
- Assessment and follow-through. After the storm, we’ll help evaluate damages, identify unmet needs, and connect gaps between government and grassroots response.
What is different about this disaster?
In island disasters, coordination can mean survival. Each nation has unique terrain, language, and infrastructure challenges, but the same core need: trusted relationships that move resources efficiently. By investing in those networks now — before the storm hits — Fill the Needs helps ensure faster recovery and smarter logistics.
This is collaborative aid in motion — where local responders lead and global partners lift them up.
This storm’s impact extends beyond Jamaica. Fill the Needs is working across the region — including Haiti and the Dominican Republic — to align communication between partners, share resources, and coordinate cross-border logistics. By bridging these efforts, we help ensure that no community faces recovery alone and that supplies and information flow seamlessly across island networks.
Our Partners
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How You Can Help
- Contribute to readiness. Your donation funds procurement and logistics coordination for partner organizations in the field.
- Support supplies. We’re actively sourcing fuel, medical kits, communications gear, and shelter materials for shipment post-storm.
- Share and connect. Amplify our partners’ work — awareness fuels action.
- Collaborate. If your organization can assist with air or sea transport, medical support, or warehousing, we’ll connect you directly to trusted field teams.
