Help Families Impacted by Hurricane Melissa!
A Category 5 Storm
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28th. The category five storm, called, “the world’s strongest storm so far this year,” left at least 88 people dead in Jamaica and Haiti.
In Jamaica, over 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. In Cuba, over 700,000 people were evacuated from high-impact areas, and are in need of food, water and shelter.
We have already helped bring emergency food supplies to 2,500 families in Cuba and 2,860 families in Jamaica. These families live in the hardest-hit areas of the country and have huge needs. Now, we’re helping families rebuild after disaster by supporting people in Jamaica.
- We are providing seeds to help farmers
- We are providing fishing gear to help restore livelihoods
- We are rebuilding roofs to ensure families are safe from future weather events
Thank you for standing with families in Jamaica! Your gift of any amount will help people rebuild their lives.
Our Immediate Response in Jamaica
As soon as Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, we began to respond alongside our partners with emergency food!
Through over 60 churches and ministry partners in 63 communities in highly impacted areas, we helped distribute supplies. 7,000 food and hygiene packs have been distributed to families so far. Most of the products included in these packs have been bought in Jamaica to support the local economy, but some supplies have also been brought in on containers.
Jamaica has a mountainous landscape, which has made logistics challenging. The government has been very active in clearing roads and getting services back, but the progress has been very slow. Hubs have been outfitted with supplies so they can be distributed more easily, significantly cutting down travel times to the more rural communities.
Our Current Response in Jamaica
Many families in Jamaica have lost their ability to earn a living and provide for their families. Most notably, this group includes farmers and fishermen. Working with 250 people, we will be providing equipment to fishermen, and seeds and tools to farmers to help them plant cantaloupes, watermelons, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, beets and onions. This variety of seeds will help farmers reestablish their crops and will ensure food security within the community in the year to come.
We will also be restoring roofs for these workers by providing metal sheeting, screws, wire nails and cement.
Thank you for helping us restore the homes and livelihoods of families in Jamaica!
Our Current Response in Cuba
Our global worker in Cuba has given food packs to their entire network of pastors and church partners to distribute to families in need. Many locations have major road blockages due to flooding from overflowing rivers and hurricane rains. The only way to get to many homes is on foot, so our global worker has called in many volunteers to help reach families in need!
In Cuba, families were already facing huge food insecurities and government rationing. They could buy food from local bodegas, but could only purchase a set amount per week. Many were already eating boiled roots for their breakfast.
Thanks to your generosity, families now have enough food to help them as they rebuild. Help us continue feeding families in Cuba today!
