World Food Programme: Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti

Hurricane Melissa's Devastation Across the Caribbean

• 🌪️ Hurricane Melissa caused widespread devastation, impacting coastal communities and agricultural areas in Jamaica, cutting off communities in Cuba, and causing flooding in Haiti.
• 💔 In Jamaica, many people have lost their homes and livelihoods and are still in shock.
• ⚠️ Over 1.5 million people in Jamaica, more than half the population, have been affected, with over 130 roads blocked and disruptions to power and communication networks.
• 🏥 Health services in Jamaica are strained, with several hospitals and clinics damaged or destroyed.

WFP's Emergency Response and Operations

• 🌍 The World Food Programme (WFP) is actively supporting governments in coordination and scaling up response for critical needs.
• 📦 In Jamaica, WFP has airlifted 2,000 food kits from Barbados and is establishing a commodity pipeline, aiming to assist up to 200,000 people with food and cash assistance.
• 🤝 WFP is working with national authorities and international partners, including the UN system, the French Navy, and Dutch vessels, to deliver critical humanitarian supplies.
• ✈️ Support from Canada, the European Union, and the United States is facilitating swift delivery of prepositioned relief items and access to hard-to-reach communities.

Preparedness and Response in Cuba

• 🇨🇺 In Cuba, anticipatory actions and pre-approved surf allocations allowed WFP and the government to preposition key supplies ahead of Hurricane Melissa.
• 🏠 Hundreds of thousands were evacuated to protection centers, and WFP prepositioned food for 275,000 people for up to 60 days.
• 📈 WFP plans to assist 900,000 people for three months, with half of those needing assistance for an additional three months.
• 💰 The UN in Cuba has finalized a response plan, appealing for $74 million to assist around a million affected persons over 12 months.

Aggravating Crisis in Haiti

• 🇭🇹 In Haiti, Hurricane Melissa's impact is worsening an already complex humanitarian crisis, with one in two Haitians severely food insecure before the storm.
• 🌊 Homes and infrastructure have been washed away along the southern coast, affecting an estimated 1,250,000 people.
• 🆘 WFP has reached thousands with emergency food distributions and is scaling up to reach 190,000 people as part of the response.
• 📞 Anticipatory payments and practical guidance via text messages were provided to help people prepare for and stay safe during the storm.

Call for Continued Support

• 🆘 WFP is calling for $74 million to deliver life-saving assistance to up to 1.1 million people in the Caribbean and coordinate emergency logistics.
• 💖 The organization is grateful for donor contributions and private sector support, emphasizing that recovery is a marathon requiring sustained effort to protect resilience.