Hurricane Melissa: Preparing to Respond

As Hurricane Melissa hurtles toward Jamaica as a life-threatening Category 5 hurricane, Project HOPE is mobilizing an emergency response team to deploy to Jamaica while monitoring needs across the region.  

“Hurricane Melissa is forecast to be one of the biggest storms to hit Jamaica in recorded history. Already, we’ve seen flooding, landslides, and casualties in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and the storm intensified rapidly from a category 1 to a category 5 over the weekend. The storm will bring deadly winds, rainfall, and storm surge which will endanger communities and cut them off from accessing emergency services and health care,” said Arlan Fuller, Project HOPE’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “Project HOPE is mobilizing a team to arrive in Jamaica at the earliest opportunity once the storm passes. In the meantime, it is working in close contact with local and international partners to identify the most critical needs as the storm moves through the area.” 

Project HOPE has a long history of responding to disasters and health crises, including Hurricanes Helene, Milton, Idalia, Ian, and Fiona in recent years. For media inquiries, email media@projecthope.org. 

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