Six months after Hurricane Melissa, locally led recovery will determine how communities withstand future shocks

Kingston, Panama City, Geneva 21, April 2026 — Six months after Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica is entering a critical phase where recovery efforts must continue to be a priority or risk deepening long-term vulnerability, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Jamaica Red Cross stated today, as they presented the country’s recovery strategy during the Hurricane Melissa Recovery Conference held in Kingston.The Category 5 hurricane affected 1.6 million people — more than half the country’s population — causing an estimated USD 8.8 billion in damages — equivalent to 56 per cent of Jamaica’s GDP — placing significant pressure on public finances, slowing economic recovery, and leaving lasting impacts on livelihoods, housing and essential services. Losses in key sectors such as tourism and agriculture continue to affect income and stability, particularly in rural and coastal communities.At the same time, rising global costs — including fuel and agricultural inputs — are increasing the burden on recovery, making it more expensive for families to rebuild and for systems to recoverWhile emergency response efforts helped stabilize the immediate aftermath, thousands of families remain displaced or living in damaged homes, with limited means to rebuild.“Six months after a disaster, recovery becomes decisive. If we get this moment right, we can reduce future risks. If we don’t, vulnerabilities deepen,” said Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC. “Recovery is about strengthening the capacity of communities, systems and institutions to withstand the next shock. That means investing early, working in coordination with national authorities, and trusting local actors to lead — particularly National Societies like the Jamaica Red Cross, whose auxiliary role positions them to support and strengthen national recovery efforts.”With a new hurricane season approaching and humanitarian needs still acute, the Jamaica Red Cross has developed a recovery strategy focused on five critical areas: shelter, livelihoods, health — including mental health — hygiene, and community resilience. The strategy is grounded in community engagement, data-driven assessments, and close coordination with national authorities, ensuring that recovery efforts are aligned with national priorities and shaped by the needs of affected people.“This strategy is aligned with the national recovery framework and builds on what has already been achieved in the response, while supporting communities to recover safely and sustainably,” said Allasandra Chung, President of the Jamaica Red Cross. “It recognises that every family and every community recovers at a different pace and requires solutions tailored to their specific needs. Grounded in dialogue with affected people and national authorities, and drawing on our experience in recovery from Hurricane Beryl and other crises, it goes beyond rebuilding what was lost — helping communities rebuild futures that are safer, more resilient and better prepared for what lies ahead.”The Jamaica Red Cross, supported by the IFRC network, has been central to the response and continues to support communities as recovery progresses. To date, more than 45,000 people have received humanitarian assistance, including shelter materials, hygiene items, food and cash support. Over 6,000 households have received cash assistance to help meet urgent needs and begin rebuilding, while mental health and psychosocial support has reached more than 2,100 people.The Jamaica Red Cross recovery approach places local leadership at its core, strengthening community capacities and ensuring that people are active participants in shaping their own recovery. Through training, outreach and engagement, communities are being supported to rebuild safer homes, restore livelihoods and reduce future risks.The recovery strategy forms part of the IFRC Emergency Appeal for 19 million Swiss francs to support 180,000 people over 24 months. However, the appeal is currently only 56 per cent funded, limiting the ability to scale up recovery efforts at the pace required.AV assets available here.Download the recovery strategy here.For more information and to arrange interviews contact: [email protected] JamaicaEsther Pinnock +1 (876) 836-5049In PanamaSusana Arroyo +507 69993199In GenevaTommaso Della Longa +41 79 708 4367Paolo Cravero +41 79 894 83 96

From response to recovery: IFRC President honors Jamaica Red Cross volunteers and youth

St. Catherine, Jamaica, 21 January 2026 - The Jamaica Red Cross last week welcomed President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mrs. Kate Forbes, whose visit placed a powerful spotlight on recovery, resilience and the efforts of volunteers driving Jamaica’s humanitarian response, three months after Hurricane Melissa struck the country.At the Jamaica Red Cross national headquarters, in St. Catherine, volunteers and Red Cross Youth filled the room with songs, poetry and messages of unity, courage and humanity, a vibrant reflection of the compassion that has sustained communities through loss and rebuilding. Volunteers were formally recognised for their extraordinary dedication in the aftermath of the hurricane, even when many were personally impacted themselves.“Recovery is often the most overlooked phase of a disaster, yet it is where dignity is restored and futures are rebuilt,” said IFRC President Kate Forbes. “What I have seen in Jamaica is the true heart of humanitarian action: local volunteers, especially young people, leading with courage, creativity and care for their communities.”Jamaica Red Cross was active in communities before Hurricane Melissa made landfall, taking early action, supporting alerts and evacuations, and positioning relief for the most at-risk families. Since Hurricane Melissa hit the island, the Jamaica Red Cross has supported more than 28,000 people with shelter materials, clean water, health services, psychosocial support, and cash assistance to meet their most urgent needs.During her visit, President Forbes visited mobile health clinics in Darliston and Savanna-la-Mar, made possible through the leadership of Jamaica Red Cross volunteers and staff, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Canadian Red Cross. These mobile clinics are strengthening primary healthcare access in communities which are still navigating the long road to recovery.Jamaican Red Cross President, Ms. Allasandra Chung, underscored the significance of the visit and the volunteers it honoured. “This visit affirms that recovery is not just about rebuilding structures, but restoring hope,” Chung said. "The service of our volunteers is priceless, and this recognition belongs to every volunteer and youth member who chose humanity in the face of hardship.”President Forbes’ visit reinforces the IFRC’s long-term commitment to supporting Jamaica’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa, and the vital role of volunteers in rebuilding stronger, more resilient communities.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] Jamaica: Chloe Govindasamy, [email protected] Geneva: India Roberts-Smillie, +41 763 726 251

Climate of storms: A string of recent super storms expose the human costs of a warming world

Even in places where tropical storms are normal a part of life, the destructive power of Hurricane Melissa and the two recent Typhoons in the Philippines came as a shock to the millions of people who lived through them. When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, for example, it was classified as a Category 5 — the strongest storm the island nation has ever experienced. Why are tropical storms like Melissa becoming so severe? And why are they becoming so frequent? Perhaps most importantly, what can we do about it? These are some of the questions we tackle through recorded interviews with people on the front lines of the storm's impact and with three special guests who are experts in the field of emergency preparedness, disaster response and the science of climate change.

The IFRC warns of growing psychological toll on children and families one month after Hurricane Melissa

Kingston/Panama/Geneva. 28 November 2025 - One month after Hurricane Melissa, people continue to report significant psychological impacts, including high levels of stress, anxiety, persistent fear, sleep disturbances, and grief linked to the loss of homes, livelihoods, and loved ones. Thousands across the affected regions are seeking psychosocial support, with demand increasing as families confront the long-term emotional toll of the disaster, reports the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).In Jamaica, children are showing a wide range of emotional reactions, including fear of the dark and heightened sensitivity to rain or wind. Some have become unusually quiet or irritable, while others are more clingy, fearful of separation, or noticeably hyperactive as they try to cope with the ongoing sense of insecurity.“While physical wounds may heal and houses can be rebuilt with time, emotional wounds can linger long after the crisis is over. Mental health and psychosocial support programs are among the least expensive interventions in humanitarian response, yet their impact is priceless,” said Dorothy Francis, Head of Operations at the IFRC in Jamaica. “It is critical to ensure the resources needed not only for psychological first aid, but also for psychoeducation, child-friendly activities, and group sessions tailored to community needs.”The IFRC has launched an emergency appeal for 19 million Swiss francs (approximately USD 23 million) to support 180,000 people affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, and an additional appeal for 15 million Swiss francs (USD 18 million) to assist the Cuban Red Cross in supporting 100,000 people. This funding will strengthen MHPSS interventions across all response activities, ensuring that communities receive practical, emotional, and psychological support throughout the recovery process.Red Cross volunteers and specialists are providing essential mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to adults and children affected by the hurricane. This includes psychological first aid, community-based support sessions, child-friendly activities, and referrals to specialized care when needed.Activities such as games, drawing, storytelling, music, movement, and breathing exercises support emotional expression and stress reduction. For those more deeply affected, focused group sessions offer grounding techniques, relaxation exercises, psychoeducation on common stress reactions, and safe spaces to share coping strategies and regain a sense of control. Parents also receive guidance to understand their children’s emotional needs and support healthy coping. Across all these actions, the goal is to restore safety, a sense of normalcy, and meaningful connection within the community.In Cuba, Red Cross teams are also distributing mosquito kits — an intervention that goes beyond disease prevention. By protecting families from mosquito bites and creating a safer sleeping environment, the kits help improve sleep hygiene, which is essential for emotional well-being and recovery after a traumatic event.Julio Martinez, Head of Psychosocial Support for the Cuban Red Cross, has been leading sessions with children in the community of El Aguacate. He describes how simple activities such as coloring help children express their emotions and begin to heal. “The colors reflect what the child feels in that moment. Children express themselves openly and clearly, and their drawings often reveal what is happening within the family,” he said.MHPSS is also central to building back stronger. “After the storm, people face difficult decisions— how to rebuild, return to work, and support their children,” Martinez added. “Resilience becomes essential, and psychosocial support is key to helping communities recover and rebuild that strength. No one emerges untouched; everyone is psychologically affected, so mental health cannot be overlooked.”In Cuba, Yaricel Martínez González experienced the effects of Hurricane Melissa firsthand. Before the storm, she was part of a community of fisherfolk.“To see everything we had achieved through years of effort and sacrifice collapse in just a few hours was deeply devastating for us,” mentions Yaricel. “My own mother would start crying every day at two in the morning, and I felt a knot in my throat, as if I couldn’t breathe. When something so drastic happens, you think you’ll never sleep again, never recover. But we are living proof that the techniques provided by the Red Cross do help. They taught us ways to breathe better, relieve stress, and sleep more peacefully. Even the children benefited, using drawings to express the sadness they felt from Melissa’s passing.”Note to editors:Visuals: Additional photos and video available here.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] Panama:Maria Victoria Langman, +507 6550-1090Susana Arroyo Barrantes, +507 6999-3199In Geneva:Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 4367 Nora Peter, +36 70 953 7709 

Climate of storms: New Red Vest podcast episode explores link between a warming world and a recent string of super storms

‘I can rise again’: They lost everything to Hurricane Melissa. But they are resilient and determined to rebuild.

‘You can’t capture it in pictures’: Hurricane Melissa leaves path of destruction in Western Jamaica

In a residential part of Westmoreland, a parish on the western point of Jamaica, Maceo Sibbles stands amid a swath of broken branches and fallen trees. Behind him, the trees that still stand are bent, twisted and stripped of their leaves and branches.“The damage has been catastrophic,” says Sibbles, who serves as director of the Westmoreland Branch of the Jamaica Red Cross. Hurricane Melissa, the strongest Hurricane to ever hit Jamaica – and the third largest storm to ever be recorded in the Caribbean – has caused widespread destruction across the west of the country.“You can’t capture it in pictures, not even videos, you need to see it with your own two eyes,” he says. “It’s really horrific.”There are some areas of Westmoreland that are still completely inaccessible, ten days after the hurricane made landfall. People are desperately in need of the most basic amenities, having had their entire lives shattered, blown into the wind.“We’ve had areas where the only thing left standing is the bathroom, the concrete bathroom that the person built. If it’s not concrete, it’s not there, everything else is flat."Maceo Sibbles, director of the Westmoreland Branch of the Jamaica Red Cross.“We’ve had areas where houses are primarily built with board and zinc and most of those are completely devastated,” Maceo says.“We are trying our best to reach out and get out into the communities but haven’t even gotten to the hills yet. We are getting reports of a lot of people have passed away due to the storm."‘Everyone is hurting’Jamaica Red Cross staff and volunteers are currently facing immense challenges reaching affected areas due to downed power lines, flooding, and impassable roads. It took some volunteers several days to even reach their local Red Cross branch office to support with humanitarian aid distribution, because the areas surrounding their homes were so badly damaged.“It took a lot of volunteers days to come out from where they were, getting through trees, getting through the downed powerlines on the roads,” Maceo says. “You can’t drive out, you have to walk out and then you’re dealing with water that is chest or waist height.”“We have people who are marooned. We can’t get to them because of the distance to the closest driving point and it’s hard to go there and pass everybody on the way who can’t go out for themselves.”Watch this interview with hurricane survivor Dwayne Francis:Needs are vast: Emergency funding triggered and appeals launchedDespite the difficulties, Red Cross teams have started distributing goods to affected communities, including food packages, water and items like tarpaulins, shelter kits, hygiene kits, cleaning kits and jerry cans.The needs are so vast it is impossible to reach everyone who needs support right now, so Maceo and his team are focusing on individuals and communities who are most vulnerable.“We have started distributing to the elderly, people who have small children and people with disabilities, physical challenges or mental challenges,” he says. “We have also distributed from a location in Savanna La Mar for people who can actually reach there, to get some of their supplies.To support the response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, the IFRC has launched an emergency appeal for 19 million Swiss francs and allocated 80,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund in advance of the storm's arrival in order to support emergency preparations.Working togetherThe scale of this disaster requires a coordinated response, with the many actors on the ground. Agencies need to ensure they are working together and pooling their resources to work as efficiently and effectively as possible.“This is not the Red Cross only, it’s not the Ministry of Labour and Social Security only,”Maceo adds. “We’ve had World Central Kitchen come with hot meals, but everyone is chipping in little by little by little.“I know some people are getting impatient and we can’t ask them to be patient; we just have to get to them as soon as we can. And that’s what we’re trying to do, day by day. We are going to keep pushing.”In total, 881 shelters were activated across the island and are providing support to over 7,200 people. These shelters have largely been community halls, schools and churches, buildings that managed to withstand the force of the hurricane. Now, roughly 88 of these shelters remain active, with the Jamaican Red Cross managing eight of them.Community ResilienceMany of Maceo’s volunteers who are working tirelessly each day to provide food, supplies and other forms of help have also been badly affected. Despite their exhaustion and personal loss, they continue to support their neighbours.“I know some of my volunteers have been working from 6 in the morning until twelve midnight and they are exhausted,” Maceo says. “We are trying to rotate through as much as possible, so there is no burn out, but on the ground, we are working as hard as we can, to get to people who need help.“We have volunteers who are homeless right now. They are with somebody who may have gotten damaged and has pitched up part of their home to accommodate them.”Maceo Sibbles, director of the Westmoreland Branch of the Jamaica Red Cross.“We have volunteers who are homeless right now. They are with somebody who may have gotten damaged and has pitched up part of their home to accommodate them.”“A lot of our volunteers, when they go home, they are going home to darkness, to no water, to mud, going through several feet of water just to get home. Our volunteers push, our volunteers work hard, they are volunteering from the heart.”While Jamaica Red Cross volunteers are providing psychological support to people who are still living through a traumatic experience, they volunteers are also in need of psychosocial support.“We are going to be doing a lot of psychosocial first aid, because this hurricane shook a lot of people,” says Maceo. “I was in it personally. It was terrifying. For me, I don’t panic but I know my daughter was scared. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”Another challenge communities worst hit by the Hurricane have been experiencing is telecommunication outages. There are many areas of the country that will be without power for weeks to come and so a network of satellite communication devices has started to emerge, spanning the length of the country. The Westmoreland branch has become a hub for one of these devices, called a Starlink.“We’ve had the Starlink here for two days,” Maceo explains. “It’s being used by the community. We run it on the generator. It has issues but we’re really thankful for it. With the Starlink people are able to reach out to family members but also get some entertainment, because you know psychosocial support and people’s wellbeing is important. People need to have time to decompress and breathe, to achieve some semblances of normal life. It’s really important.”Hopes and fearsThere are so many barriers to overcome and there will be bumps in the road to recovery. The true extent of the damage and secondary hazards are still being identified. One such area of concern for Maceo is waste management and sanitisation issues.“I am worried about the disposal of waste,” he says. “We already had a problem with garbage being picked pre-Melissa, but now you have human waste and bodily waste, where people are utilising public spaces because they don’t have anything else.“One of my greatest concerns is that it might turn into some kind of communicable disease. I think we need public education on the matter, and we need to figure out a way to help these people have better hygiene practices.“Right now, people are just surviving, and you can’t look at a person whose surviving and tell them they need to do something different. We need to come up with a better option.”In terms of his hopes, Maceo has faith that his country will recover. Jamaican people are resilient and if we can garner enough support from the international community, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, he says.“My hope is that we can build better, that we can do what needs to be done, so everybody gets the help that they need. I believe that we can do it, but we must get a lot of support,” he says.

15 days of action: Well before Hurricane Melissa struck, the Red Cross was on full alert, helping people get ready. Now, they’re at the heart of the response

For the people who lived through Hurricane Melissa, it was a storm like no other they had ever experienced.Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica on 28 October as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds exceeding 160 mph, making it the most severe storm to hit the island in known history. Then, itmoved eastward towards Cuba, where it struck twelve hours later as a Category 3 hurricane.Fortunately, the severity of the hurricane was not entirely unexpected. Thanks to forecasts, the Red Cross network in the region had already begun preparing for the storm. A week before landfall, when the first weather forecasts showed the formation of Hurricane Melissa and its possible paths in the central Caribbean, the Red Cross was already active, coordinating with local groups and agencies, warning the communities and helping them prepare, and placing critical supplies in places where they were likely to be needed most. Local Red Cross teams in Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, activated their contingency plans and began preparing communities for what would become one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. The damage in Jamaica was devastating. The government estimates that losses amount to around 30 percent of the national GDP. Flooding destroyed roads and damaged crops, leaving more than 70 percent of the population without electricity. Around 7,200 people sought shelter in the 881shelters that were opened across the country, eight of which are still being managed by the Jamaican Red Cross.“It was very traumatic. I lost my storeroom, my shed down there, and the water in the gully was rising. When I peeped through the window and saw the kind of breeze along with the rain, it was very traumatic,” says Mr. Lawrence, Doctor, former Emergency Chair for the Red Cross St Elizabeth branch. “As you can see, all my fruit trees have died. The fish that I feed every morning they turned over, they all swam away.”In Cuba, winds of up to 195 km/h and heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides, interrupting basic services. It is estimated that 2.2 million people have been severely affected.“We were not able to arrive to Santiago because the road is blocked by what is full of water,” said Nicolás Segura, IFRC’s Disaster Response Coordinator for the Latin Caribbean.“We were able to see a lot of damage, a lot of devastation, a lot of dead animals on the road and also a couple of road accidents and people trying to get to their houses, trying to recover everything.”Anticipatory action saves livesIn Jamaica, the Red Cross launched preventive measures in eight high-risk parishes, supported by the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF). Volunteers visited at-risk communities to disseminate early warning messages, prepared shelters and distributed essential items.. Thanks to these measures, more than 300 people and five institutions received essential non-food items and preparedness support well before the storm made landfall.Meanwhile, the Cuban Red Cross activated its contingency plan for hydrometeorological events, deploying staff and volunteers to vulnerable areas. They reinforced community communications, checked evacuation centres and pre-positioned humanitarian aid kits and rescue equipment in provinces such as Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Holguín. This advance preparation meant that, when Melissa finally made landfall, both National Societies were ready to respond immediately without wasting any critical time. From day one, teams on both islands have been working tirelessly. The Jamaica Red Cross mobilised 400 volunteers and immediately distributed 750 blankets, 250 cleaning kits, 250 hygiene kits, 250 shelter tool kits and 500 tarpaulins. In Cuba, specialised brigades have supported evacuations, rescued over 500 people, and provided psychosocial support to families in crisis.International appeals for recovery supportThe scale of the disaster has prompted the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to launch two emergency appeals to strengthen operations in both countries. The emergency appeal in Jamaica aims to raise 19 million Swiss francs (US$23 million) to assist 180,000 people over the next two years. The operation will provide shelter, livelihoods, and cashassistance, helping families rebuild safely and recover with dignity.Special attention will be given to single mothers, families with young children or older adults, and people with disabilities. All interventions will be guided by protection, gender inclusion and community engagement and accountability, ensuring that assistance is fair and transparent, and helping communities prepare for future climate crises. In Cuba, the emergency appeal aims to raise CHF 15 million (USD 18 million) to support 100,000 people in the worst-affected provinces. The operation combines emergency relief, early recovery, and long-term resilience, helping families rebuild homes, restore safe water, and recover their health and livelihoods.This two-year appeal invests in climate-resilient reconstruction. Families will receive roofing kits, tools, and training in safe, sustainable building techniques, along with solar-powered water systems to secure clean water even when power fails. The goal: help communities recover today and then have what they need to resist tomorrow’s storms.Active global networkIn the seven days following the storm, the Red Cross's global network delivered over 180 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to the Caribbean. These included shelter kits, cleaning kits, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, jerry cans, buckets and blankets. On Sunday, 2 November, an IFRC charter flight landed in Santiago de Cuba with the first 20 tons of humanitarian aid for those affected by Hurricane Melissa. 'We are in the warehouses where we have our 20-tonne load of humanitarian aid that arrived recently. Our objective is to check it and establish distribution guidelines', said Luis Enrique Calderón Rodríguez on 4 November. He is the Head of Operations and Rescue at the Cuban Red Cross. 'We have already verified that the loads are ready and that we can begin delivering to families today.'This shipmentenables the Cuban Red Cross to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to 1,500 people in the most affected areas, including kitchen kits, hygiene kits, bedding, blankets, mosquito nets, solar lamps, shelter tool kits and plastic sheeting.In Jamaica, 160 tons of Red Cross humanitarian aid arrived in the seven days following Melissa's landfall. Shipments reinforce local distribution, enabling thousands of families to receive hygiene, cleaning, and cooking items in the early days of the emergency. These actions were made possible by international solidarity. The Canadian Red Cross, the French Red Cross's Regional Intervention Platform of the Americas-Caribbean (PIRAC) and the IFRC's Regional Logistics Centre in Panama coordinated the shipment of supplies by air and sea to ensure aid reached those most in need quickly. Volunteers from the Cuban and Jamaican Red Cross Societies, meanwhile, are still extremely busy throughout the region, carrying out damage and needs assessments, distributing emergency supplies, cleaning up and providing emotional support.Helping people cope with shock and lossNot all the support being provided comes in the form of physical goods or supplies.There is a strong and widespread need for psychosocial support in the worst-affected communities, including among Red Cross members. Volunteers and staff have been working tirelessly for days. Some volunteers have seen their homes completely destroyed.“We recognise that there is a very real and strong need for health services, medical care, and psychosocial support,” said Ruth Howard to BBC on October 31, Howard is the Deputy Public Relations Chair for the Jamaica Red Cross. “The psychosocial support is essential, because this has been one of the most traumatic events that many of our people have ever experienced in their lives,” she continued.Yet they continue to support those most in need, demonstrating that Red Cross help begins in communities. Every kit delivered, every safe evacuation and every hug of support is made possible by these dedicated volunteers. Hurricane Melissa reminded us once again that preparedness saves lives. The anticipatory actions implemented before the storm made landfall proved their effectiveness, making the difference between total devastation and resilience. Over the next months, the IFRC and the National Societies of Jamaica and Cuba will continue to collaborate to bolster community resilience in the face of future climate events.

Jamaica: Hurricane Melissa 

Hurricane Melissa — the strongest storm in Jamaica’s history — has devastated communities across the island, bringing winds of up to 280 km/h, as well as torrential rains and storm surges that left homes destroyed, roads blocked, and thousands displaced. Nearly 1.9 million people are affected, with many families trapped or living in makeshift shelters as flooding and landslides continue.The Jamaica Red Cross, supported by the IFRC, is providing emergency shelter, food, clean water, and cash assistance. But urgent support is needed to reach more people and scale up recovery efforts.Donate now to help the Jamaica Red Cross provide life-saving assistance

Jamaica: IFRC launches emergency appeal in response to Hurricane Melissa. Aid distribution is well under way

Geneva/Panama City/Kingston, 30 October 2025 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an emergency appeal for 19 million Swiss francs (USD 23 million) to assist 180,000 people affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica over the next 24 months.The storm made landfall in southwestern Jamaica, near New Hope, on 28 October as a Category 5 hurricane — the third strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Across Jamaica, more than 77 percent of the population is without electricity, and around 6,000 people remain in emergency shelters, many of whom have lost their homes or livelihoods.“Hurricane Melissa has left immense devastation in its wake – the situation is beyond catastrophic. People lost their lives, homes have been destroyed, and critical infrastructure has been damaged. We don’t yet know the full extent of the damage, but our teams on the ground are already seeing a massive need for shelter, food, water and health services including blood donation and psychological first aid,” said Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General.Over the next two years, money raised through the IFRC Emergency Appeal will enable humanitarian assistance across ten of the most affected parishes, combining immediate relief with long-term recovery and resilience-building. Shelter repair and reconstruction, livelihood recovery, and cash or in-kind support will also help families restore stability and safety.“Our teams have been working for more than a week to prepare for Melissa’s arrival — setting up shelters, pre-positioning relief items near high-risk areas, and helping communities get ready for the storm,” said Yvonne Clarke, Jamaica Red Cross Director General. “Now it is time to respond and ensure that those most affected have what they need to start rebuilding their lives, while also making sure communities are better prepared for future storms.”Health and water interventions will ensure access to safe drinking water, hygiene supplies, and medical care for thousands of people. At the same time, mental health and psychosocial support will accompany families and responders coping with loss and trauma. Rehabilitation of damaged health facilities and clean-up campaigns will help restore essential services and strengthen local capacities to withstand future shocks.As this appeal is launched, humanitarian aid is already on the move. The Jamaica Red Cross has mobilized 400 volunteers and released pre-positioned stocks of blankets, cleaning and hygiene kits, shelter toolkits, and tarpaulins to support the most affected families.Additional IFRC relief supplies for 2,300 people, including cleaning kits for over 800 households, are ready for deployment, and a 28-ton charter flight from the IFRC humanitarian hub in Panama is ready to depart carrying kitchen sets, blankets, jerrycans, and hygiene supplies for 1,800 families.Melissa struck just 16 months after Hurricane Beryl, leaving communities with little time to recover from previous losses. The IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) had already allocated 80,000 Swiss francs before Melissa’s landfall to enable early action, including the pre-positioning of supplies and the preparation of shelters. This anticipatory approach helped reduce the storm’s humanitarian toll, proving once again that acting early saves lives.“The strength of this response lies in Jamaica itself — in the deep bond between the Red Cross and the communities it serves,” said Loyce Pace, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas. “Our appeal is meant to complement local efforts, acknowledging that rebuilding resilience takes a village, especially in times of climate crisis."We’ll be here for the long road ahead — supporting life-saving assistance while laying the groundwork for long-term recovery, acting local, and making sure the world doesn’t forget what affected communities need.”For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes, +507 6999-3199   María Victoria Langman, +507 6550-1090  In Geneva: Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 4367Nora Peter, +36 70 953 7709

Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica: Hours before Melissa makes landfall, preparation is the only way forward

Hurricane Melissais expected to make landfall in Jamaica as a major Category 4 or 5 hurricane – the first storm of this magnitude to hit Jamaica in known history.“We're expecting hurricane conditions starting tomorrow, later into this evening and a part of tomorrow,”says Esther Pinnock, Communications Officer for Jamaica Red Cross. “Heavy rainfall will be experienced.”Pinnock was speaking on Sunday 26 October, a day before the storm’s earliest predicted landfall. Forecasters expect Melissa to make landfall on Monday 27 October or Tuesday 28 October.“Some sections of the island are already experiencing this rainfall and gusty winds," Pinnock continued. "Based on the trajectory and expectation of the hurricane, we know that there are already some areas, those that we would have already intervened in, like Portland Cottage, Rocky Point and areas of Saint Catherine that are vulnerable."Melissa will make landfall in Jamaica while communities are still recovering from Hurricane Beryl. This storm is expected to impact the country just 16 months after Hurricane Beryl devastated farming and fishing communities and caused USD 204 million in damage. Coastal households are still recovering financially and lack the resources to prepare for another storm.Flooding is expected to be worse than Beryl, due to Melissa’s slow movement and antecedent moisture from inclement weather over the past weeks. Low-lying areas remain highly vulnerable to storm surges and flooding, while Kingston's informal settlements face significant risks of wind damage.Local Red Cross teams across Jamaica are already on the ground — taking early action, supporting alerts and evacuations, and positioning relief for the most at-risk families.Jamaica Red Cross is coordinating and receiving data from theJamaica Information Service of the known vulnerable areas, and the local teams anticipate that there will be severe events to which the Red Cross will have to respond.Staff and volunteers are prepared to immediately replenish distributed supplies and complement emergency stock, conduct damage and needs assessments to identify critical needs, operate emergency shelters for displaced populations, and establish feedback and complaint mechanisms to ensure accountability to affected communities.“We will also be collecting information on persons who may be stranded and making those connections with the necessary entities as we get such reports”, Pinnock adds.“I also want to be highlighting to the public that after the storm passes, we're going to be talking about our Restoring Family Links service and how that can be accessed.”The IFRC has since launched an emergency appeal for 19 million Swiss francs to support the Jamaican Red Cross emergency response and recovery efforts.Powered by forecasts and early action, the Jamaica Red Cross has been mobilized for a week ahead of Melissa. With 165,000 people potentially at risk across the parishes of Saint Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, Saint Catherine, Saint Andrew, Kingston, Saint Thomas, and Portland, the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF) has allocated CHF 80,000 for imminent action.These funds have allowed our local teams to activatevolunteers, preposition relief supplies, and support alerts and evacuations. In schools, community centres, and places of worship across the eight targeted parishes, the Red Cross has supported the preparation of emergency shelters in the days and hours leading up to Melissa's anticipated arrival. Local Red Cross teams have also pre-positioned emergency supplies—including 250 shelter kits, 250 hygiene kits, 250 cleaning kits, tarps, drinking water, and other essential items—in local branches and designated shelters before the storm arrives.Additionally, trained volunteers have been deployed with necessary communication equipment, transportation, safety gear, and visibility items. As storms and hurricanes like Melissa intensify faster and response time shrinks, investing in anticipation saves lives and resources. Acting before disaster strikes makes every dollar and every minute count.

Ahead of Hurricane Melissa's imminent arrival in the Caribbean, local Red Cross teams are mobilising

Torrential rain and intense winds from Hurricane Melissa threaten hundreds of thousands of people in the central Caribbean. The National Red Cross Societies in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are fully operational, providing support to the communities most at risk in the form of preparedness and early response measures.In Cuba, the Cuban Red Cross is helping with preventive evacuations, offering psychosocial support, and helping families to get back in touch with each other.Psychological support in the face of a hurricane threat is essential for effective disaster management. It helps the population move from paralyzing fear to active preparedness and a resilient mindset, saving lives and promoting better long-term psychological recovery by providing a sense of calm, control, and human connection.'All hands on deck'In Haiti, the Haitian Red Cross has activated the Jérémie Emergency Operations Centre and is coordinating preparedness measures with local authorities. Volunteers are disseminating preventive messages to inform families how to protect themselves in the event of an impact.In Jamaica, where more than 165,000 people are at risk, the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF) has allocated 80,000 Swiss francs for anticipatory action, including pre-positioning vital supplies, preparing shelters, and strengthening community response capacity.“Right now, we are in full operations mode," says Horace Glance, deputy operations manager for the Jamaican Red Cross. "All 13 branches and all staff have been activated since last Wednesday. It’s all-hands-on-deck, all systems go.”“If the forecast holds true, and we do have a category 4 hurricane bearing down on us, it’s going to be a huge event for Jamaica,” Glance said in an interview with ABC News (see the full video below) on Sunday 26. “We’ve never had such a major hurricane coming across the island, making landfall and its eye passing over us.“So the usual things such as landslides, as well as coastal, riveraine and urban flooding, would be expected but it’s going to be a lot more with an event this size in terms of the volume of water ... as well as more severe winds than we’ve ever experienced.”In the Dominican Republic, volunteers from the San Pedro branch have carried out rescues and preventive evacuations in flood-affected communities, as well as helping to transfer patients from the local hospital to safer medical centres. Preparation and early action are crucial in a region that is highly vulnerable to the effects of storms and hurricanes. The rapid intensification of these phenomena, exacerbated by climate change, reduces reaction time and increases the risk of human and material losses. While climate change and climate-related disasters and hazards can affect anyone, their effects are not felt equally by all. In North America, Central America and the Caribbean, it is the most vulnerable groups — women, children, displaced people, indigenous communities and those affected by violence, poverty and discrimination — who are at the greatest risk from hurricanes and storms. This is why the IFRC and its network of National Societies work to take action before disasters strike, combining weather forecasts with risk analysis, strengthening early warning systems and positioning humanitarian aid in strategic locations. In response to the 2025 hurricane season and beyond, the Red Cross network is continuing to strengthen community resilience in over 28 countries by integrating science, local knowledge, and solidarity to protect communities from the growing risks posed by climate change.

States must address the humanitarian impact of biodiversity loss by reducing disaster risk and strengthening resilience

Bogota/Geneva -Ahead of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calls on the parties to the Convention to address the interrelationship between environmental degradation, climate change, disasters and the impacts these cause on people, nature and cultural heritage. All this will help achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets.“Biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution are environmental but also humanitarian crises. All increase the risk of food shortages, water scarcity, epidemics and pandemics, more frequent and intense disasters, and forced displacement and migration due to recurrent catastrophes” said Martha Keays, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas. “We call on all local and national governments, civil society and all COP16 participants to increasing technical and financial commitments to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.”Two specific GBF targets are critical to avoid a situation where, by 2050, 200 million people require international humanitarian aid every year as a result of a combination of climate-related disasters, environmental degradation and resulting socio-economic impacts. ‘Target 8’ aims to increase the climate resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods through mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction, or nature-based solutions. ‘Target 11’ aims to restore, conserve and enhance nature's contribution to human well-being.“It is crucial to accelerate joint action to save nature and lives. Red Cross expertise in convening power and action in disaster risk reduction, locally-led adaptation and resilience-building can directly support the efforts to protect, restore and sustainably use biodiversity”, explained Keays.Local Red Cross teams across the Americas are already implementing measures like protecting mangroves to reduce the impact of flooding, restoring coral reefs, reforesting forests and protecting water sources. These nature-based solutions are complemented with early action systems, forecast-based anticipation and early action protocols that allow the IFRC network to protect people and nature before disasters strike. Examples include:The Argentinian Red Cross supported the restoration of more than 25,000 hectares of natural vegetation after the destructive fires in the province of Corrientes in 2022.The Mexican Red Cross promotes a participatory and localised resilience-measurement which considers and highlights the interconnectedness between systems and sectors, facilitating analysis and collective action across the physical, human, social, financial and natural spheres.In Canada, the Red Cross has supported several indigenous organizations in restoring their lands post-disaster to increase resilience.In collaboration with the Belize Red Cross, Canadian volunteers supported local communities to restore their culture and forests and increase resilience to climate change by planting Maya Nut trees.The Honduran Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross worked together to help reduce the risk of disasters by combining soil bioengineering and reforestation to reduce landslide risk. This was done via agroecology activities to help recover productive areas, increase food security and provide economic opportunities.In Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Grenada, the Red Cross promotes the sustainable management and restoration of mangrove ecosystems to strengthen the resilience of landscape and to reduce climate risks, while also contributing to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation."We urge governments to integrate biodiversity conservation strategies into disaster management plans and sustainable development initiatives,” said Dra. Judith Carvajal de Álvarez, President of the Colombian Red Cross. “As auxiliaries to public authorities in the field of disaster risk reduction, the Red Cross can help with this. We’ve expertise in ensuring that local, indigenous and scientific knowledge are prioritized. We can also advise on ensuring women are at the centre of all efforts – considering their critical role and contributions and addressing their specific needs."The COP16 will take place in Cali, Colombia from 21 October to 1 November 2024.For more information and to set up an interview, please contact:[email protected] Colombia – Rafael Payares +573135644837In Panama - Susana Arroyo Barrantes +50769993199In Geneva – Tommaso Della Longa +41797084367 Hannah Copeland+41762369109 Note to editors:The IFRC is currently expanding its work on locally-led adaptation, disaster risk reduction and climate change within the framework of its Global Climate Resilience Platform, supported byIFRC Climate Action Journey, which bridges climate, humanitarian, development, private and innovative finance and supportto strengthen community resilience and adapt to climate-related risks. In the Americas, this initiativeincludes approaches on Climate Smart Programming, Early Warning Systems, Anticipatory Action and Nature-Based Solutions in communities in vulnerable conditions due to the impacts of climate change. This work is supported by the Spanish Cooperation, IRISH AID, USAID, and private sector donors such as the Z Zurich Foundation.As leaders ofthe Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian OrganizationsIFRC is also committed and reducing our own environmental footprint of our operations and programmes.

Hurricane Beryl: For hard-hit islands, preparation paid off with rapid response. But recovery is complicated by widespread damage.

Well before Hurricane Beryl made landfallon the Caribbean Island nations of Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Red Cross volunteers, local authorities and residents had been working hard to prepare for the worst.Anticipating road blockages, power outages and scarcity of clean water and food, Red Cross crews were preparing relief packages and moving supplies as close as possible to the places most likely to be in need after the storm.By the time HurricaneBeryl made landfall in Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados,it was classified as a category 4 hurricane. High winds toppled trees and power lines, tore entire roofs from houses and in some cases, blew buildings completely off their foundations.On the islands ofCarriacou and Petite Martinique, more than95 per cent homes of were either damaged or destroyed, according to official estimates. Aerial photos showed large swaths of destruction where neighborhoods once stood. Nor did the storm spare health facilities, airport buildings, schools or petrol stations.When Hurricane Beryl arrived in Jamaica, it brought extensive damage across the island. Roads were blocked by fallen trees, downed power lines and landslides, while power outages and structural damage to important public facilities hampered response efforts.“This is the strongest hurricane to strike Jamaica in almost 17 years — since Hurricane Dean in 2007,” said Rhea Pierre,the IFRC’s disaster manager for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.On all the islands, relief and rescue efforts were complicated by continued bad weather, power outages, road blockages and damage to infrastructure. In many cases, the hardest affected areas were also cut off from basic services.Thanks to storm warnings, thousands of people gathered safely in shelters. But the storm also claimed lives.Authorities have so far confirmed at least 15 deaths:five in Grenada, five in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, two in Jamaica and three in Venezuela. But the number could still rise as the assessment continues.Preparation paid offDespite the damage, the advance work paid off. In the aftermath, volunteer crews were ready to act, visiting hard-hit communities and making detailed assessments of people’s needs. They handed out supplies, offered first-aid and lent a listening ear to people coping with their losses.“We are out giving out distributions such as tarpaulins and jerry cans, as well as cleaning tapes and food supplies for those families who were affected by the hurricane,” said Zoyer John, a volunteer for the Grenada Red Cross as she stood in front of a badly damaged house.“Most of the damage to our tri-island state occurred in the islands ofCarriacou and Petite Martinique. But here on the main island, on the north of the island, a lot of people were also impacted.”In Jamaica, Red Cross volunteers were also on the ground quickly doing rapid assessments and distributing supplies they had prepared at the beginning of the hurricane season. As the hurricane approached, those stocks were moved to safe storage facilities close to the places where the impact was expected to be heaviest.All this advance work was bolstered by an allocation of CHF 1.7 million from the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF), based on the anticipated needs of people in the storm’s path. This forward-looking outlay meant that communities could count on emergency assistance without having to wait for fundraising after the storm.In the days following the hurricane, the IFRC also launched an emergency appeal of CHF 4 million to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, protection and recovery support to the most affected families. The operation will support 25,000 people (5,000 households) over a one-year period.In the initial days, the focus will be on the distribution of relief items and short-term shelter solutions that will cover people’s immediate needs. Over time, however, the plan is to also carry out interventions that help people ensure access to dignified and safe shelter — focusing on building back better — as well as provision of cash and vouchers for specific goods.It will also offer various supports for restoration of livelihoods. Due to the storm’s impact on infrastructure, many people on the islands have been left without an income. In Barbados, the fisheries industry and small business owners along the southern coastlines were heavily affected by storm surges that caused widespread damage.Health interventions are also planned to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. National Societies will focus on supporting people’s hygiene needs as well as safe water, mainly through the delivery of household water-treatment kits.More storms to comeOn the minds of all Red Cross National Societies in the region is the fact that hurricane season is just beginning. This is one reason the emergency appeal also supports interventions aimed at reducing people’s vulnerability to future disasters and enhancing community disaster response.With Hurricane Beryl now one week in the past, residents must now try put their lives back on track while at the same time, getting ready for whatever might come next.This is the new reality that Caribbean small island nations face as hotter-than-normal water temperatures in the southern Atlantic and Caribbean act as fuel for storms, causing them to intensify quickly into major hurricanes. This gives communities less time in between storms to recover and prepare.“Events like these are no longer a one-off and this highlights the need for local actors to lead the way in preparedness and anticipatory action,” added Rhea Pierre,the IFRC’s disaster manager for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. “We are seeing that kind of preparedness in action right now.”

Caribbean Islands: Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 1 July as a Category 4 hurricane and has since left a trail of devastation across the Caribbean. Through this emergency appeal, the IFRC and its membership aim to support the Red Cross Societies of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, and Jamaica in their response to the hurricane through the provision of immediate humanitarian assistance, protection, and recovery support for the most affected families. The IFRC and its membership will support 25,000 people (5,000 households) for a period of 12 months.

Humanitarian needs ramp up in the aftermath of 'unprecedented' Hurricane Beryl, signaling new reality for Caribbean

Panama City, Geneva, 4 July 2024 – Hurricane Beryl, the earliest hurricane to reach category five intensity in the Atlantic Ocean, has caused unprecedented devastation across the Caribbean, making its destructive path through Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, and Jamaica.This unprecedented early-season hurricane underscores the new reality of the climate crises that Caribbean small island nations face: storms are more likely to rapidly intensify and become stronger, causing severe destruction and giving communities less time to recover in between shocks. The hotter-than-normal water temperatures in the southern Atlantic and Caribbean are acting as fuel for storms, causing them to intensify very quickly into major hurricanes –category three or superior.In Jamaica, the Red Cross has already pre-positioned supplies to all branches in anticipation of a possible humanitarian response. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica and Barbados, local Red Cross teams are already on the ground providing life-saving assistance despite significant challenges in accessing the affected areas, most of which are scattered and isolated."Hygiene kits, cleaning kits, tool kits, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, blankets and mosquito nets have already been dispatched to the hardest hit islands to meet the immediate needs of the affected population. In the coming days, we will have a clearer picture of the full impact of Beryl on people’s physical and mental health and livelihoods. Still, rapid damage assessments show that the devastation is massive," says Rhea Pierre, IFRC Disaster Manager for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.The storm first impacted Barbados, causing severe damage to the south coast and significantly affecting the fishing industry, with over 200 fishing vessels damaged or destroyed. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 90 percent of infrastructure has been damaged, including houses, roads, and the airport terminal on Union Island. Communication with the Southern Grenadines remains disrupted, and access to basic services is still limited.While in Grenada, Beryl made landfall in Carriacou as a Category 4 hurricane, damaging 95 percent of homes in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The state of emergency remains in place, with 3,000 people in shelters. The Grenada Red Cross is distributing relief items and coordinating with authorities to restore communication and power services. In Dominica, residents need shelter after being forced to relocate. The Dominica Red Cross has distributed relief supplies to the most affected, especially in the Baytown Area.“By deploying community-based disaster response teams and pre-positioning supplies, we have been able to respond quickly, but we are only on day two of Beryl's aftermath, and more support will be needed in the coming weeks and months. From now on, we will be tackling two challenges at once: responding to the operation and preparing communities for the next shock, as the hurricane season is just beginning," Pierre adds.The IFRC will continue to support local Red Cross teams across the Caribbean and calls on governments, donors and stakeholders to support its response and early action efforts as humanitarian needs continue to grow and the storm season is forecast to be one of the most active on record.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] Panama:Susana Arroyo Barrantes: +507 6999-3199In Geneva:Mrinalini Santhanam: +41 76 381 50 06Tommaso Della Longa: +41 79 708 43 67

Innovative partnership between IFRC and The Nature Conservancy equips Caribbean communities to combat climate crisis

Geneva/Panama, 21 February 2024: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have successfully prepared over 3,000 people in the Dominican Republic, Grenada, and Jamaica to adapt to the climate crisis. Leveraging coastal habitats to reduce risk, this initiative merges cutting-edge conservation science with disaster preparedness.Central to this success is the Resilient Islands Project, an IFRC-TNC collaboration that redefines community resilience by utilizing nature’s protective power against the climate crisis. This approach is critical in the Caribbean, where the proximity of 70% of the population to the coast underscores their vulnerability .In Grenada, the project has designed a climate-smart fisher facility, featuring twenty-one lockers, rainwater harvesting capabilities, and solar energy for electricity generation. Additional benefits include a jetty for ease of access to and from the fishers’ boats and the planting of coastal vegetation to enhanced near-shore habitat, reduced erosion and filtered runoff. These solutions make small-scale fishing safer and more sustainable.Eddy Silva, The Nature Conservancy Project Manager, underscores the broader implications:"The lessons learned from Resilient Islands will increase awareness of climate resilience and help scale up efforts at the local and national levels in all small island developing states across the Caribbean. At a time when weather-related hazards and rising ocean temperatures are becoming more extreme and destructive, this program has demonstrated that mangroves, coral reefs, and reforestation can save lives and livelihoods.”Protecting, managing, and restoring these ecosystems is key to limit people's exposure and vulnerability to hazards. The IFRC and TNC show that this should be done through laws, policies, and climate-resilient development plans that promote science-based decision making, improve early- warning systems and anticipate climate-related disasters.In Jamaica, the Resilient Islands program has enhanced the existing national vulnerability ranking index by including ecosystems indicators. This allows agencies to monitor and measure not only community vulnerability levels but also the habitats’ capacity to protect people and livelihoods.Local actors have also played a critical role in ensuring that climate change solutions are responsive to local needs, inclusive and sustainable.Martha Keays, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas, highlights the indispensable role of local engagement:“One significant lesson learned by the Resilient Islands program is that there is no resilience without localization. Nature-based solutions are community-based solutions, and local actors, including Red Cross volunteers, should be at the core of its design and implementation. We have also learned that change is more likely when complementary organizations work together. The alliance between IFRC and TNC is a model of the innovation, generosity and vision the world needs to address the climate crisis, arguably the greatest challenge of our time.”Dr. Rob Brumbaugh, The Nature Conservancy Caribbean's Executive Director, reflects on the partnership's unique synergy:“The project is a model approach for bringing together organizations with very different but very complementary capabilities. TNC with expertise in cutting-edge conservation science, data and conservation techniques, and the IFRC, the world’s leader in the disaster planning and response.”The Resilient Islands Project is a five-year initiative collaboratively implemented by the IFRC and TNC with support from the German Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI). The program officially ended with a closing ceremony and project review in Panama City on February 20, 2024.To request an interview or for more information, please contact IFRC at [email protected] or the Nature Conservancy at [email protected] Geneva:Mrinalini Santhanam +41 76 381 5006In Panama:Susana Arroyo Barrantes +50684161771

Jamaica: Deaf students harness the power of climate-smart farming with support from Red Cross

Planting, watering, weeding, harvesting and feeding the animals have long been part of the life at the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) in Manchester, Jamaica. On any given day, staff and students at the school’s Knockpatrick Campus might be harvesting beans, squash or vegetables as part of the educational nutritional and livelihoods program. But when the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic led to dwindling enterprise earnings and donations to the school, the administration placed even more focus on using their land to assist in producing some of their internal food demands. In the meantime, however, there were other challenges: persistent drought meant that there simply wasn’t enough water to adequately irrigate the campus’ greenhouse and open field crops That’s when the school turned to “climate-smart” agriculture. With support from the Jamaica Red Cross (JRC), the Knockpatrick campus now uses solar powered pumps to help harvest and store water for its greenhouse and farm. The CCCD had previously installed a water catchment system in the 1960s, but the system has been in a state of disrepair. Tyreke Lewis, one of 130 students who lives at the 130-acre Knockpatrick campus, says the improvements have turned things around for the better. “The school will also be able to produce more goods to be sold to the community and other stakeholders,” he says. “The additional income will help us to pay our bills and other expenses. It will allow us to develop our skills to become more self-reliant for the future.” An island going dry The Knockpatrick Campus is not alone in facing the impacts of climate change. According to the Meteorological Services of Jamaica, all parishes received below normal rainfall in December 2022. Combined with COVID-19, changes in the climate have resulted in major humanitarian consequences, with the poorest and most vulnerable feeling the brunt of its effects through loss of life, economic setbacks and livelihood loss. As part of its plans to help people affected by the climate crises and the socio-economic effects of COVID-19, the JRC connected to the CCCD through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). “In our discussions with the CCCD, we realized that the drought and water scarcity that existed, coupled with the reduced income generation due to COVID-19, compounded the food crisis, pushing them to produce more for themselves,” said Leiska Powell, JRC project manager. “But to do that, they needed assistance to manage their water for improved and increased production. We wanted to find a way to help them do this.” Climate-smart farming To get things done, the JRC contracted a local company that provides alternate energy solutions to install the solar water pump and provided four, 1,000-gallon water tanks to help facilitate additional water storage. The initiative involved building a ramp to house the four water tanks and installing a solar water pump to move the water from the current catchment tank to the new storage drums to supply the greenhouse with water. John Meeks, social enterprise officer at the CCCD, noted that this partnership with the Red Cross marks the first step in their strategic bid to develop a climate-resilient and climate-smart agricultural programme. “Without irrigation, we can’t plant or raise animals,” he says. “This initiative, therefore, provides a key step in the right direction and will allow us to expand our crop production from 2-3 acres to up to 10 acres, because we now have the irrigation system in place.” The next phase of the initiative will see the JRC collaborating with RADA to offer climate smart agriculture training to students and staff of the CCCD to further build their capacity in sustainable agriculture and water management. There are also plans to expand the climate smart agriculture initiative to the other CCCD campuses, once additional funding is secured. The partnership also now forms a central part of activities undertaken through the COVID-19 climate-smart livelihoods recovery initiative, conducted by the JRC and supported by the IFRC, added Keisha Sandy, IFRC technical officer for climate and environmental sustainability for the Caribbean. “The Red Cross network is committed to helping people in communities make the transition from immediate recovery to the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19, to long-term climate smart livelihood solutions geared towards increasing the sustained resilience of the communities we serve,” Sandy says.

“We need to do better” – IFRC report reveals gaps in child protection during climate related disasters

Kingston, Jamaica – November 19, 2021. Adolescents overwhelmingly feel that they do not have the information needed to be safe from potential violence, abuse, and exploitation in climate related disasters. This is one of the main findings of “We Need to Do Better: Climate Related Disasters, Child Protection and Localizing Action in the Caribbean,” a recent study conducted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The report has revealed that even though climate related disasters affect each person in the region, children are particularly at risk. They make up a large portion of the population of the Caribbean and are most vulnerable to encountering violence, abuse, and exploitation in disaster settings, while systems to protect them do not always work. The study also highlights that there are no specific laws in place to protect children from violence, abuse and exploitation when disasters happen. Gurvinder Singh, IFRC’s Child Protection Senior Advisor and one of the authors of the report, said: “While children potentially have great leadership and innovation capabilities, unfortunately, their voices are rarely being sought out or heard. Furthermore, there is a huge deficit in meaningful opportunities for children to be engaged in decisions that affect them. This is especially prominent in the stages of preparing for and responding to disasters. Adolescents believe that even if they do participate, their opinions may not be taken seriously by adults.” By putting the voices, perspectives, and ideas of children at the forefront, the report seeks to understand the generally unexplored relationships between climate related disasters and children’s concerns around violence, abuse, exploitation, and mental health challenges. It also sends a warning to governments and civic organisations to play a more active role in the promotion of and respect for the rights of the child, especially with regards to the issue of child abuse and the need for urgent effective prevention programmes. Ariel Kestens, IFRC’s Head of Delegation for the Dutch-and English-speaking Caribbean, said: “It is critical that governments enhance domestic laws, invest in child protection systems, improve local coordination, train local responders, include protection and climate change in school curriculum, and collect sex-, age- and disability-disaggregated data in disaster responses. The IFRC Network across the Caribbean stands ready to support them to continue striving to meet the best interests of each child affected by more and more frequent, and destructive climate related disasters.” The report also recommends practical actions for the humanitarian sector, such as designing child-friendly communications, implementing community feedback mechanisms, including child protection in anticipatory action, integrating child protection across preparedness, assessments and planning, and creating spaces for children and adults to engage, support one another and find viable solutions to protection risks. The study was based on discussions and an online survey with 198 adolescents ages 14-17 years in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago; interviews with 30 adults from different disaster and child protection agencies, and background research. It is part of the campaign “We Need to Do Better” by the IFRC to enhance protection of children in climate related disasters. The full report may be accessed here. The adolescent summary of the report is available here. For more information, please contact: In Jamaica: Trevesa DaSilva | +876 818-8575 | [email protected] In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes | + 506 8416 1771 | [email protected]

Hope restored: Red Cross helps thousands across Caribbean through COVID-19 livelihood recovery programme

Kingston, Jamaica, 24 November 2021: After 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the socioeconomic consequences of the virus have added to the devastating loss of lives and the severe impact on public health systems. In 2020, about 209 million people fell into poverty in the Americas region, a figure not seen since 2008. The income, savings and livelihoods of the most vulnerable families have declined, with many facing hunger, exclusion and unequal access to COVID-19 vaccines. This is evidenced in “Drowning just below the surface: the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19,” a global study by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) that analyzes how women, migrants and inhabitants in precarious urban contexts have had the worst of it. The Caribbean is one region that has suffered greatly from the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic started affecting the Caribbean in early 2020, many countries resorted to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions to help curb the spread of the disease, resulting in the livelihoods of many people across the Caribbean being critically impacted. Jobs related to tourism were severely affected In Jamaica, workers in the tourism industry - a major source of income for the country – were among those who felt the impact the most. Oneil Atland, a river raft captain at the Carbarita River in the parish of Westmoreland, is among several rafters who offer river rafting services – a popular tourist attraction which allows guests to relax on a bamboo raft along the river and enjoy the scenery while learning about the rich history and culture of the country. “Things were great before the coronavirus, we had even built an area for rafters and guests to relax. However, since the coronavirus, we have been experiencing a downfall,” said Atland. With the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions on the island, tourist arrivals dropped drastically, which left Atland, and many others like him who provide tourist services, without their only means of income. In the neighbouring parish of St. Elizabeth, shrimp vendors who sell packaged peppered shrimps in Middle Quarters - a frequently visited tourist location - were also affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. “I started doing shrimp vending to help my elderly mother, but then I realized it was an opportunity to earn additional income which I could save and use to send my children to university. Since COVID-19 however, business has been bad as the tourists who used to pass by our shops and purchase shrimps, were no longer visiting the island,” said shrimp vendor, Natasha Malcom Williams. The Jamaica Red Cross (JRC), with support from IFRC, provided cash cards to 524 persons so far, helping to supplement their income and, in some cases, allowing them to purchase supplies needed to resume their business. Kevin Douglas, JRC Emergency Services Manager said “some rafters were able to purchase supplies to fix their rafts which became water-logged due to inactivity, and some of the vendors used the money received from the Red Cross to venture into other sources of income, such as selling fruits to community members.” In St. Lucia, women were similarly affected “COVID-19 disrupted the income of a lot of community members in Anse LaRaye, as many of them work in the hotel industry and became unemployed and could no longer care for their family members; some couldn’t even pay their rent,” said Diana Gabriel from the St. Lucia Red Cross. “It’s been very difficult. I’ve been out of a job since March 2020 and I have been searching for a job, but most companies aren’t hiring much anymore because not many tourists are visiting St. Lucia,” said Cassandra David, hotel worker and mother of three children. “Thanks to the Red Cross for helping me so I could provide for my kids,” she continued. Supported by IFRC, the St. Lucia Red Cross provided cash cards, supermarket vouchers and food packages to over 3300 affected families and also issued mosquito nets and insect repellants to help prevent the spread of dengue, another health issue which St. Lucia has also been tackling. Vicky Kenville, one of the recipients of the supermarket vouchers, said her entire family was affected by COVID-19 and in addition, her husband had met in a motor vehicle accident which made it even more difficult for her family. “I was so excited for the voucher from the Red Cross. When I went to the supermarket, every time I put an item in the trolley, I would smile and say if it wasn’t for the Red Cross, I wouldn’t be here shopping, because with none of us working due to COVID, it was very difficult to buy necessities,” said Kenville, who expressed gratitude for the Red Cross support which she said helped her overcome some of the difficulties her family faced due to loss of income. In Grenada, the Red Cross provided over 200 families from all parishes across the island with supermarket vouchers. Cindy Lewis, COVID-19 Project Manager with the Grenada Red Cross said that “with the supermarket vouchers, beneficiaries are able to shop directly for what they need and this gives them a feeling of independence.” Education sector also severely impacted The tourism industry wasn’t the only sector impacted by COVID-19. With most schools closed due to restrictions, and teachers and students resorting to online schooling, school gate vendors across Jamaica also lost their income, when they could no longer ply their wares in front of the school compound. “Since COVID-19, I haven’t been able to sell anymore because schools are closed and it has been very rough, because even though I try to hustle otherwise, it’s still not enough,” said Nadine Wray, school vendor and mother of four children, who noted that her children were not able to do online schooling because of lack of devices and internet. “The cash from the Red Cross is very timely,” she added. The IFRC network has reached over 200,000 people in eleven countries across the Dutch-and English-speaking Caribbean through provision of cash and vouchers, food and other in-kind assistance as well as skills development for livelihoods, among other interventions. The evidence confirms that these initiatives helped to contain the rise in poverty. Nasir Khan, IFRC Operations Coordinator for the Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean said: “We understand the severe hardships faced by many across the Caribbean due to COVID-19, and moreover some of these families were already dealing with overlapping emergencies. Through the livelihood recovery programme, we are able to help those who lost their income because of COVID-19, so they can have some level of hope and dignity and be empowered to keep moving forward despite the circumstances. We are very grateful to all our donors who have contributed to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal, enabling us to reach those most vulnerable. However, the task is not over yet. The pandemic is still impacting millions of people across the globe, so it is important that we continue our combined efforts to make a real difference in their lives.” For more information, please contact: In Jamaica: Trevesa DaSilva, +876 818 8575, [email protected] In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes, +506 8416 1771, [email protected] In Colombia: David Quijano, +57 3105592559, [email protected]

IFRC and TNC urge governments to invest in climate change adaptation measures to tackle the climate crisis

Kingston, Jamaica – November 15, 2021: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are calling for governments to urgently invest in climate change adaptation measures to tackle the growing climate crisis in the Caribbean. The call follows two key climate events - the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) and the 7th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean (RP21). In the Caribbean, storm events account for US$7 billion in losses in average per year (or US$135 billion between 1990 and 2008). Research indicates that 70% of people in the Caribbean live near the coast, where vulnerability to climate change is higher. Studies have also shown that the impacts of climate change are unevenly weighted against the most underserved people – those who are the poorest, most exposed and have the least resources to withstand climate shocks and stresses. In addition, data from the IFRC’s World Disasters Report 2020 reveals that international climate and disaster risk reduction finance are not keeping pace with climate adaptation needs in low-income countries, and the countries with the very highest risk and lowest adaptive capacities are not being prioritized. In fact, less than 1 US dollar per person was made available for climate adaptation funding in high vulnerability countries. “The priority and focus should be the communities that are most exposed and vulnerable to climate risks and the Caribbean region has proven to be one of the most susceptible to climate-related disasters. Therefore, governments must ensure that all efforts and actions to address climate change must prioritize, and not leave behind, those most prone to its impacts,” said Velda Ferguson Dewsbury, IFRC Project Manager for the Resilient Islands by Design (RI) imitative in the Caribbean. Red Cross societies are on the forefront of helping communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related disasters and see, every day, the rising risks for vulnerable people. Through projects like the Resilient Islands, the IFRC in partnership with TNC, has been working with communities to help them find innovative, low-cost, and sustainable nature-based adaptation and risk reduction measures. “Climate change isn’t a distant threat - it is happening now. We have all seen the visible impacts of climate change before our eyes such as more extreme weather and natural disasters, chronic drought and economic instability. While our work with the Red Cross is helping at-risk communities across the Caribbean to adapt to climate change, with the power of nature, we need more investments in these and other communities and we need joint actions from all relevant stakeholders,” said Eddy Silva, TNC RI Project Manager. The IFRC and TNC are working with communities in the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Jamaica helping them protect and restore natural habitats, such as mangroves, that help reduce the impact of severe storms and floods. Studies indicate that up to 65% of the increase in projected economic losses due to climate change could be averted through timely adaptation to climate change. In addition, nature-based solutions to minimize climate change can reduce 37% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Resilient Islands incorporates ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) measures, that harness natural systems to prevent and reduce natural hazards and climate change impacts. For example, by protecting and supporting the growth of coral reefs that provide cost-effective natural barriers, protecting our coasts from waves, storms and floods, or by planting more mangrove trees, which grow roots that mitigate coastal erosion, provide food and other services, and serve as nurseries for a diversity of fish species. These actions help communities reduce their exposure to hazards by identifying and lessening their vulnerabilities while at the same time enhancing their livelihood sources, as well as building their capacities and resilience to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The RI initiative aims to protect Caribbean people against the impacts of climate change not just by promoting the use of natural coastal and marine habitats to reduce risks, but also by helping governments, partners and communities implement sustainable development plans that prioritize nature. Resilient Islands is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. For more information, please contact: In Jamaica: Trevesa DaSilva | +876 818-8575 | [email protected] In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes | + 506 8416 1771 | [email protected] In Washington, D.C.: Claudia Lievano | +1 786 230-6144 | [email protected] In Geneva: Marie Claudet | +33 7 86 89 50 89 | [email protected]

Jamaica Red Cross

Red Cross partners with international reggae star Bay-C to address COVID-19 stigma

Red Cross launched a music video emphasizing the importance of acting together to help slow and stop the spread of COVID-19, and to support each other to withstand the serious health, social and economic hardships. International reggae and dancehall star Bay-C lends his musical talent and celebrity status to support the work of the Red Cross as they continue to spread facts to help people keep themselves, their families and their communities safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the online premiere launch party, Bay-C said: “I am grateful to the Red Cross team for giving my team and I this opportunity. As artists, we have a responsibility to use our talents to not only entertain, but inform as well. Out of that vision I have created ListenMi News, a platform designed specifically to communicate memorable messages through music and visuals.” “Now, as the world continues to face this pandemic, we hope this video can be an added resource for the Red Cross, assisting with the important message of anti-stigma as it relates to COVID-19 across the Caribbean region.” In the Caribbean the Red Cross National Societies are supporting government ministries of health through many activities like contact tracing, providing psychosocial support, delivering hygiene and food kits to people in quarantine, and spreading correct information about the pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic constantly evolving, the message in the video is a timely reminder that facts not fear help us to curb the spread of the disease. The Jamaican Red Cross began the relationship with Bay-C and his team and they were a driving force in the creation of the music video. Kevin Douglas is the Disaster Management Specialist with the Jamaica Red Cross. “We are excited about the partnership and we are more than happy to champion this project because it resonates perfectly with the Red Cross principles of humanity and impartiality in addressing the issue of stigma and discrimination, which many people face amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” Douglas said Walter Cotte, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas said he is proud of the work of Red Cross in reaching people with public health messages. “It is incredibly important to recognize the dedication and courage of Red Cross volunteers. We stand with you and we look to expand our support so that you have the resources to reach all those who are impacted by COVID-19 and need your help,” said Mr Cotte. “Although we are focused on addressing the pandemic, we cannot forget that the Caribbean could still face other disasters, which would be aggravated by isolation and quarantine measures. The Caribbean suffers as a result of climate change and now we are facing a hurricane season that experts say is complicated. Along with our work on COVID-19 we are helping communities be prepared for the 2020 hurricane season. We need to lobby the public and governments the importance of pre-positioning emergency supplies, which is currently complicated by the existing stores being emptied to meet the needs of COVID-19.” The Listen Mi News feature is just one of many tools that Red Cross National Societies in the Caribbean and around the world use to support communities in stopping the spread of COVID-19, while continuing to create stronger more prepared communities. View the video here: https://youtu.be/g-pFGfSVaMM This creation of this video would not be possible without support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jamaica Red Cross, UNDP, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid.

Strengthening Regional Readiness – Caribbean Prepares for 2019 Hurricane Season

♪ Water come inna mi room Huh huh! Mi sweep out some with mi broom Di likkle dog laugh to see such fun And di dish run away with the spoon ♪ It was catchy, it was humorous, it was enjoyed by persons as far as Nicaragua, however, it spoke to a very serious subject. It was a song about Hurricane Gilbert and the devastation wrought upon Jamaica in 1988. There are no wildly popular songs about Hurricanes Irma and Maria, perhaps because Lovindeer didn’t write one or maybe because, in this instance, the two hurricanes that came almost back to back caused so much destruction in 2017 that no humour could be found in the situation. In readiness for the 2019 hurricane season five international organisations, based in the Caribbean, are working with national disaster offices and communities to strengthen disaster preparedness. Saint Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines as well as the Dominican Republic will improve preparedness during the hurricane season through improved localized early warning systems. Financial assistance was provided by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The project has a four-pronged approach that includes improving the coordination of aid organisations. After Gilbert many international aid agencies sent zinc to Jamaica because thousands of homes had lost their roofs. However, as Community Early Warning Technical Specialist of the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Nicole Williams recalls, “there was no lumber on which to put the zinc or no nails to attach it to the houses.” This unfortunate circumstance did have a positive outcome - it led to the formation of regional organisations like the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). However, the response to Hurricane Maria in Dominica demonstrated that there is still room for improvement. CDEMA and United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) have been working together to improve on the Regional Response Mechanism. As part of the project there was a Training of Trainers in Dominica where members of the Dominica Red Cross received instruction on how to deliver early warning systems to the community. Early warning systems are an important aspect of preparedness because allows for early action to save lives and protect assets. National early warning is often not specific to an at-risk community. New communications tools are preferred over traditional radio and television messages. Understanding from where people receive messages and their needs is essential. The needs of vulnerable groups like women or differently-able persons are better considered in the design of alert messages. Karen Lawrence who is attached to the Dominica Meteorological Service described the training as “empowering, knowledge sharing, networking, so much so that people will be so informed that they will be able to make the right decisions at the right time, hence mitigating against all impacts of disasters.” The international partnership aims is to work with national disaster offices and communities to improve preparedness. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) leads the team on this project and works with national disaster offices to improve communications, test plans through simulations and support public awareness and education. Communities will develop a better understanding of potential risk which will encourage their members to take protective actions. Red Cross National Societies in the five countries, together with IFRC are supporting other local level actions. Ten communities will implement local early warning systems and will also be provided with the necessary technology to mitigate the risk. Early warning technology including rain gauges, flood staff gauges and warming signs. The technology is not limited to equipment but involves training of Community Disaster Relief Teams (CDRT) and the updating of disaster response plans which are tested through simulation exercises. There have been 9-15 storms predicted for the 2019 hurricane season with the probability of 4-8 hurricanes. There is the likelihood that 2-4 of those hurricanes will be major ones. As was seen with Irma and Maria in 2017, two major hurricanes can have a severe impact on the Caribbean so the international team recently got together at the World Bank’s Understanding Risk Conference in Barbados 27 May- 1 June 2019 to share progress and plan the next steps. Hopefully there will be no need for witty ditties to be sung after the 2019 hurricane season, but it has arrived so get prepared!