Disaster Response
IFAW's response to Hurricane Melissa
IFAW's response to Hurricane Melissa
October 29, 2025
IFAW prepares as Melissa’s impact unfolds
October 29, 2025
Hurricane Melissa has brought widespread disruption to Jamaica, with 77% of the island without power and communications down across much of the central and western regions. We are actively reaching out—making calls, coordinating across time zones, and exploring every option to get supplies into the country.
Fuel pumps are covered in plastic at a gas station ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, Sunday, 26 October 2025. Photo: © AP Photo/Matias Delacroix
Due to widespread power outage and limited phone coverage, we have not yet been able to reach our partners on the ground, including Animal House Jamaica. Communication challenges like this are common in the immediate aftermath of a major storm. We anticipate reestablishing contact soon and will share an update as soon as we do so.
Road closures due to debris and mudslides are making rescue and field assessments dangerous and often impossible. Airports are trying to recover and open as soon as possible for relief flights.
We are standing by and ready to assist as soon as conditions allow. Once roads are cleared and humanitarian efforts begin to move, our team will work quickly to mobilize resources and deliver targeted support for animals and the people caring for them. This is the moment IFAW prepares for—when quick action, collaboration, and persistence can make all the difference.
Hurricane Melissa reaches Category 5, becomes strongest storm on Earth in 2025
October 27, 2025
Hurricane Melissa has intensified dramatically and is now bearing down on Jamaica and the surrounding region. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has upgraded Melissa to a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds reaching around 185 mph and possibly higher in satellite estimates. This makes it one of the strongest storms ever to strike the island—and, according to the World Meteorological Organization, may be the “storm of the century”.
Prior to landfall, Melissa was moving west at just 3–5 mph (5–8 km/h), significantly increasing the risk of prolonged exposure to heavy rain, hurricane-force wind, and life-threatening storm surge.
CNN reports that Hurricane Melissa is so powerful it will “reshape Jamaica for years to come” and has the potential to trigger a widespread humanitarian disaster. Evacuations were underway early for low‑lying and coastal communities—including areas around Kingston and the south coast—with hundreds of shelters opened and both major airports closed in advance of landfall.
We are working with Jamaican and regional partners as response and relief planning is underway. Ahead of the storm, IFAW began supporting Animal House Jamaica with emergency funding to help prepare the community for sheltering in place. From governmental and non-governmental, public and private, all entities are vital in a crisis like this, when entire communities are vulnerable, and access may be severely limited for days.
First and foremost, Hurricane Melissa presents a major humanitarian crisis for Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas. Community animals such as pets and farm animals are therefore also at risk. And a storm of this magnitude puts wildlife and ecosystems in crisis as well, threatening habitats, disrupting fragile coastal ecosystems, and increasing the likelihood of human-wildlife conflict in the aftermath. Species that depend on mangroves, wetlands, or coastal forests may lose vital shelter and food sources overnight.
Power and communication systems are already failing, and immediate support for rescue and response will be essential. IFAW stands ready to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, ensuring that animals are not forgotten in the response—and that local partners have the support they need to recover.
Resources on the ground
- Jamaica Red Cross Society – National humanitarian agency offering emergency relief, shelter and coordination during major storms.
Website: jamaicaredcross.org
Phone: +1 (876) 984‑7860
Facebook: facebook.com/jamaicaredcross
- Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) – The government agency coordinating shelters, evacuations and disaster response
Website: odpem.org.jm
Phone: +1 (876) 906‑9674–5
Map of shelters: https://www.odpem.org.jm/shelters/
IFAW on the ground following Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Photo: Beth Gammie / © IFAW
Storm on the horizon: preparing for Tropical Storm Melissa in Jamaica
October 24, 2025
Tropical Storm Melissa is gaining strength in the Caribbean and is projected to become a major hurricane as early as this weekend. With Jamaica already under watch, forecasters expect dangerous rainfall, flooding, and landslides across the island and neighboring regions.
We are directly in touch with our long-time partner, The Animal House Jamaica, to help secure food, supplies, and shelter ahead of the storm.
This immediate support will help protect the animals in their care as they brace for potential flooding, power outages, and damage. We’ll continue monitoring the storm closely and preparing for rapid deployment should animals and local shelters be impacted. Our disaster response team remains on alert to expand this support, including expert guidance and additional emergency relief for both domestic and wild animals.
For animals, these conditions can lead to displacement, injury, loss of habitat, and damage to already fragile shelter infrastructure. Even if Melissa skirts Jamaica’s coast, the island may still face severe impacts from wind and water. With exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures fueling the storm’s intensity, this is part of a troubling trend: stronger, faster-moving storms that put increased pressure on communities—human and animal alike—already on the front lines of climate change.
Lessons from Hurricane Matthew
When Hurricane Matthew struck in 2016, IFAW was on the ground in Jamaica and North Carolina, US providing urgent relief. We helped rescue community animals, feed displaced animals, repair damaged shelters, and support the rehabilitation of injured wildlife. Working alongside local authorities and as a founding member of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), our response combined immediate aid with longer-term recovery.
That commitment didn’t end when the skies cleared. We continued working with local partners to strengthen resilience and improve preparedness—efforts that remain essential today as storms grow more frequent and more intense. We remain vigilant as Tropical Storm Melissa approaches. Our team is ready. And with your support, we will act swiftly to protect animals, restore habitats, and support recovery across the region.
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