Include a byline with the reporter’s name and Direct Relief in the following format: "Author Name, Direct Relief." If attribution in that format is not possible, include the following language at the top of the story: "This story was originally published by Direct Relief."
If publishing online, please link to the original URL of the story.
Maintain any tagline at the bottom of the story.
With Direct Relief's permission, news publications can make changes such as localizing the content for a particular area, using a different headline, or shortening story text. To confirm edits are acceptable, please check with Direct Relief by clicking this link.
If new content is added to the original story — for example, a comment from a local official — a note with language to the effect of the following must be included: "Additional reporting by [reporter and organization]."
If republished stories are shared on social media, Direct Relief appreciates being tagged in the posts:
Twitter (@DirectRelief)
Facebook (@DirectRelief)
Instagram (@DirectRelief)
Republishing Images:
Unless stated otherwise, images shot by Direct Relief may be republished for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.
Maintain correct caption information.
Credit the photographer and Direct Relief in the caption. For example: "First and Last Name / Direct Relief."
Do not digitally alter images.
Direct Relief often contracts with freelance photographers who usually, but not always, allow their work to be published by Direct Relief’s media partners. Contact Direct Relief for permission to use images in which Direct Relief is not credited in the caption by clicking here.
Other Requirements:
Do not state or imply that donations to any third-party organization support Direct Relief's work.
Republishers may not sell Direct Relief's content.
Direct Relief's work is prohibited from populating web pages designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
Advance permission is required to translate Direct Relief's stories into a language different from the original language of publication. To inquire, contact us here.
If Direct Relief requests a change to or removal of republished Direct Relief content from a site or on-air, the republisher must comply.
For any additional questions about republishing Direct Relief content, please email the team here.
Direct Relief has delivered $41 million in requested medicines and medical supplies and $1.3 million in direct financial assistance to local healthcare partners serving areas affected by the hurricane, including Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
A patient meets with a health provider at Mount Carey Health Center in Montpelier, St. James, Jamaica. The health facility received a Direct Relief-funded resilient power system to support health services. (Direct Relief photo)
In October 2025, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as the strongest hurricane in the country’s history.
The Category 5 storm churned a path near the southwestern Jamaican town of Black River before weakening and tracking across Cuba and the Bahamas, causing 45 deaths in Jamaica, 43 in Haiti, four in the Dominican Republic, and one in Cuba. The storm caused extensive infrastructure damage, including to hospitals and health centers in Jamaica, and caused flooding and displacement in Haiti and Cuba, and major power outages and water supply issues in the region for weeks after.
In the year since, Direct Relief has been supporting the region’s ongoing recovery with both medical aid and financial support.
As of October 28, 2026, Direct Relief has delivered requested medicines and medical supplies, valued at more than $41 million, to local healthcare partners serving areas affected by the hurricane, including Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Direct Relief has also provided more than $1.3 million in grant funding to 17 organizations involved in Hurricane Melissa recovery and ongoing health support.
Initial Emergency Response Builds on Years of Partnership and Support
On December 13, 2025, Direct Relief’s dedicated airlift departed Miami International Airport and landed in Kingston, Jamaica, transporting urgently needed medical supplies requested by health authorities to help replenish strained inventories at hospitals and clinics serving storm-affected communities. (Photo by Bimarian Films for Direct Relief)
Before Hurricane Melissa made initial landfall in Jamaica, Direct Relief had supported health organizations in Jamaica and across the Caribbean with ongoing assistance to strengthen local health systems.
Prior to 2025’s hurricane season, Direct Relief had prepositioned 13 hurricane preparedness packs, which contained more than 200 essential items to sustain care for as many as 3,000 patients for 30 days, including medicine for chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, inhalers, antibiotics, antifungal treatments, wound care supplies, and other supplies.
These packs were staged throughout the Caribbean, including four with healthcare providers in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and two available at the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Panama for regional deployment. Direct Relief also pre-positioned 24 generators for back-up power at health centers in Jamaica’s east and southern regions prior to the storm.
Aid prepositioned in the region and trusted relationships with local health organizations allowed Direct Relief to rapidly mobilize and deploy emergency staff to Jamaica to assess emerging health needs. The organization was also in communication with long-term partner organizations in Haiti, where Direct Relief has provided extensive support since the 2010 earthquake, and with organizations across the Caribbean about immediate needs.
Direct Relief also dispatched a shipment of medical aid prior to the storm’s landfall, which included field medic packs for first responders and personal care items for displaced people, which arrived to support Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Medical Aid Channels Expand as Needs Become Clear
Sixteen tons of medical aid from Direct Relief are loaded onto a 757 charter in Miami bound for Kingston, Jamaica, on Nov. 8, 2025. The shipments contain essential medicines and supplies requested by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness after Hurricane Melissa. (Photos by Patrick Jackson)
As the extent of the emergency came into focus, Direct Relief chartered a Boeing 757 cargo aircraft with more than 16 tons of requested emergency medical aid to support Jamaica’s health system. This charter arrived in Kingston on Nov. 8, less than two weeks after the storm’s landfall.
On December 13, Direct Relief, in partnership with Carnival Corporation & plc, the Miami HEAT, and the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, shipped an additional 68 tons of medicines and medical supplies to Jamaica through a combination of air and sea transport, representing one of the largest private humanitarian responses supporting the country’s relief and recovery.
Direct Relief’s initial Hurricane Melissa response via chartered aircraft and ship delivered 84 tons of essential medicines and medical supplies at the request of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, along with multiple additional shipments to health partners in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
Direct Relief has continued medical support to the region. As of October 28, 2026, the organization had delivered requested medicines and medical supplies to local healthcare partners serving areas affected by the hurricane, including Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Direct Relief medical aid is delivered to health providers following a second airlift of medical aid in response to Hurricane Melissa. (Photo by Bimarian Films for Direct Relief)
Delivered aid includes:
Essential medicines and supplies for chronic disease management, including insulin, antiseizure medications, and other treatments for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and respiratory conditions
Midwife kits, containing 50 items needed for safe facility-based births, provided to the Jamaican Midwives Association
Antibiotics to treat a range of infections
Critical medical equipment, such as AEDs, nebulizers, and portable ultrasound machines;
Emergency health supplies, such as first aid items, hygiene kits, nutritionals, oral rehydration solutions, and water purification tablets
Personal protective equipment, such as heavy-duty boots, gloves, N95 respirators, and protective coveralls and goggles to reduce exposure to hazardous debris
Emergency shelter materials
Insect repellent to reduce vector-borne disease risks
Field medic packs for first responders and mobile health teams
In addition to medical aid, a mobile medical unit provided by Direct Relief to the Ministry of Health was deployed to hard-hit areas to conduct wellness exams and dispense prescriptions.
Financial Assistance
A Direct Relief-funded resilient power system as seen at Mount Carey Health Center in Montpelier, St. James, Jamaica. (Direct Relief photo)
In addition to medical material aid, Direct Relief has also provided more than $1.3 million in grant funding to 17 organizations involved in Hurricane Melissa recovery and ongoing health support.
In Jamaica, 11 organizations have received $856,822 in financial support. In Haiti, six organizations have received $459,530 in support.
This funding has enabled partners to procure and distribute medicines, medical supplies, maternal and newborn care essentials, and other relief commodities; begin restoring essential health services; and install climate-resilient power systems for health facilities.
Ten medical facilities in Jamaica are now equipped with resilient power from Direct Relief, with two facilities currently in progress as of Oct. 2026.
A Direct Relief-funded resilient power system as seen at Duncan’s Health Center in Trelawney, Jamaica. (Direct Relief photo)
Looking Ahead
As the region continues long-term recovery from Hurricane Melissa’s impacts, Direct Relief is committed to strengthening health systems across the Caribbean. Working in collaboration with Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Pan American Health Organization, and other trusted organizations, Direct Relief will continue to support health needs.
– Sofie Blomst contributed to this report.
Giving is Good Medicine
You don't have to donate. That's why it's so extraordinary if you do.
Hear From Direct Relief
Get stories, emergency updates, and humanitarian impact delivered to your inbox.
