03 November 2025
Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica all
suffered extensive damage and loss of life as a result of
Hurricane Melissa.
Speaking from the Jamaican capital,
Kingston, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Alexis Masciarelli told
UN News that “our priority right now is to reach
the most isolated communities.”
Now, WFP has
launched emergency food distributions for the hardest-hit
families, and additional relief supplies are scheduled to
arrive in the coming days, the agency reported.
The
parish of St. Elizabeth – long regarded as the country’s
breadbasket -has been particularly hard hit, with homes,
farms, and livelihoods destroyed, and many communities still
cut off and without power.
Food airlifted
So
far, 1,500 people have received food kits containing rice,
lentils, canned fish and meat, and vegetable oil, while an
additional 2,000 kits were airlifted from Barbados to
support ongoing relief efforts.
WFP plans to assist up
to 200,000 people in Jamaica to meet urgent food
needs.
In Cuba, Hurricane Melissa caused widespread
flooding, power outages, and significant damage.
Food
distributions have already reached 181,000 people evacuated
to shelters, and the WFP aims to assist a total of 900,000
people.
In Haiti, homes and infrastructure along the
southern coast – the hardest hit area – have been washed
away.
Emergency food distributions have reached 12,700
people across the Grand Sud region. WFP plans to assist
190,000 people, offering a two-week food ration followed by
a month of cash assistance to support
recovery.
Challenges ahead
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Mr. Masciarelli
emphasised that the main challenge ahead is reaching people
“in the last mile – those who need help the most in areas
that remain inaccessible.”
In addition, he
highlighted the ongoing communication breakdown, with many
areas still cut off after the hurricane, making it difficult
to assess people’s needs and track the situation day by
day.
Reiterating WFP’s commitment to meeting
people’s food needs and supporting relief efforts, the WFP
spokesperson recognised that the recovery period would most
likely be a “very long marathon recovery
period”.
On Wednesday, WFP launched an urgent appeal
for $74 million to deliver life-saving assistance to up to
1.1 million people across the Caribbean.
The UN food
agency continues to collaborate with governments and
partners to ensure the delivery of supplies and emergency
assistance to communities in
need.
