IFAW Hurricane Response

November 3, 2025

IFAW’s global disaster response team is now in the field across Jamaica, delivering emergency support for animals impacted by Hurricane Melissa. 

Arriving just five days post-storm, our first full day on the ground in Jamaica began by purchasing urgently needed food and medical items for both people and animals at our longtime partner’s shelter, Animal House Jamaica. We then visited their satellite facility, clearing debris and ensuring access to buildings and vehicles, before heading to the main shelter, where more than 100 dogs are currently in care. This initial visit allowed us to assess conditions, identify priority needs, and map out the most effective ways to support in the days ahead. 

While four members of IFAW’s global disaster response team are already working to assess damage, deliver supplies, and plan for the days ahead, an additional four responders are currently en route to join the effort. We anticipate this recovery will take weeks, if not months—and we’re committed to standing alongside our partners and the animals who need us, every step of the way. 

Together, we’re bringing expanded expertise and capacity as we scale up support for animals and the people caring for them across Jamaica. When called on, this includes best practices in animal search and rescue, sheltering logistics, resource planning, and we’ve stocked up on dog food that we will be distributing it to animals in need—both pets and the many beloved community animals across Jamaica. 

Indeed, just as meaningful as the work itself have been the conversations with community members, who’ve welcomed us warmly and spoken with pride and love about the animals in their lives. 

Thanks to your continued support, we’re here, we’re active, and we’re committed to helping for as long as it takes. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

IFAW Response: IFAW knows every hurricane has three parts: before, during and after.  

Before hurricanes hit, IFAW relies on decades of expertise and local partnerships to ensure that animals are included in disaster planning. We better position governments, communities and families to consider the welfare of the entire population - human and animal - when disaster strikes. 

IFAW trains animal rescue partners, building local capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters when and where needed. When hurricanes strike, highly-trained teams lead and assist in everything from rescue to reunification and wildlife rehabilitation.  

IFAW teams stay on the ground long after the hurricane passes to help communities recover, rebuild and plan for future disasters.