IFAW's response to Hurricane Melissa

Our team joined a local humanitarian convoy delivering aid to Bethel Town, one of many communities still reeling from Hurricane Melissa. Alongside water and supplies, we distributed approximately 300 pounds of dog food and 100 pounds of cat food to animals in urgent need. We also supported the US Army in staging emergency relief drops, ensuring resources reached those gathered at a local church. Many more animals were observed at severely damaged homesites, and we’re working to return where help is still needed. 

While most of our team was in the field, others also took part in meetings to help shape the broader response. IFAW continues to support disaster recovery planning with Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Mining, local and regional partners. These efforts aim to embed animal welfare in Jamaica’s long-term recovery framework. 

In parallel, we’re expanding our support for local conservation and wildlife protection efforts—including potential collaboration with Sea Turtles Jamaica and the White River Fish Sanctuary, which sustained damage to coral reef nurseries during the storm. Our team was uplifted by joining the release of critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings on Sunday afternoon—a powerful reminder of resilience in nature. 

We also spent time at Seven Oaks Sanctuary for Wildlife caring for non-releasable parrots—many of them survivors of the illegal pet trade or past mistreatment. These birds, including Jamaica’s iconic yellow-billed and black-billed parrots as well as a few non-native species, were all confiscated and brought to safety by authorities over the years. While they can’t return to the wild, they receive exceptional care and enrichment, evidenced by their condition and behaviour. In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, we supported urgent repairs to damaged enclosures to ensure the birds remain safe, secure, and comfortable in their permanent sanctuary home. 

This is what coordinated, compassionate response looks like: from hands-on delivery of food and care to long-term recovery planning. And thanks to your support, we’re delivering it. 

IFAW is on the ground in Jamaica to help animals in the wake of Hurricane Melissa 

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. 

Cleared to respond: IFAW to assist animal rescue and relief in Jamaica

October 31, 2025

We are on our way to Jamaica. IFAW’s responders are now actively deploying as the island nation of Jamaica continues its recovery in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. 

With formal invitation from Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Mining, we are now officially cleared to respond—pending final flight and entry approvals. Our first response team of trained staff and global responders is prepped and ready to get to work on the ground. 

While we await clearance for commercial flights, we are moving ahead with critical preparations: sourcing food, clean water, and other emergency supplies to support animals in care and the local partners who are working around the clock to protect them. Stabilizing animal welfare in crisis is a collective effort—and thanks to your support, we’ll be ready to move the moment the door opens. 

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. 

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 mobilise 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

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. 

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/ .

• Support Jamaica – A dedicated online platform developed by the Government of Jamaica to mobilize support, channel relief, and coordinate recovery efforts

Website: https://supportjamaica.gov.jm

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 neighbouring 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 fuelling 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. 

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.