U.S. Support for Hurricane Melissa Recovery

The United States continues to provide disaster assistance throughout the Caribbean to help recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. As of November 12, this includes:   

• Travel by Senior Official for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom Jeremy Lewin to Jamaica to meet with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, the State Department Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), and the Fairfax County and Los Angeles County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams;
•  The announcement of nearly $12.6 million in additional disaster assistance on November 10, bringing the total U.S. assistance in the wake of Hurricane Melissa to nearly $37 million; 
• The deployment of a DART, comprised of State Department disaster response experts, to The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica on October 29; 
• The deployment of the Fairfax County and Los Angeles County Fire Departments’ USAR teams to Jamaica to support search and rescue operations and debris clearing efforts;
• 530,000 pounds of relief commodities, including food, safe drinking water, and shelter supplies, airlifted by the U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force-Bravo to hard-hit communities in western Jamaica;
• The delivery of 12,000 tarps,12,000 shelter kits, and hygiene supplies for 12,000 families to Jamaica from a State Department warehouse in Miami, Florida;
• The distribution of nearly 3,000 plastic sheeting and shelter kits —prepositioned by the U.S. in Haiti— via the International Organization for Migration for Haitians displaced by the storm;
• The distribution of food commodities by the UN World Food Program to 12,700 people in Haiti;
• Support to The Bahamas Red Cross Society to provide shelter and water, sanitation, and hygiene support and, 
• Funding for Caritas in Cuba to ensure Cuban people affected by Hurricane Melissa receive assistance without the interference of the Cuban regime. 

The United States continues to stand by the people of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and The Bahamas as they recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.