World Relief Launches Relief Response as Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall in Jamaica, Haiti, Surrounding Islands

Leading Christian global humanitarian organization deploys staff and community partners to assess and alleviate critical needs

Contact: Lauren Rasmussen, media@wr.org, 802.310.4255

BALTIMORE, Md. – As the historic Category 5 Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica and hurls across the Caribbean, World Relief is equipping local partners and staff in Haiti to manage the impacts of what is shaping up to be catastrophic damage. Already in the turbulence preceding the storm’s landfall, seven souls have been lost between Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and at least 3,650 Haitians are internally displaced. As the full extent of the damage is being assessed, World Relief urges Christians to extend compassion to those suffering this week and into the coming months.

World Relief is launching an immediate response in Haiti, where the organization has a longstanding staff presence concentrated in some of the parts of the country hardest hit by the storm, as well as working to identify and engage with partners in Jamaica. Beginning with funds and kits for 300 households in Haiti affected by flooding and high winds, World Relief is working with partners across neighboring islands to assess further needs and may expand the response efforts through trusted partners in the coming days.

Compared in scope and intensity to Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, Hurricane Melissa’s surge could be felt early last week as torrential winds, violent rain and flooding hit the Southern and South-Eastern regions of Haiti. At times 25 foot waves crashed along the shore, while some regions received as much as a foot of rain. In Saint-Jean du Sud, Port-Salut, Torbeck, and Les Cayes, Haiti, crops and vegetation have already been completely destroyed, roofs torn off, livestock lost and ongoing flooding remains challenging for relief efforts. In Belle Anse, mobility is restricted as persistent rain continues to flood roadways, stranding some families in the Mapou plain. Families remain sheltered in place in local schools and community centers, in anticipation of the storm’s ramp up on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“The damage is already considerable, and we’re bracing for worse,” commented Pascal Bimenyimana, country director of World Relief Haiti. “We are deeply concerned about the continuous rains and the extent of the flooding preventing access to families left stranded in vulnerable regions. Our staff and community partners are working tirelessly to assess needs and provide needed resources where we can. It will be a long road to repair homes and restore losses.”

This hurricane is one of a series of shocks to an already vulnerable nation. Ranked 168 out of 189 on the 2018 Human Development Index, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and despite rich natural resources, a quarter of the population lives in extreme poverty. Much of Haiti’s most remote regions have been left alone to grapple with the aftermath of natural disasters and declining economic conditions World Relief has been present in Haiti since 1988, partnering with local churches to support agricultural efforts, protect children, ensure water safety and sanitation and more.

World Relief has also served hundreds of Haitians who have sought refuge in the United States in recent years. More than 300,000 Haitian nationals have been residing lawfully in the United States for many years with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but the Trump administration announced its intention to terminate these protections last summer, a decision currently held up by legal challenges.

“Particularly in light of the devastation that Hurricane Melissa is unleashing on a country already facing profound humanitarian crises, it would be inhumane to deport Haitians right now, and we urge the administration to refrain from terminating TPS for Haitians — and to consider granting it for Jamaicans currently present in the United States,” commented Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief

“As the global church, we come alongside our sisters and brothers in Haiti, Jamaica and other regions affected by Melissa in grief and solidarity,” added Greene. “We mourn this new shock to an already vulnerable community, and we commit to partnering with local churches to support relief efforts, which we invite Americans to support generously.” To learn more about World Relief’s relief efforts in Haiti, visit worldrelief.org/respond.