One week after Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean, the region grapples with the enormity of its devastation and the daunting task of rebuilding. The powerful storm, which made landfall last week, has claimed at least 75 lives and left a staggering mark on Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica, affecting nearly five million people and displacing more than 770,000 residents, according to United Nations officials.
In a daily briefing reported by Xinhua and BERNAMA, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, painted a sobering picture of the crisis. “We and our partners continue to support authorities across all three countries,” Haq stated, emphasizing the scale of the disaster and the ongoing efforts to coordinate relief and recovery operations. The storm’s wrath did not discriminate—tens of thousands of homes, schools, and healthcare facilities were either damaged or completely destroyed, leaving countless families without shelter or basic services.
As the dust settles, the United Nations and its agencies have stepped up, mobilizing a broad and coordinated humanitarian response to address the region’s most urgent needs. In Jamaica, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed additional staff to assist the government in handling the humanitarian fallout and to strengthen ongoing emergency operations, as reported by Xinhua. The presence of OCHA teams on the ground is critical, ensuring that aid reaches those who need it most and that local authorities are supported in this time of crisis.
Cuba, which bore some of the brunt of Hurricane Melissa’s fury, is receiving targeted support to restore livelihoods and basic infrastructure. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has begun distributing much-needed agricultural tools, livestock feed, and fishing supplies to help families rebuild their means of survival. These efforts are aimed at jumpstarting local economies and ensuring that affected communities can recover their self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has acted swiftly, deploying mobile warehouses, lighting towers, and tents to the hardest-hit eastern provinces of Cuba. These resources are vital for both the immediate sheltering of displaced families and the logistical support of ongoing aid operations. Temporary shelters and secure storage facilities help ensure that relief supplies remain safe and accessible, even as the region continues to experience aftershocks from the disaster.
But the crisis touches more than just physical infrastructure. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has prioritized the distribution of reproductive health kits and is working in close partnership with local organizations to prevent and respond to cases of gender-based violence—a threat that often increases in the wake of displacement and instability. As Haq noted in his briefing, “the specific needs of women and girls are being prioritized during the crisis,” a crucial step in safeguarding vulnerable populations amid chaos.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is also playing a key role in the early stages of recovery. By supplying essential roofing materials, toolkits, and generators, the UNDP is helping communities rebuild not just their homes but their sense of normalcy. These materials are more than just supplies—they’re a lifeline for families hoping to get back on their feet and regain some measure of security.
Clean water remains an urgent concern, especially as damaged infrastructure makes access to safe drinking water precarious. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has begun distributing water purification units and storage containers, with the capacity to supply clean and safe drinking water to up to 16,000 people each day. These efforts are critical in preventing the spread of waterborne diseases and ensuring that families, especially children, remain healthy as the recovery unfolds.
According to reports from Xinhua and corroborated by multiple UN agencies, the response in the Caribbean is a testament to both international solidarity and local resilience. From Cuba’s battered coastal towns to Haiti’s mountain communities, the region’s people are coming together with determination, even as they face the daunting prospect of rebuilding amid widespread destruction. The road ahead is long, but the influx of aid and expertise from the United Nations and its partners offers a glimmer of hope.
The scale of the crisis is hard to overstate. More than 770,000 people have been forced from their homes, and the destruction of critical infrastructure—schools, hospitals, and housing—has left huge swathes of the population in urgent need of assistance. As the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues to coordinate emergency operations, the need for sustained international support remains clear. According to Haq, “different UN agencies are actively engaged in providing critical humanitarian assistance across the region,” with each agency focusing on its area of expertise to maximize impact.
In the days since Hurricane Melissa struck, recovery operations have ramped up, but the challenges are immense. The FAO’s delivery of agricultural and fishing supplies is helping to restore livelihoods in Cuba, while the WFP’s logistics support is ensuring that food and other essentials can be distributed efficiently. The UNFPA’s efforts to address gender-based violence and reproductive health are providing a safety net for women and girls who might otherwise be overlooked in the chaos. The UNDP’s provision of construction materials and tools is laying the groundwork for long-term recovery, and UNICEF’s water initiatives are safeguarding public health at a critical juncture.
As the Caribbean moves from immediate relief to longer-term recovery, the resilience of its people is on full display. The international community’s response—led by the United Nations and its specialized agencies—has been swift, but the needs are vast and ongoing. The coming weeks and months will test the capacity of both local governments and international partners to sustain this level of support and to help the region not just recover, but emerge stronger and better prepared for future challenges.
For now, the focus remains on saving lives, restoring essential services, and giving hope to millions who have lost so much. The story of Hurricane Melissa is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: in the face of disaster, global cooperation and human resilience are making all the difference.
