Hurricane Melissa left Jamaica in desperate need of help with basic needs – Finnish Red Cross sends six aid workers on site

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on 28 October, bringing with it heavy rains, damaging winds, floods and landslides.

Hurricane Melissa caused immense devastation:

• Residents of a total of 90,000 households were forced to flee their homes. 45 people have been confirmed dead, and 18 people are still missing (8 December).
• In early December, around a fifth of the country's population was still without electricity and water. Infectious diseases have started to spread in the unhygienic conditions. Isolated communities are particularly vulnerable.
• The hurricane caused the worst economic damage in Jamaica's history, reaching more than 40% of the country's annual GDP in value. The loss of livelihoods is hampering recovery.

The Jamaica Red Cross prepared well in advance for the most destructive hurricane of the year. The local Red Cross moved relief supplies from its warehouses to the risk areas, distributed food and helped pass on warning messages so that as many people as possible could get to safety in time. Thanks to this foresight, lives were saved despite the enormous destruction caused by the hurricane.

Finnish Red Cross provides financial support and personal aid for relief operation in Jamaica

The Finnish Red Cross is part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) relief operation to support those affected by the hurricane. In early November, the Finnish Red Cross contributed one million euros to the IFRC's Disaster Relief Fund, from which the Jamaica Red Cross quickly received support for its work even before other international funding could be mobilised.

The international Red Cross relief operation improves access to clean water and hygienic conditions and provides health services and psychosocial support. The operation also distributed cash assistance to the most vulnerable people and helps those who have lost their homes to put a roof over their heads.

The Finnish Red Cross has also deployed aid workers to support the delivery of aid and strengthen local health care.

Tuuli Lehtivuori, Finnish Red Cross aid worker and general practitioner, who went to Jamaica to support local health care, sent her greetings from Westmoreland. She worked in the Red Cross mobile clinic of the international relief operation and treated people in need in areas affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. 

“The patients had injuries directly caused by the hurricane, such as injuries caused by stepping on nails after building materials blew everywhere. However, the most common reason for coming to the clinic was to treat a long-term illness. Patients had missed appointments and run out of medicines.” 

“I spent four weeks as a general practitioner in the devastated western part of Jamaica. Some of the health stations had been destroyed beyond repair, and we treated patients outside in tents in these areas. I worked in a total of five different health stations in the Westmoreland area and also visited three emergency shelters to treat patients.”  

“Both the local staff and patients were amazingly calm and positive, even though many of them had lost their homes, had had no electricity for weeks and suffered shortages of some food items.”

Jamaica will need help for years to come. Hurricane Melissa hit the island before the communities had recovered from the damage caused by the previous hurricane, Beryl. The Red Cross international relief operation aims to help 180,000 people affected by the hurricane over the next two years.