Over 700,000 Children Affected as Hurricane Melissa Devastates the Caribbean: UNICEF Launches $46.5 Million Appeal for Emergency Aid.
Severe flooding and destruction leave hundreds of thousands of children without food, clean water, and access to education.
Panama City:
Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms to hit the Caribbean in recent years, has left a trail of devastation across multiple nations, affecting the lives of more than 700,000 children, according to UNICEF estimates. The category 5 hurricane battered Jamaica and Cuba directly, while also wreaking havoc in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, causing catastrophic flooding, destruction of infrastructure, and widespread displacement.
Several days of torrential rains, storm surges, and landslides have disrupted essential services such as health care, education, and access to clean water. Families have been forced from their homes, with many communities cut off by floodwaters and without power.
“In the wake of relentless floods across the Caribbean, hundreds of thousands of children have seen their lives upended suddenly,” said Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Children urgently need food, safe drinking water and sanitation, access to health and nutrition services and a path back to education.”
Massive Impact Across the Region
In Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, the damage has been extensive. UNICEF has allocated US$1 million for immediate emergency response to assist over 284,000 children. The support includes access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation supplies, nutritional aid, and mental health services.
In Cuba, UNICEF is working with authorities to ensure the continuity of essential services, particularly safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in communities, schools, and health centers. Emergency supplies include 1,300 hygiene kits, 213 recreation kits, 80 school supply kits, 209 early childhood kits, 1,900 roofing sheets, 5,000 square meters of waterproof tarpaulins, and two portable water purification plants to help restore safe living conditions and facilitate children’s return to school.
In Haiti, the storm has taken a deadly toll, with 20 reported deaths, including 10 children, in the southwest region. UNICEF has dispatched 2,900 hygiene kits and emergency health kits to serve 20,000 people, ensuring treatment for 400 cases of acute watery diarrhoea. Additionally, 7,500 vulnerable households have received cash assistance to mitigate the hurricane’s impact. Almost 500 U-Reporters were mobilized to spread over 137,000 awareness messages via SMS and WhatsApp, bolstering community preparedness and emergency communication.
In the Dominican Republic, the hurricane triggered life-threatening floods and landslides, leaving over 60,000 people affected. UNICEF is delivering 750 hygiene kits and providing sanitation support in the hardest-hit communities, while assisting the government in restoring health and nutrition services for more than 20,000 children, women, and caregivers.
UNICEF’s Urgent Appeal
UNICEF has begun distributing prepositioned supplies and conducting rapid assessments to determine ongoing needs in collaboration with national authorities and humanitarian partners. However, access to the most affected areas remains a significant challenge due to damaged roads, collapsed bridges, and continuing floods.
To sustain and expand the emergency response, UNICEF has launched a US$46.5 million appeal to provide life-saving aid to over 380,000 children and their families across the affected nations.
“Hurricane Melissa is a stark reminder of the increasing vulnerability of Caribbean children to extreme weather events,” UNICEF said in its statement. “Our priority is to ensure that every affected child receives the support they need to recover and rebuild their lives.”
The agency continues to work around the clock to restore access to clean water, sanitation, education, and health care, emphasizing the urgent need for international support to address the growing humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean.
