Pan American Health Organization

Purpose

Octobre 2025 – Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the most powerful ever recorded in the country. The hurricane caused widespread devastation across multiple parishes, severely damaging infrastructure and prompting Jamaica to declare a national state of emergency. Preliminary estimates indicate that approximately 1.9 million individuals are affected in Jamaica. With GAC’s support, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) helps provide technical and operational support to the MOHW and partners to restore health service delivery and substantially contribute to minimize public health risk in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa. Project activities include: (1) restored health care delivery capacity and access to health services in the most affected areas; (2) increased epidemiological surveillance to support early detection and timely management of disease outbreaks; (3) ensured access to safe water, emergency sanitation measures and vector control; and (4) supported efficient coordination of humanitarian assistance and management of information to effectively address the most urgent humanitarian needs.