Diaspora mobilises relief plans as Hurricane Melissa nears Jamaica
Published:Sunday | October 26, 2025 | 1:45 PM
Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, retired Major General Anthony Anderson, is coordinating disaster preparedness efforts among members of the diaspora as Hurricane Melissa threatens to impact the island for days.
Ambassador Anderson is expected to host a Zoom meeting this week to outline the coordinated relief response.
According to Oliver Mair, Jamaica’s Consul General in Miami, the country’s honorary consuls across the United States will participate in the meeting. They will outline ongoing preparations to support Jamaica should the hurricane make landfall.
Mair said several discussions have already been held with members of the diaspora to establish a unified approach to relief coordination.
Representatives from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and other government agencies in Jamaica are also expected to brief participants on the situation at home.
“The embassy has been in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” a spokesman for the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, DC the told The Gleaner. “We need to know what the priority areas for the country are should the hurricane strike.”
A representative from the Jamaican Consulate in New York said outreach has already begun among community members to plan potential relief efforts.
The official said the consulate has existing partnerships with Jamaican-owned shipping companies in the diaspora to facilitate the transport of relief items if required. “We are also in the process of identifying drop-off locations across the five boroughs where Jamaicans would be directed to take items,” he said, noting that further action will depend on the government’s assessment of needs after the storm.
In Florida, Consul General Mair has identified warehouse space to store relief supplies, while social media posts from his office indicate that some donations have already been collected.
Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 4 system, is projected to strengthen further and could make landfall in Jamaica between Monday night and Tuesday morning as a Category 5 storm.
- Lester Hinds
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