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U.S. Pledges $24 Million as Hurricane Melissa’s Caribbean Toll Rises and Access Barriers Slow Aid

UNICEF says roughly 284,000 children in Jamaica need urgent assistance.

Overview

  • Haiti reports 43 deaths and 13 missing, with nearly 12,000 homes flooded, close to 200 destroyed, water shortages in several communities, and many roads still impassable.
  • Jamaican authorities cite at least 32 fatalities and more than two dozen communities still cut off as officials accelerate relief distributions and clear blocked routes.
  • Washington announced $24 million in emergency assistance—$12 million for Jamaica, $8.5 million for Haiti, $500,000 for the Bahamas, and $3 million for Cuba via the Catholic Church—while deploying DART and U.S. urban search-and-rescue teams.
  • UNICEF estimates an initial $17 million is needed for child-focused services in Jamaica and is delivering health, nutrition, WASH, protection, and education support as teams confront blocked roads and damaged infrastructure.
  • Diaspora networks and high-profile donors are mobilizing supplies, with Shaggy coordinating relief flights, the Archewell Foundation funding multiple groups, World Vision expanding operations, and community drives in North America packing barrels for shipment.