Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke of Brooklyn, New York, together with fellow New York Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks of Queens, has led 56 colleagues in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the U.S. government to continue immediate humanitarian and recovery assistance for Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Meeks, representing New York’s 5th Congressional District, stressed in the letter that the Category 5 storm, which struck Jamaica on October 28 with sustained winds of nearly 185 mph (295 km/h), was “one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit Jamaica in its history.”
The legislators detailed the storm’s destructive impact, noting that some areas received up to 40 inches (100 cm) of rainfall, with storm surges of 9 to 13 feet (2.7–4 m) along portions of the southern coast. Communities in St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, and Clarendon were submerged, with widespread flooding, landslides, and wind damage. Early assessments suggest billions of dollars in infrastructure and economic losses, particularly affecting tourism and agriculture, two of Jamaica’s economic pillars.
The letter calls on the U.S. government to ensure that humanitarian assistance includes emergency food, clean water, temporary shelter, medical supplies, and power-generation equipment to sustain relief operations. Lawmakers also urged close coordination with the Government of Jamaica and regional partners, including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and other international organizations, to ensure efficient delivery of aid and equitable distribution to the hardest-hit communities.
Additionally, Congressmembers recommended supporting the rapid restoration of essential services — electricity, clean water, healthcare, and transportation infrastructure — and launching a U.S.–Jamaica recovery and resilience initiative focused on rebuilding climate-resilient infrastructure, restoring livelihoods, and strengthening disaster-preparedness capacity.
The letter urged the U.S. government to utilize flexible humanitarian and reconstruction funding mechanisms within the State Department to expedite aid delivery and sustain long-term recovery, while also collaborating with regional and international financial institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and IMF to leverage capital for both short- and long-term rebuilding efforts.
“Hurricane Melissa represents one of the gravest natural disasters in Jamaica’s modern history,” the letter states. “Beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis, this storm threatens to destabilize key sectors of Jamaica’s economy and exacerbate existing vulnerabilities across the Caribbean. The United States, as Jamaica’s close neighbor and ally, is uniquely positioned to lead in providing both emergency relief and strategic support for rebuilding a stronger, more resilient Jamaica.”
The Congressmembers concluded that assisting Jamaica “aligns with America’s humanitarian values and our shared interest in a stable, prosperous, and climate-resilient Caribbean region.”
