Hurricane Melissa developed on 25 October 2025 in the Caribbean Sea, and quickly became extremely powerful, erratic, and devastating. The third most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, with sustained wind speeds comparable to hurricane Dorian in 2019 and hurricane Wilma in 2005, it caused catastrophic damage upon making landfall in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. In response, the EU mobilised both financial and in-kind support to the most affected communities, as well as medical experts.
A hurricane of unprecedented strength
Melissa generated the highest wind gust ever recorded by dropsonde data - a GPS device dropped from an aircraft, which measured wind gusts of 406 km/h at an altitude of 200 metres.
On 26 October, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) triggered the Copernicus Rapid Mapping services to anticipate storm damages in Jamaica, southern Haiti and Cuba and in response, 145 maps were produced.
The hurricane's impact was catastrophic, with extreme rainfall, massive storm surges, and devastating winds destroying homes, flooding communities, and disrupting communications and transport throughout the Caribbean.
At least 90 fatalities were confirmed across Jamaica (45), Haiti (43) and the Dominican Republic (2), with numbers expected to rise due to still missing people.
Preparing for impact
As soon as the storm’s magnitude registered, EU aid and partners throughout the region activated anticipatory action protocols, before the hurricane hit.
Aid items stocked in the warehouses (including some reliefEU items) in Panama (covering Central America) and Barbados (covering the Eastern Caribbean states), were packed for dispatching. European member states stepped in to help.
Responding by air, sea and what’s left of roads…
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) facilitated the delivery of in-kind assistance from 6 EU countries:
- France
- Belgium
- Germany
- Luxembourg
- Spain
- Slovakia
This included water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) items, energy and shelter supplies, tools and equipment, as well as medical supplies and a field hospital with over 160 medical staff.
As the Jamaican health system was under strain, the field hospital deployed by Spain in Falmouth supported the provision of healthcare. It treated around 470 patients, including 20 births and around 50 surgery procedures.
EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights were also dispatched to Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba from the Panama hub, which EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib visited on 8 November, prior to flying to Jamaica.
'Our airbridge operation really highlighted the critical role of humanitarian supply chains: from stock pre-positioning to aligning partners, readiness was what ensured timely coordination and resilience,' says the EU’s Logistics Officer for Latin America, Melissa Sanchez.
'In disaster response, logistics isn’t just about moving cargo—it’s about helping communities rebuild their lives,' Melissa explains.
Cuba received 6 of the 8 flights, carrying up to 203 tonnes, including 52 tonnes from the EU’s own stocks in Panama.
Nearly €6.5 million in financial support
The European Union also provided emergency funding to support the relief efforts in the affected countries.
A total of €6.45 million was released which included:
