Jamaica: Beyond the Hurricane, Toward Hope
2025-12-22
At the end of October, Jamaica was struck by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, with winds reaching approximately 290 km/h. The death toll has exceeded 40, and about 960,000 homes were damaged. Among them, 146,000 homes were severely damaged, leaving many residents unable to resume normal daily life for an extended period. In response to this news, JTS dispatched an emergency relief team from November 11 to 17, 2025, to survey the affected areas and develop a support plan.
The team conducted on-site assessments across major disaster-hit regions, including Saint Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Saint James, and Hanover, which suffered direct damage from the hurricane. It was not an easy journey—carefully checking collapsed roads and traces of destruction one by one—but the team did not stop, determined to gain an accurate understanding of the extent of the damage.
The Flower Village Sisters from Korea, operating under the name “Soup Kitchen,” had been traveling by vehicle in Jamaica to provide approximately 150 lunch meals a day to homeless people and other vulnerable groups. However, the soup kitchen is currently unable to operate due to severe roof damage caused by the hurricane.
To ensure effective support, JTS decided to collaborate with FFTP (Food For The Poor), the largest NGO in Jamaica, based in Kingston. The team visited the FFTP office to hold meetings on potential areas of collaboration and directions for future support. We also toured the logistics warehouse to directly review the storage, management, and operational status of relief supplies.
To procure relief supplies, the team visited local markets to assess overall prices and cost levels. Because Jamaica has limited domestic industry and relies heavily on imports, the cost of living is extremely high. It was heartbreaking to realize that such high prices would place yet another heavy burden on people who had already lost the foundations of their lives to the disaster.
Next, the team visited Cowley Basic School, a kindergarten located in a mountainous rural area, where they toured the school facilities and delivered school supplies, stationery, and snacks to the children. Though the gifts were small, the children’s bright smiles allowed us to share a moment in which hope for learning and for tomorrow blossomed once again.
JTS is planning the following additional support to help restore hurricane-affected areas:
▶ Provision of 200 tons of rice
To help ensure basic food security for residents in the affected communities, JTS plans to carry out large-scale rice assistance.
▶ Support for repairing the Flower Village Soup Kitchen roof
To allow meal services for homeless people and other vulnerable groups to resume, JTS plans to support repairs to the soup kitchen roof that was damaged by the hurricane.
▶ Provision of clothing, stationery, English books, and daily necessities
JTS will provide essential items such as clothing, school supplies, English books, and daily necessities to help stabilize daily life for children and families as they recover.
In a single night, countless families lost their homes to a Category 5 hurricane accompanied by powerful winds. Even now, many people are enduring difficult days, waiting for help to rebuild their collapsed homes.
JTS will continue to work closely with trusted local NGOs to carefully identify those people and areas most in need of urgent assistance. We sincerely ask for your warm concern and generous support so that our neighbors can begin their daily lives anew.
