Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm, has caused widespread devastation across the Caribbean. With sustained winds of 295 km/h and a central pressure of 892 mb, it ranks among the most powerful Atlantic storms on record. The hurricane's impact spans multiple countries - including Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas - resulting in large-scale displacement, infrastructural collapse and humanitarian need.
In Jamaica, more than 445,000 women and girls have been directly affected, and more than 13,000 people have been displaced, with over 521 shelters activated nationwide to provide safety and support. In Cuba, at least 750,000 people have been evacuated in anticipation of severe flooding, landslides and storm surge reaching up to four meters. Women and girls represent more than half of those evacuated, highlighting the urgent need for gender-responsive protection and services. In the Dominican Republic, nearly 1.8 million people have been affected by the storm's passage, while in Haiti at least 5,000 internally displaced persons are sheltering in vulnerable conditions across several informal sites in Port-au-Prince, Delmas and Pétion-Ville.
Immediate needs include shelter, potable water, food, blankets and dignity kits. Damage assessments report thousands of homes destroyed or heavily damaged, widespread loss of crops and livestock, and significant disruption to clean water systems.
During crises like hurricanes, unpaid care work intensifies and disproportionately falls on women and girls. As public services break down, they take on added responsibilities - caring for children, the elderly, people living with disabilities, and managing basic needs in overcrowded shelters. These demands often come at the expense of their own health, safety and livelihoods. UN Women calls for this burden to be recognized, reduced and shared in all emergency responses.
Amid this unfolding crisis, UN Women expresses profound concern for the safety and wellbeing of women and girls across the region:
- Thousands of women and girls are sheltering under unsafe or unstable conditions, in homes without electricity or in emergency facilities.
- Power outages in Jamaica have affected over 77 per cent of the population.
- Women and girls are among those stranded by disrupted transport and communications infrastructure.
UN Women is working in close coordination with national governments, the United Nations system and humanitarian partners to ensure a gender-responsive and rights-based response. UNDP, FAO, UNFPA, and UN Women are mobilizing resources for early recovery, protection and livelihood support.
Our work focuses on:
- Ensuring women and girls receive protection against gender-based violence in shelters and communities
- Ensuring women and girls can access food, clean water, and maternal and sexual health services
- Ensuring women's leadership in local response and recovery efforts
- Supporting women-led and women-centered early recovery and resilience in affected areas
- Investing in women-led civil society organizations that are on the frontline of the response
The humanitarian response must address both immediate needs and long-term inequalities impacting women and girls. Women are not only among the most affected but are also essential to recovery and resilience.
