Relief efforts underway in Jamaica
Last week, Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean, disrupting our operations out of MBJ (Montego Bay, Jamaica), displacing thousands of local families and leaving communities in urgent need of food, shelter and supplies.
11/5/2025
Relief efforts underway in Jamaica
As the recovery process begins across the region, we’ve resumed operations out of MBJ and continue to check in to ensure that all employees and their families are safe.
On Sunday, we resumed our operation to MBJ operated by a proud crew of Jamaican pilots. The flight from EWR to MBJ carried water and other supplies to support our MBJ team and vendors, while helping travelers stuck on the island return home.
This week, we’ll continue our service to MBJ. Monday’s flight UA3019 transported responders from EWR to MBJ to assist with ongoing recovery efforts. Members of our EWR team — including Below The Wing (BTW) and Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) — flew to MBJ to assist on the ground. These efforts are in collaboration with our partner Airlink, who is helping move people and supplies to the affected areas.
Additional supply shipments will continue throughout the week, and our humanitarian aid partners will continue to mobilize their disaster recovery teams on the ground.
If you or someone you know in Jamaica needs assistance, the best resources are our nonprofit partners — World Central Kitchen (WCK) and the American Red Cross — or resources on https://supportjamaica.gov.jm.
World Central Kitchen
WCK has already begun operations in Montego Bay, launching its first kitchen over the weekend. The team delivered six refrigerated trucks and sourced food, propane, water filtration systems, cooking supplies, forklifts, fuel and other distribution materials to MBJ.
Six WCK teams are operating across Hanover, St. Elizabeth, St. James, Trelawny, Westmoreland and Manchester, with additional kitchens opening in:
- Negril - second kitchen location
- Southwest Coast - preparing hot meals for distribution
- St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland Parishes - loading and distributing supplies
- Mandeville - local distribution site
As more kitchens come online, WCK will continue to plan routes, manage distribution sites and expand meal service to reach more people each day.
American Red Cross
The Jamaican government is managing shelters, supported by the Jamaican Red Cross. Local citizens are encouraged to stay informed through official sources, including the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the Meteorological Service of Jamaica and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).
A full list of open shelters is available at supportjamaica.gov.jm/shelters.
For additional assistance, the Jamaican Red Cross offers Restoring Family Links services and other forms of support at (876) 665-6891 or jrcs@jamaicaredcross.org.
Miles on a mission
As a global airline, we are uniquely capable of responding to disasters and crisis situations by transporting volunteers and relief supplies to impacted areas of the world.
We have committed $300,000 and 1 million miles to our nonprofit partners — World Central Kitchen, Airlink, Good360 and the American Red Cross.
And to amplify our impact, we’ve launched a relief campaign inviting our employees and customers to donate cash or miles. We'll match up to $25,000 and 250K miles for each organization.