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Caribbean Hurricanes
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As the world's humanitarian leader, the United States remains committed to providing life- saving assistance when a disaster strikes. In response to three back-to-back major hurricanes – Irma, Jose, and Maria – that struck the Caribbean region during the catastrophic 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to provide immediate humanitarian assistance in close coordination with local authorities and humanitarian organizations on the ground.
How You Can Help
The best way to help those affected by a disaster overseas is to make a monetary donation to a reputable humanitarian organization working in the disaster zone.
As a U.S. government agency, USAID does not accept donations for its crisis response effort. If you wish to donate, you can contribute to the Hurricane Irma Relief Fund at GlobalGiving or to one of the organizations listed below:
Latest Updates
U.S. Response to Caribbean Hurricanes Infographic 
(pdf - 957k)
USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to respond to three back-to-back major hurricanes – Irma, Jose, and Maria – that struck the Caribbean region during the catastrophic 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The DART – which at its height comprised 54 people – remained flexible and nimble to respond to changing humanitarian needs, with disaster experts deployed to 11 countries over the course of the month-long response. In addition, USAID airlifted more than 185 metric tons of relief supplies, which helped an estimated 83,800 people.
On October 5, the USAID Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) delivered an additional 150 rolls of plastic sheeting, as well as water containers, to support storm-affected Dominicans. On October 3, the DART delivered an additional 160 plastic sheets and 100 blankets to Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials for onward distribution to Jimmitt, Dominica.
On the night of September 18, Hurricane Maria struck the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm. Maria’s relentless rains and winds devastated the country, killing at least 27 people and affecting all 71,000 island residents.
Within days of Maria’s passage, members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)— originally activated for early September’s Hurricane Irma—arrived in Dominica to assess conditions. Noting the critical need for materials to repair roofs, the DART quickly mobilized an initial 400 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting, sufficient to assist up to 20,000 people, from USAID stockpiles in Miami, Florida.
Overall, the humanitarian situation in Dominica has improved, with a gradual restoration of road access, as well as electricity and water supplies, according to the UN and other relief organizations. While humanitarian response efforts continue, the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) and other stakeholders are beginning to shift their focus to early recovery.
Members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on Dominica are coordinating with stakeholders to meet the urgent needs of hurricane-affected populations. To ensure the rapid delivery of assistance throughout the island, particularly isolated areas, the DART is working closely with Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials and Joint Task Force-Leeward Islands (JTF-LI), consisting of members from DoD’s Southern Command.
On September 26 and 27, four flights carrying a combined 45 metric tons (MT) of USAID/OFDA relief commodities—including plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, water containers, and blankets sufficient for approximately 30,000 beneficiaries—arrived in Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Sint Maarten. With these flights, USAID/OFDA has airlifted a total of more than 151 MT of relief supplies for the humanitarian response in the Caribbean. Previous flights had transported USAID/OFDA relief items to Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas.
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