Speeches Shim
Caribbean Hurricanes
Photo: CIRA /
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.
Hurricane Maria passed directly over the island of Dominica on the night of September 18 as a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Widespread communications outages have hampered efforts to verify conditions on Dominica, and initial reports indicate extensive infrastructure destruction and at least seven deaths. USAID/OFDA is providing an initial $100,000 to meet immediate humanitarian needs on the island and plans to deploy staff to Dominica as soon as possible.
Hurricane Irma — the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record — unleashed catastrophic rain, wind, and storm surges across the Caribbean, leaving a trail of devastation from Barbuda to Cuba. Here’s an inside look at USAID’s disaster relief efforts.
Hurricane Maria—a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—is forecast to affect the Leeward Islands beginning on September 18, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The hurricane is forecast to bring sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (mph), 10–15 inches of rain, and storm surge of up to 9 feet to affected areas. The substantial rainfall is expected to trigger flash flooding and landslides, particularly on islands already saturated by rains from recent hurricanes Irma and Jose.
On September 15, a flight transporting more than 8 metric tons (MT) of USAID/OFDA-procured relief commodities—including blankets, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, plastic sheeting, and water containers—arrived on the island of Antigua. In coordination with USAID/OFDA partner Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross Society (ABRCS) and other relief actors, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GoAB) National Office of Disaster Assistance (NODS) will distribute the emergency relief supplies to hurricane-affected families sheltering in Antigua. To date, USAID/OFDA has provided relief commodities to benefit approximately 32,500 disaster-affected people in the Caribbean region.
On September 14, two flights transporting USAID/OFDA-procured relief commodities—including blankets, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, plastic sheeting, and water containers—arrived in Antigua and The Bahamas, respectively. The USAID/OFDA assistance will benefit a total of 32,500 disaster-affected people in the Caribbean region.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.