Vincentians on Rapid Relief Team providing Jamaica’s post-hurricane support

IN THE WAKE of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact across Jamaica, the Rapid Relief Team (RRT), the charitable arm of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, mobilized local and international volunteers to deliver life-saving aid to thousands of affected families in remote areas of the stricken country.

Volunteers from St Vincent and the Grenadines joined others from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and across the Caribbean in the relief effort, a release from the RRT said.

Working in close partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and Menards, RRT said it has donated close to US $500,000 in emergency relief, including meals, clean water, food boxes, medical supplies, and emergency equipment.

Since October 29, the RRT team said it has served over 3,170 hot meals, distributed 1,196 family food boxes, and handed thousands of bottles of water to impacted communities.

Relief operations were carried out by a coordinated effort of dozens of volunteers, comprising RRT team members from Canada, the U.S., and across the Caribbean.

“This response has been one of our most extensive in the Caribbean to date,” said Wes Macdonald, Operations Manager, RRT North America. “We’ve had teams on the ground every day since the storm hit—serving meals, assembling food boxes, and distributing supplies in partnership with local officials. It’s a privilege to work with GEM and Menards, whose contributions have made this scale of response possible.”

To overcome severe communication blackouts in remote areas, RRT said it deployed Starlink satellite systems, restoring vital internet access in towns that had been entirely cut off.

In some cases, Starlink enabled the first damage assessments to be reported to the Jamaica government- connecting local mayors and emergency coordinators to national response networks for the first time following the storm, which hit Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

With air and sea shipments facilitated by GEM, cargo flights and containers were dispatched from North America within days of the hurricane. These included generators (34), light towers (9), air mattresses (1,101), tarpaulins (1,049), and hundreds of other emergency items, many of which have been distributed across Jamaica. A third shipment containing 600 essential kits, each including a tarpaulin and air mattress, were delivered as of November 18.

Menards, one of the leading home improvement retailers in the U.S., partnered with RRT by supplying emergency materials at near cost, helping stretch every donation dollar to reach more people in need.

RRT said it has worked closely with Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to ensure aid is reaching those most affected, including a recent meal service at ODPEM headquarters in Kingston.

The Rapid Relief Team is the charitable arm of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and operates globally to respond to disasters, deliver emergency food relief, and support communities in crisis.

The global network comprised more than 16,500 volunteers who assist emergency services during disasters and crises by providing meals and other forms of support.