{"id":1414,"date":"2025-10-29T20:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T21:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/audiomateria.com\/?p=1414"},"modified":"2025-10-31T19:11:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T19:11:34","slug":"the-best-way-to-help-hurricane-melissa-survivors-may-not-be-what-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/audiomateria.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/29\/the-best-way-to-help-hurricane-melissa-survivors-may-not-be-what-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"The best way to help Hurricane Melissa survivors may not be what you think"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tA man attempts to secure the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on October 27, 2025. | Stringer\/AFP via Getty Images\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re making this story accessible to all readers as a public service. Learn more<\/a> about how to support our work.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hurricane Melissa plowed through the Caribbean on Tuesday as an enormous<\/a> Category 5 storm, knocking out power lines, flooding hospitals, and killing dozens of people<\/a> in its path. <\/p>\n

Already, the damage has been catastrophic. In Haiti, at least 23 people<\/a> have died, the highest death toll so far, many from flash flooding after the storm caused a river to burst over its banks on the country\u2019s southern coast. And in Jamaica, where the storm made landfall at peak strength on Tuesday, the damage could amount to $22 billion, Accuweather predicted<\/a>, more than the country\u2019s entire GDP<\/a>. At least four people<\/a> were killed in Jamaica as of 5 pm ET on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

The hurricane, one of the strongest ever recorded<\/a> in the Atlantic, is forecast to make landfall in the Bahamas tonight as a weakened but still perilous Category 2 storm.<\/p>\n

These countries need our help now, and even more critically, in the years-long road to recovery ahead. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone who wants to make the most impact with your money, consider donating beyond crisis funds that fly in foreign rescue teams or only focus on food and water in the disaster\u2019s immediate aftermath. The unfortunate reality is that by the time a disaster like this strikes, it\u2019s often too late for your money to really move the needle on search-and-rescue<\/a> efforts on the ground. <\/p>\n

Instead, we often make the most difference when we lock in for the long haul<\/a>, supporting the work that happens after the hurricane dissipates or the news cycle ends. This is especially important now, with US cuts to disaster relief<\/a> making it more difficult for countries to respond and, ultimately, recover when disaster strikes. When key infrastructural systems<\/a> \u2014 health clinics, electricity, vital roads, or sewage systems \u2014 are destroyed, it could lead to more deaths months down the line.<\/p>\n

Here are some organizations that will be supporting survivors, rebuilding communities, and strengthening infrastructure not only in the coming days, but in the weeks, months, and years ahead:<\/p>\n