Eduardo González
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has activated its humanitarian response in Jamaica and Cuba following Hurricane Melissa. This will involve deploying the START Team in Jamaica and mobilizing €500,000 to assist 100,000 people in Cuba.
The hurricane, which formed on October 25 in the Caribbean, intensified from its initial stages, reaching Category 5 status. While its initial phase primarily affected Haiti, its evolution has extended to Jamaica and Cuba, significantly increasing its destructive capacity and causing torrential rains, flooding, and even landslides.
In response to this situation, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) “has activated its humanitarian response in both countries, where it is estimated that more than two million people may be affected by the devastation caused by Melissa,” the agency reported in a press release.
Hurricane Melissa is the most powerful hurricane to have struck Jamaica in its history and has caused widespread flooding, landslides, and damage to infrastructure in the central and western parishes. It is estimated that up to 1.9 million people could be affected by the storm. The flash flood warning remains in effect for the northern territories due to unstable weather and the possibility of heavy rainfall.
Following an assessment of the situation, Jamaican authorities have requested the deployment of AECID’s field hospital in its EMT-2 configuration (with the capacity to perform surgical procedures). The agency, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism and in coordination with the Pan American Health Organization, will deploy the START team, the Spanish Cooperation Emergency Medical Team, in the coming days to address the humanitarian needs caused by this disaster.
The deployment will include healthcare personnel from the national health system of various Autonomous Communities and autonomous cities. They will be joined by logistical staff from the Madrid City Council Fire Department, the ERICAM (Emergency Response and Intervention Team of the Community of Madrid), and SUMMA 112 (Madrid’s emergency medical service).
On October 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced in Paris that Spain had offered to deploy the START Team to Jamaica. The following day, King Felipe VI conveyed his “solidarity with the people of Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba, severely affected by Hurricane Melissa,” during his address at the first Ibero-American Future Congress.
Since its launch in 2018, the START Team (Spanish Technical Assistance Response Team, known as the “Red Vests”) has carried out humanitarian missions in Mozambique (following Cyclone Idai in 2019), Bata (Equatorial Guinea, following the explosion of an ammunition depot that devastated part of the city in 2021), Haiti (following the August 2021 earthquake), Turkey (following the 2023 earthquakes), and in the Panamanian province of Darién (late 2024), one of the most dangerous migration routes in Latin America.
In addition, Spain also contributes to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), which has allocated 80,000 Swiss francs to the Jamaican Red Cross to support its preparedness and early response. Spain has contributed three million euros to DREF in 2025.
Cuba
Furthermore, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has responded to the appeal from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for Cuba by mobilizing 500,000 euros to address the immediate consequences of the hurricane by providing shelter, health services, and access to drinking water for approximately 100,000 people.
Additionally, 36 tons of essential supplies, valued at approximately another 100,000 euros, are being shipped from the AECID hangar in Torrejón de Ardoz to meet the urgent needs of the hundreds of thousands of people estimated to be affected by the disaster.
This shipment includes, for example, 24 pallets containing 2,184 family kitchen kits, which could benefit approximately 11,000 people. In addition, there are 1,600 tool kits estimated to help approximately 8,000 people, as well as 253 pairs of boots. The total cost of this equipment is €144,000.
Furthermore, the activation of emergency agreements with various Spanish NGOs working on the ground is being explored to ensure the most comprehensive response possible. Spain is also a key donor to OCHA’s Central Emergency Fund (CERF), which has mobilized an allocation of eight million dollars for the humanitarian response in Haiti and Cuba. Spain contributed €4.5 million to the CERF in 2025.