Texas Floods: Maria’s Story
In the aftermath of the devastating Texas Floods, CORE’s emergency response team helped families like Maria’s with critical muck and gut work to safely move back home.
Hurricane Melissa
Support communities in crisis around the world.
Hurricane Melissa, a rare and dangerous Category 5 storm, made landfall on October 28th as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Communities across the Caribbean experienced record-breaking rainfall, catastrophic flooding, and powerful winds. While the scope of the damage is still coming into focus, millions have been impacted and are in need of vital support. There has been a loss of life, livelihoods, and access to clean water, food, and medicine.
In honor of 15 years in Haiti, CORE’s Board of Directors has established a special 15th Anniversary Match Fund to double your impact, up to $200,000. Your donation today will be matched to help families in Haiti and Jamaica recover from disaster and build resilience for years to come.
Emergency Response | 2025
What damage did Hurricane Melissa cause?
Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28th as a Category 5 storm, the strongest to ever directly hit the island nation. Torrential rain, storm surge, and sustained winds up to 185 mph slammed communities across the country, with the most severe devastation concentrated in St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, and St. James Parishes.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates the storm resulted in roughly 5 million tons of debris (equivalent to nearly 480,000 truckloads) nationwide. Significant damage to homes and infrastructure like hospitals, roads, and bridges left many rural communities in western Jamaica isolated and without access to safe shelter, clean water, electricity, and essential medical services. While some are still sheltering in public facilities, tens of thousands of families are living in their damaged homes without even a single room to safely sleep in. Providing essential resources, repairing shelters, and clearing mud and debris from roads remain urgent priorities.
In coastal fishing villages, such as Alligator Pond, fishers lost their boats, traps, engines and other equipment vital to their livelihood. Meanwhile, in St. Elizabeth, known as the ‘breadbasket’ of Jamaica, the powerful storm destroyed crops and damaged irrigation systems, which will lead to cascading food shortages and insecurity throughout the country. These significant industry losses pose a major economic challenge for already vulnerable community members who rely on yield to earn money and feed their families.
Haiti
Heavy rains from Melissa caused catastrophic flooding and landslides in southern Haiti, destroying thousands of homes and claiming the lives of at least 43 people. Local roads in the south are still flooded, and supply chains and communications remain limited. This has left community members displaced and without access to clean drinking water and other essentials.
With longstanding programs in Haiti and extensive experience responding to storms in the Caribbean, CORE’s emergency response teams immediately mobilized resources and community networks in the region to meet urgent needs.
CORE’s Response in Jamaica
CORE has emergency response team members on the ground throughout Jamaica, including in St. Elizabeth Parish and Kingston. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, our teams mobilized quickly to reach more than 10,000 people with critical support, including drinking water, rice, tarps, generators, and wellness checks. We also sourced heavy equipment on the island, cleared roads of debris and mud, and made vital repairs, including graveling, to reopen critical access to communities previously cut off by the storm.
As we transition to recovery operations, CORE is prioritizing urgent roof stabilization and emergency shelter assistance to ensure vulnerable families are protected from the elements until full repairs can be completed. We’re tarping damaged homes across St. Elizabeth Parish, prioritizing vulnerable households who need our support the most, including families with young children, the elderly, or people otherwise unable to complete the work on their own.
CORE’s Response in Haiti
In Haiti, our local staff supported evacuating vulnerable people in coastal areas during the storm surge to higher ground via boat. The team is also swiftly delivering hygiene kits from Les Cayes to impacted areas as access allows. In Baradères, where entire water systems are contaminated, CORE is working directly with the local government to distribute a week’s worth of water to 1,000 households.
In Petit Goâve, at least 25 people have been killed by flooding, and hundreds of homes are damaged or destroyed. Weeks later, water continues flowing into the community following the collapse of two rivers in the region. In coordination with the local municipality, our team has launched a cash-for-work program to help redirect flowing water away from homes and buildings and restore safe access to the community. By employing local residents to complete the work, these initiatives provide immediate financial support while helping to reestablish stability and improve living conditions for the most vulnerable.
Meet Maria
CORE’s assessment team met Maria, a 73-year-old mother, who narrowly escaped the floods with her nephew. Maria awoke to a floating nightstand in the wee hours. They tried to quickly escape, but the waters rose so rapidly they had to cling to a fence until fast-acting neighbors and rescue teams saved them. Grateful for her safety, Maria is now focused on getting back to the only home she knows.
Our teams completed muck and gut efforts in Maria’s home, which included clearing soaked carpeting, salvaging personal belongings, and tearing down drywall. Read her story here.
Stories
A Family’s Journey Home After the Texas Floods
The Texas Floods left longtime San Angelo residents Juan and Alejandra’s home filled with mud and mold. CORE’s muck and gut work was their first step toward recovery.