Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on 28 October as a Category 5 storm, causing widespread damage before continuing its path across Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Jamaica remains the top response priority due to the scale of impact.

The Emergency Telecommunications Sector (ETS) is supporting the Government-led response in Jamaica, coordinated by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) with support from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Relief efforts are focused on the hardest-hit Parishes, where telecommunications and power services remain severely disrupted. Mobile network operators continue to report outages across multiple locations, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated connectivity support.

ETS is working closely with ODPEM and CDEMA to deploy teams and shared communications services in priority areas. As of 19 November, the ETS has registered services at 64 critical sites, reaching 24,265 users from disaster response teams, government institutions, and affected communities at key locations.

An ETS coordinator is currently deployed in Jamaica to support inclusive coordination among government, UN, NGOs, and private sector partners. The ETS Deputy coordinator and an Information Management Officer are remotely supporting the response. 

                                                                         Latest updates from ETS Jamaica

• Site tracking: Support coordinated response efforts by submitting site data via the Kobo Toolbox form, which works offline. ETS shares daily updates to ensure transparency and avoid overlapping activities. Access the ETS Dashboard HERE for site overview.

   

• Disaster Connectivity Mapping (DCM): Access the latest DCM map online. Field teams are encouraged to use Speedchecker to contribute to data collection efforts. 

  

   

• Drones: To obtain operational approval for humanitarian drone use in Jamaica, please email pilot details, drone specifications, and planned flight locations to jamaica@flyinglabs.jm. 

   

• Provision of connectivity services: To provide connectivity as a service, register through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to secure operational approval and support coordinated efforts.