On 28 October 2025, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, causing widespread damage to homes, health facilities, schools, and critical infrastructure. An estimated 1.6 million people—nearly half the population—were affected across the hardest‑hit parishes of Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Hanover, Westmoreland, and St. James. The Government of Jamaica reported that 77 percent of the island lost power and internet access due to extensive network disruption.

The national response was led by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), with support from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). From the outset, the Emergency Telecommunications Sector (ETS)—led by WFP with partners including Ericsson Response, Cisco Crisis Response, TSF, Vodafone Foundation, and the Government of Luxembourg—supported national coordination and connectivity restoration.

Before landfall, the WFP Caribbean Preparedness Officer and ETS partners pre‑positioned equipment in Kingston and confirmed readiness. ETS leadership deployed on 05 November, joining daily coordination with ODPEM, CDEMA, the Caribbean Development Partner Group, OCHA, NGOs, and private‑sector actors. An ICT working group was established, and by 12 November the Concept of Operations was finalized to guide service delivery.

Throughout the response, ETS and partners mapped and supported 65 connectivity sites across hospitals, clinics, shelters, government offices, emergency hubs, schools, and distribution centres. These sites served 24,475 users through Wi‑Fi hotspots, data links, and charging stations. On 07 November, ETS launched an interactive dashboard for near‑real‑time service tracking. SpaceX also contributed 1,000 Starlink kits, with 80 percent deployed in the most affected areas.

By late November, efforts shifted to early recovery, with continued installations at priority sites. On 08 December, ETS supported ODPEM’s Mid‑Action Review to strengthen coordination and identify gaps. ETS formally transitioned services to national authorities on 22 December, with telecom and electricity restoration projected to reach 95 percent by January 2026 and long‑term resilience efforts underway.

                                                                         ETS Jamaica services tracking

• Site tracking: Coordinated response efforts were supported by partners submitting site data via the KoboToolbox form, which works offline. The Dashboard for full overview can be accessed here.

  

   

• 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.