Geneva/Panama City/Havana, 31 October 2025 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an emergency appeal for 15 million Swiss francs (USD 18 million) to support the Cuban Red Cross in assisting 100,000 people affected by Hurricane Melissa and the ongoing arbovirus outbreak in the country.
The IFRC Emergency Appeal for Cuba will run for two years, focusing on lifesaving assistance, early recovery, and long-term resilience in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Ranked among the three strongest hurricanes in Cuba’s meteorological history, Melissa made landfall in southeastern Cuba on 28 October, impacting communities across eight eastern provinces and compounding an existing public health emergency linked to the country’s arbovirus outbreak.
“Our volunteers have been on the front lines since before the storm, helping with preventive evacuations, public awareness campaigns, and psychosocial support. They have rescued people trapped by rising rivers and continue to provide lifesaving assistance to those who have lost everything,” said Carlos Pérez Díaz, Executive President of the Cuban Red Cross. “Now, we will focus on delivering vital relief items while ensuring access to health care and psychosocial support.”
“This emergency appeal is essential to raise the funds needed to help the Cuban people,” said Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General. “Hurricane Melissa has left immense devastation in its wake. It will take months, perhaps years, for people to rebuild their lives.”
Before the storm hit, the Cuban Red Cross pre-positioned and dispatched 1,000 family relief kits from Havana to secure warehouses in the eastern provinces, ensuring aid would be close to communities likely to be affected. These kits, containing essential household items such as hygiene supplies, blankets, and kitchen sets, are now ready for rapid distribution to evacuated families in shelters and affected households as soon as conditions allow.
The IFRC Emergency Appeal will support 100,000 people through a response that combines emergency relief and early recovery. Families whose homes were damaged or destroyed will receive shelter toolkits, mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets, and solar lamps to enhance living conditions.
Preventing and reducing disease transmission associated with hurricane damage and the concurrent arbovirus outbreak will also be a priority. In the aftermath of the storm, cases of Dengue, Oropouche, and Chikungunya are likely to rise. The Red Cross will work closely with the Ministry of Public Health to strengthen surveillance, ensure safe water and sanitation, and restore essential health services through mobile and auxiliary units.
Environmental health measures — such as waste removal, cleaning of water systems, and vector-control campaigns — will help reduce secondary impacts and protect communities.
The IFRC appeal will also prioritize household water treatment and hygiene promotion, the distribution of water-treatment kits and hygiene supplies, and the rehabilitation of community water systems. The installation of solar-powered or gravity-fed water pumps will help guarantee continuous access to safe water in areas where electricity remains unreliable.
As conditions allow, the operation will transition to recovery and climate-resilient reconstruction, supporting the repair and rebuilding of homes with roofing kits, tools, and training on safe and sustainable construction techniques.
Hurricane Melissa has struck communities still recovering from Hurricane Oscar, which severely affected eastern Cuba in October 2024. Homes and infrastructure were still under repair when this new disaster struck, leaving families with little time to recover.
“For decades, the IFRC has worked hand in hand with the Cuban Red Cross and its strong network of highly trained volunteers, responding effectively to hurricanes like Ian, Sandy, and Oscar — and now Melissa — each time standing side by side with communities to protect lives and livelihoods,” said Loyce Pace, IFRC Regional Director for the Americas. “Our appeal builds on that shared experience — a partnership grounded in trust, humanity, and the determination to help where it’s needed most.”
For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected]
In Panama:
Susana Arroyo Barrantes, +507 6999-3199
María Victoria Langman, +507 6550-1090
In Geneva:
Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 4367
Nora Peter, +36 70 953 7709