Where water flows, equality grows: FedEx and Water Mission bring relief after Hurricane Melissa

When Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28, 2025, Jamaica faced one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic. With Category 5 winds reaching 185 mph, the hurricane devastated the island’s southwestern coast, ripping roofs from homes, flooding towns, and cutting off safe water access for entire communities. Families emerged into wreckage with little more than what they could carry—and no clear path to recovery.

In the wake of the disaster, safe water became one of the most urgent needs—especially for women and girls in rural Jamaica, who are often responsible for water collection and household care, making the loss of water particularly acute. This World Water Day, under the theme Water and Gender and the message 'Where Water Flows, Equality Grows,’ we reflect on how rapid response and strong partnership reduced that burden and helped restore dignity and stability to thousands. 

Water Mission, a Christian engineering nonprofit, deployed its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) ahead of the storm and moved quickly afterward to assess damage and install emergency safe water treatment systems.  But getting the right equipment to the right place at the right time required reliable logistics support—something FedEx was uniquely positioned to provide. 

Through the FedEx Cares Delivering for Good program, essential equipment to enable water treatment was shipped from Water Mission’s U.S. headquarters to Jamaica. FedEx’s expansive network enabled fast movement, allowing Water Mission to get safe water flowing quickly.

Thanks to this support, Water Mission had two water treatment systems producing safe water in Ferris Cross within two weeks. From there, treated water was trucked daily to tap stands and storage tanks placed at churches, schools, and community centers across multiple communities. In total, Water Mission installed systems in seven locations, reaching people in Savanna la Mar, Whitehouse, Darliston, Petersfield, Bluefields, and other surrounding areas. 

The human stories emerging from these communities reveal the depth of need—and the power of restored water.

In Whitehouse, Tina, a mother of four, described how her family panicked as windows shattered and the roof gave way. After surviving the storm, they faced another crisis: no safe water.

“Before you came, children were getting sick, and people were panicking”, she said. “Now we don’t have to worry about water. We are so grateful.”

In Darliston, where Water Mission installed two safe water systems to treat water from a murky pond, Sherine Salmon shared how access to safe water changed everything:

“Without water, we wouldn’t know how to manage. We had nothing left after the storm, so having clean water here means everything to us.”

At Belmont Academy in Bluefields, which sheltered nearly 80 displaced residents, Principal Raymon emphasized the importance of clean water, both drinking and hygiene:

“Water is essential to life,” he said. “Thank you for restoring safe drinking water to our school and community. Our boys and girls can learn safely again. You are a hero.”

By the end of February 2026, the systems Water Mission installed had produced more than 1.8 million gallons of safe water, serving more than 59,000 people. These efforts made the greatest difference for women and children, reducing long walks for water, supporting school reopenings, and preventing illness during a time of immense stress and uncertainty.

This response demonstrates the profound impact of partnership. FedEx’s rapid logistical support enabled Water Mission to reach some of the hardest-hit communities with the timely, reliable, safe drinking water they needed to recover. 

Together, we helped restore safe water, hope, and stability for families across southwestern Jamaica. And as World Water Day reminds us, when safe water flows—especially for women and girls—equality grows.