How will the dismantling of USAID affect U.S. relief efforts in Jamaica?

Volunteers combine alleviation packages for Hurricane Melissa astatine nan Global Empowerment Mission office successful Miami, Fla., connected October 27, 2025. The accepted domiciled that nan United States plays successful disaster alleviation astir nan world will beryllium affected by nan dismantling of USAID. Chandan Khanna/AFP/via Getty Images hide caption

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Chandan Khanna/AFP/via Getty Images

It's a awesome world disaster. And it comes successful nan aftermath of nan Trump administration's dismantling of nan world's largest assistance agency, nan United States Agency for International Development, on pinch nan slashing of billions of dollars successful overseas assistance.

Hurricane Melissa, nan astir powerful Atlantic large wind of this year, has torn done Jamaica and respective different islands successful nan Caribbean, leaving a way of devastation. With awesome flooding and powerfulness outages, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared nan state a "disaster area."

The State Department confirmed that Jamaica has formally asked for help. And President Trump told reporters connected Wednesday that nan U.S. will respond: "We're watching it closely, and we're prepared to move."

Will nan U.S. beryllium capable to meet nan needs of Jamaica and different affected land nations?

NPR said to half a twelve experts successful disaster relief. They each noted that hurricane Melissa is is simply a existent trial for U.S. disaster consequence capabilities since nan shutdown of USAID. 

Here's are cardinal points to consider:

USAID was nan lead national agency coordinating disaster consequence but nary longer exists.

The agency had a unit of astir 800 group trained successful disaster alleviation and a roadworthy representation for handling disasters for illustration Melissa. For disasters for illustration this epic hurricane, preparations would person started months successful advance.

"USAID would person been moving pinch governments and embassies successful nan region connected preparing for hurricane season," says Sarah Charles, who led USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance during nan Biden administration. "And this would person been everything from exercises pinch emergency guidance authorities successful different countries [and assistance groups], to pre-positioning stocks of things for illustration integrative sheeting, emergency food, family point kits warehouses successful places for illustration Miami, but besides successful peculiar countries for illustration Haiti, which is very susceptible to storms of this nature."

The agency would besides often nonstop retired unit up of a predicted disaster for illustration Melissa to beryllium connected nan crushed earlier airports aliases roads were closed.

USAID besides coordinated efforts pinch nan Pentagon and different national agencies for illustration nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arsenic good arsenic pinch charities and organizations led by immigrants to nan U.S. from nan affected places, who often person a bully grip connected nan needs of communities successful their location countries.

In nan aftermath of nan assistance cuts, these efforts person been mostly eliminated.

The State Department is stepping successful but location are concerns astir its capabilities.

After nan shutdown of USAID connected July 1, astir 100 of USAID's disaster consequence unit survived nan modulation and are moving successful nan State Department's Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, which is responsible for humanitarian aid.

And nan State Department is now mounting a response.

"The United States is successful adjacent interaction pinch nan governments of Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and The Bahamas arsenic they face nan devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa. We person rescue and consequence teams heading to affected areas on pinch captious lifesaving supplies," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio successful a station connected X connected Wednesday.

Brian Heidel, who's worked arsenic a humanitarian for much than 2 decades and led USAID's Caribbean teams, says nan announcement is simply a "welcome sign" and describes an effective measurement to woody pinch a disaster of this magnitude.

It's besides important to statement that nan state wherever a disaster takes spot takes nan lead successful establishing nan type of assistance needed.

In this case, says Sarah Charles, nan Jamaican authorities will apt want U.S. thief pinch emergency nutrient and supplies and proscription to bring specified assistance to distant areas arsenic good arsenic harm assessment.

"So, utilizing our exertion to do harm assessments and sharing those pinch nan government, supporting their connection and logistics, each pinch nan purpose of helping nan Jamaican authorities get to those that are nan astir trim disconnected and nan astir vulnerable," she says.

Nonetheless location are concerns astir nan U.S. expertise to coordinate nan expected response.

Experts interviewed besides cautioned that nan State Department is bureaucratic and has systems and operating procedures that were not built pinch disaster alleviation successful mind. So things could return longer.

"So galore of USAID's systems came retired of, frankly, nan antagonistic experiences of nan Haiti earthquake, wherever group some successful and retired of nan authorities were truthful moved by nan devastation that a batch of thief flooded in, but successful a wholly uncoordinated measurement that created much chaos and challenges successful nan response," says Sarah Charles, adding that nan agency's expertise built complete decades whitethorn not person survived nan administration's cuts.

Then there's nan matter of nan fund upheaval. Heidel says nan cuts to programs and unit limits nan capacity for nan U.S. to respond to caller disasters that tin hap anywhere, "because they're dispersed truthful very bladed connected each of nan pre-existing disasters. Obviously, there's truthful overmuch going connected worldwide and successful nan Middle East and successful Africa," he says.

And pinch each nan cuts, he says that there's simply "no measurement that nan U.S. authorities is going to beryllium capable to supply a awesome level of support that they person provided successful nan past."