By Monica Moorehead
November 6, 2025
The International Action Center salutes the humanitarian aid that the Venezuelan government has sent to both Jamaica and Cuba in the aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa to both islands. According to Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, this hurricane is the strongest ever to hit the island, creating damage to homes and infrastructure equivalent to between 28% to 32% of last year’s gross domestic product. (The Guardian, Nov. 5) Over 30 confirmed people lost their lives in Jamaica.
Even though Haiti was not directly hit by Hurricane Melissa, over 40 people died from the many days of rain which caused mass flooding, exacerbated by the country’s decades-long poor infrastructure.
Aid for Cuba and Jamaica at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela. Credit: radioangulo.cu
Cuban officials reported collapsed houses, blocked mountain roads and roofs blown off buildings on Oct. 29, with the heaviest destruction concentrated in the southwest and northwest, especially Santiago de Cuba. An estimated 735,000 people are in shelters. Despite the over 60-year U.S. blockade, the Cubans continue to make the needs of their population a priority when it comes to preparedness for natural disasters like hurricanes. No deaths were reported on the island.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Eduardo Gil Pinto announced on Oct. 30 that 26 tons of medical, food and infrastructure supplies were flown to Cuba aboard a Conviasa airline flight from Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira state, while another 20 tons were delivered to Jamaica.
“We are sending medical supplies, food and infrastructure to address the emergency,” said the foreign minister, who highlighted that, in the case of Cuba, a ship is being prepared to send another 3.000 tons of aid, which will depart in coming days.
Cuba and Venezuela signed the comprehensive cooperation agreement between both countries, and the largest of the Antilles (islands that include Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, etc.) provided important support to the Venezuelan people to address the various needs in the social area. The destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa demonstrates the anti-imperialist solidarity that characterizes the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.
On the other side of the class camp, the U.S. government has not offered any amount of aid to either Jamaica or Cuba.
What makes Venezuela’s generous act of material solidarity that much more extraordinary is that the country is on full alert for a military attack by the Pentagon at the behest of the jingoistic Donald Trump regime. U.S. warships are currently on the Caribbean Sea threatening both Venezuela and Colombia with regime change.
Over 60 people have been randomly killed in boats by the Pentagon, with the false pretext of their belonging to drug cartels. Between 8 million and 9 million Venezuelans are being armed and organized into militias to defend their sovereignty against any impending U.S. invasion.
