Hurricane Preparedness Week: FFTP Pre-positions Critical Relief Supplies Before Storms Strike
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (May 1, 2026) – As National Hurricane Preparedness Week begins on Sunday, May 3, Food For The Poor (FFTP) is reinforcing its commitment to disaster readiness by pre-positioning critical relief supplies across Latin America and the Caribbean. This effort builds on the organization’s ongoing response to Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica in October 2025 and caused widespread damage.
Pre-positioned disaster preparedness kits allowed for an immediate lifesaving response. In the days after the storm, relief items stored at FFTP’s Coconut Creek warehouse were shipped to Jamaica, bringing food, hygiene supplies, and building materials to support early recovery efforts.
“When Hurricane Melissa struck, Food For The Poor-Jamaica was already mobilized and ready with an initial wave of supplies that we pre-positioned before hurricane season,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said. “And we were ready to begin shipping in more aid the moment it was safe to do so.”
Acknowledged this year from May 3 to 9, National Hurricane Preparedness Week is the time to prepare for potential storm activity while the sky is blue and the winds are calm. The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, and forecasters predict below-normal activity this year, with 13 named storms, of which six are anticipated to become hurricanes and two to become major hurricanes at Category 3 or stronger.
Preparations are underway at FFTP, with the charity mobilizing to pre-position critical relief supplies in Latin America and the Caribbean so its partners can respond quickly after a storm or other disaster.
As in previous years, the charity is distributing disaster preparedness kits to Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada, Peru, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. Each kit will support 250 families per location, with Haiti receiving two kits to support 500 families. Working in partnership with Catholic Charities, FFTP will also stage one pre-positioned kit in Raleigh, N.C., and three in our Coconut Creek, Fla., warehouse, with flexibility to respond to emerging disaster needs.
Each kit includes:
- • 250 tarps
- • 250 disaster blankets
- • 280 children’s activity kits from Midwest Mission Distribution Center
- • 540 family hygiene kits with items from MAP International
- • 250 women’s care kits
- • 7,000 packets of Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier, an oral rehydration solution
- • 250 hand-crank emergency radio flashlights, and 250 diaper packs.
FFTP also provides heavy-duty bags that in-country partners use to package individual relief kits for each family. In addition, FFTP will have 480 cleaning kits, consisting of buckets and cleaning supplies, stocked at its warehouse, ready for distribution in the wake of extreme flooding after a major storm.
“Preparedness allows us to move into action as soon as possible,” said Kyle Morris, FFTP’s director of emergency and humanitarian response. “Because these supplies will already be in place, we’ll be able to respond quickly and efficiently.”
Morris, who began his new position at FFTP on April 29, brings extensive U.S. Army Civil Affairs experience in leading humanitarian aid, disaster response, and stabilization missions in Syria and in the Caribbean. Most recently, through the Army Career Skills Program, he supported FFTP’s response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.
“I’m excited to join Food For The Poor and continue helping vulnerable families and communities when they need it most,” Morris said. “I saw firsthand during the Hurricane Melissa response in Jamaica how responding quickly and in a coordinated effort can make a real impact. I’m looking forward to building on that work and making our disaster preparedness and response efforts even stronger.”
FFTP’s response and recovery efforts continued long after Hurricane Melissa subsided. In the six months since the storm made landfall, FFTP has delivered more than $10 million in aid, including:
- • 229 ocean containers and 21 air shipments of essential supplies.
- • 125,000 relief kits, including over 85,000 food kits and 40,000 hygiene kits, assisting more than 85,000 families across the island.
This operation was made possible by the dedication of more than 3,000 volunteers, who contributed over 4,190 hours of service and packed upwards of 137,000 kits. An additional 14 containers of aid were delivered through a strategic partnership with Puerto Rico, further strengthening the response.
Beyond immediate relief, meaningful progress has been made in restoring livelihoods and rebuilding communities. To date, 234 roofs and 22 fishing boats have been repaired, and all impacted beekeepers are now back in production.
Looking ahead, FFTP’s Jamaica Rebuild Campaign has been launched as a multi-phase housing initiative, starting with $1 million in seed funding.
“Even as we prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, we are still rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Melissa,” Raine said. “This effort will scale the construction of new homes across affected communities, helping families move from recovery to long-term stability.”
About Food For The Poor
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, is committed to facilitating paths out of poverty and transforming lives. As an interdenominational Christian ministry, we help families across Latin America and the Caribbean. Our efforts span urgent humanitarian relief and long-term development – from emergency aid and hunger alleviation to education, housing, and economic empowerment. We follow a distinctive approach that integrates faith, multi-sector strategies, and trusted partnerships. Whenever possible, we strive to work at the community level, partnering with local leaders and residents to co-create sustainable solutions that address the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]
