Hurricane Melissa is one of the most powerful tropical systems to have hit the Caribbean in more than 150 years.
"It was one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall anywhere in the world", said Dan Hovey, Vice President of Emergency Response for the Santa Barbara-based Direct Relief.
Hovey added that members of the organization are on hand in Jamaica to provide support now and for as long as it's needed.
"People lost their homes. They might have lost access to their everyday medication. One of the things we focus on is providing donations of these chronic care medications so people don't find themselves in a situation without it," he said.
"These responses, they don't end when the coverage of them passes. Direct Relief will be there for the months to come. And one thing that we see often in a disaster like this is mental health needs both for the victims of the hurricane and the healthcare workers themselves."
