UN: Hurricane Melissa kills at least 24 in Haiti; UN urges funding and access after anticipatory action saved lives
October 31, 2025 | United Nations, Federal
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Gregoire Goodstein, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator ad interim for Haiti, said Hurricane Melissa swept across Haiti's Sud (Southern) Department, producing slow-moving torrential rains, flash floods and landslides that have caused deaths, injuries, displacement and widespread damage.
"The death toll for now stands at 24 people who have died," Goodstein said, adding that about 17 people were injured and 18 remained missing in initial counts. He said close to 15,000 people were sheltered in more than 120 temporary shelters, mainly in the Sud, Nippes and other departments, and that roads have been cut off and many families displaced.
Goodstein highlighted that Haiti benefited from a SURF Anticipatory Action Fund set up last year that unlocked close to $4,000,000 for rapid preparedness. He credited early-warning messages, saying roughly 3,500,000 messages were sent to inform families and encourage movement to evacuation centers, and said prepositioned stocks and rapid response teams deployed in coordination with national authorities helped save lives.
"A big plus in the preparedness was also the fact that we were able to send out early warning messages to many parts of Haiti," Goodstein said. He also emphasized that access constraints remain: assessments are ongoing because many areas remain inaccessible and humanitarian flights and movements were interrupted by the weather.
Goodstein warned the hurricane compounds a longstanding crisis in Haiti: he said about 1,400,000 people are displaced because of gang violence, roughly 5.7 million people face food insecurity and there are flashpoints of cholera. He added that Haiti's humanitarian response plan was 87% underfunded, a shortfall that threatens lifesaving operations linked both to the hurricane and to existing crises.
In a question-and-answer session, Evelyn Leopold asked whether supplies had been looted because of gang activity; Goodstein replied, "No. We haven't had any reports of any looting of supplies, nor of any supplies being redirected or taken over by gangs." When asked what was most needed immediately, Greg Clark and Goodstein said funding and access were the primary constraints; Goodstein said teams and coordination structures were in place but lacked resources.
Goodstein said continued assessments will better define recovery needs and that the UN would report on next phases of response and recovery as access and assessments permit.
"The death toll for now stands at 24 people who have died," Goodstein said, adding that about 17 people were injured and 18 remained missing in initial counts. He said close to 15,000 people were sheltered in more than 120 temporary shelters, mainly in the Sud, Nippes and other departments, and that roads have been cut off and many families displaced.
Goodstein highlighted that Haiti benefited from a SURF Anticipatory Action Fund set up last year that unlocked close to $4,000,000 for rapid preparedness. He credited early-warning messages, saying roughly 3,500,000 messages were sent to inform families and encourage movement to evacuation centers, and said prepositioned stocks and rapid response teams deployed in coordination with national authorities helped save lives.
"A big plus in the preparedness was also the fact that we were able to send out early warning messages to many parts of Haiti," Goodstein said. He also emphasized that access constraints remain: assessments are ongoing because many areas remain inaccessible and humanitarian flights and movements were interrupted by the weather.
Goodstein warned the hurricane compounds a longstanding crisis in Haiti: he said about 1,400,000 people are displaced because of gang violence, roughly 5.7 million people face food insecurity and there are flashpoints of cholera. He added that Haiti's humanitarian response plan was 87% underfunded, a shortfall that threatens lifesaving operations linked both to the hurricane and to existing crises.
In a question-and-answer session, Evelyn Leopold asked whether supplies had been looted because of gang activity; Goodstein replied, "No. We haven't had any reports of any looting of supplies, nor of any supplies being redirected or taken over by gangs." When asked what was most needed immediately, Greg Clark and Goodstein said funding and access were the primary constraints; Goodstein said teams and coordination structures were in place but lacked resources.
Goodstein said continued assessments will better define recovery needs and that the UN would report on next phases of response and recovery as access and assessments permit.
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