Samaritan’s Purse deploys field hospital to Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa

BOONE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — On Sunday, the Samaritan’s Purse will deploy its third airlift to Jamaica following one of the largest storms in the country’s history.

A 767 cargo plane will carry an emergency field hospital to the island, equipped with more than 30 inpatient beds, an intensive care unit, one operating room for surgical procedures, and a blood bank.

Jamaica’s Ministry of Health requested the facility to provide urgent care to patients, as many hospitals and infrastructure across the island were severely damaged in the storm. The facility will be built in Black River, where the hurricane made landfall along Jamaica’s southwest coast and destroyed the local hospital.

To date, the organization has airlifted 39 tons of emergency relief to Jamaica with more flights planned in the coming days, distributing more than 1,300 shelter tarps, water filters, solar lights, and other supplies. The N.C.-based organization has also deployed four community water filtration systems, which are each capable of serving up to 10,000 people per day with drinking water.

Additionally, Samaritan’s Purse mobile medical teams will begin conducting mobile medical clinics tomorrow to care for those in need. Plans are also underway to establish helicopter medical evacuation routes for patients requiring advanced care.