Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
According to the center, it’s one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history.
CNN is reporting that the storm has already killed seven people – three in Jamaica during storm preparations, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
If you’d like to donate to some organizations that are helping with relief efforts, here are some you can consider:
Jamaica Red Cross: The Jamaica Red Cross is an auxiliary in the humanitarian field to the Government of Jamaica. Click here to donate.
World Central Kitchen: Immediately serves chef-prepared meals to communities impacted by natural disasters and during humanitarian crises. Click here to donate.
American Friends of Jamaica: The organization’s Disaster Relief Fund provides support to communities across Jamaica affected by natural or humanitarian disasters. Click here to donate.
The American Red Cross: Organization chapters on the islands are working together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to help with aid. You can donate to disaster relief here.
Direct Relief: This group has committed an initial $250,000 in financial support and offered up its entire medical inventory to health providers in the Caribbean in response to Hurricane Melissa. You can donate here.
Project HOPE: This global health and humanitarian organization is mobilizing an emergency response team and accepting donations. You can contribute here.
Salvation Army: Personnel in the Jamaica East Division were out in the community ahead of the hurricane making landfall, urging people to take action to protect their families. You can donate to help with disaster relief here.
Experts are warning though, to be cautious when opening your checkbook.
"Scammers are so sophisticated now, they’re actually using AI to create images of victims from a storm and asking to donate to help them out…when these pictures were completely generated by AI," consumer expert Herb Weisbaum said.
“Stick with a reputable charities that have a history of dealing with this sort of thing. That would include ‘Project Hope’. ‘The American Red Cross’. There’s actually a ‘Jamaica Red Cross’; you can give directly to them. And, Jose Andres, chef Jose Andres is already on the ground with teams from ‘World Central Kitchen’. Stick with a reputable charity.”
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