Washington, DC — Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Joaquin Castro, Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Yvette D. Clarkeissued the following statement ahead of Hurricane Melissa’sexpected landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday. 

“The State Department must swiftly deploy necessary disaster relief assistance to Jamaica and fullycoordinate with local, regional and international partnersin the event that the projected impacts of Hurricane Melissa, includingCategory 5 and life-threatening conditions to the island, materialize.The United States shares deepand enduring ties with Jamaica;over a million Jamaican Americans are watching anxiously as their loved ones brace for catastrophe. The United States must stand with Jamaica and the entire Caribbean before, during, and after Hurricane Melissa makes landfall.”