The path to recovery in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa is long, but our teams are…
Learn how HHI’s hurricane response brings hope and healing to affected communities
Overview of Hurricane Response
When hurricanes strike, we respond swiftly with urgent hurricane relief and medical support. We deliver hygiene kits, medicines, and mobile clinics to communities impacted by hurricane disasters. Our teams work around the clock to provide hurricane recovery aid and restore access to care in the hardest-hit areas.
Support That Makes a Difference
Heart to Heart International is committed to delivering trusted, compassionate hurricane assistance wherever and whenever it’s needed most. Together, we can reduce harm, support hurricane recovery, and help communities heal.
What Causes Hurricanes?
Hurricanes form over warm ocean waters and grow as winds pick up moisture. They rotate around a central eye due to the Coriolis effect. With enough heat and moisture, a tropical storm becomes a hurricane.
When is Hurricane Season?
In the Atlantic, hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. That’s when most hurricane disasters occur.
What To Do If You’re at Risk of a Hurricane?
Build a hurricane evacuation plan for your family.
Stock an emergency kit with essentials, like food, water, first-aid, flashlight, and medications.
Secure your home by reinforcing windows, securing roofs, or elevating assets.
Stay tuned to local alerts and forecasts during hurricane season.
Hurricane Facts & Safety Tips
Hurricanes weaken as they make landfall but still cause flooding and strong winds.
Turn around, don’t drown: Flooded roads can hide hazards.
Secure outdoor furniture to prevent flying debris.
During a hurricane, stay away from windows and move to a safe, interior area without overhead hazards.
Hurricane Preparedness
A good hurricane preparedness plan can make the difference between safety and disaster. It includes:
Monitoring local storm tracking during hurricane season.
Reinforcing your home’s exterior like shutters and garage doors.
Maintaining an emergency kit in an easy-to-grab location.
Knowing evacuation routes and having a meeting spot outside the danger zone.
Preparedness not only protects you but supports faster hurricane recovery for your community. For detailed guidance on hurricanes, visit Ready.gov’s Hurricane Preparedness page.
Fast Facts: Heart to Heart International’s Hurricane Relief Impact
Disaster Responses: 26 major hurricane relief missions worldwide.
Medical Aid Delivered: Over $30 million in medicines, medical supplies, and equipment.
Hygiene Kits Distributed: 258,000 kits to help families stay healthy during hurricane recovery.
Countries & Regions Served: Including the United States, Philippines, Bahamas, Haiti, and more.
Volunteer Engagement: Teams of trained responders deployed to provide care and support.
What We Deliver
During hurricane responses, we can deliver:
Hygiene kits with soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, and other essentials
First aid and medical supplies for individuals and shelters
Sustainable health services for ongoing community support
Health equity resources to reach at-risk groups
Volunteer medical teams for urgent disaster relief
Hurricane Responses
HHI Emergency Medical Team Brings Critical Medical Care to Storm-Hit Jamaica
At the request of the Jamaican Ministry of Health, Heart to Heart International (HHI) deployed…
Hurricane Milton Response
Florida is once again bracing for the impact of a powerful hurricane. Hurricane Milton, currently a Category 5 storm, is barreling down on the Gulf Coast….
HHI Responding to Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl, the first major hurricane of the 2024 season, took a devastating path through the Caribbean, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Hurricane Idalia
The storm surge from Idalia engulfed several Florida cities in floodwater. Several major bridges connecting Florida islands to the mainland were inaccessible..
Hurricane Ian Response Update
When Hurricane Ian hit Florida on September 28 as a Category 4 hurricane, it brought with it devastating rainfall, flooding, storm surge and winds.
Responding to Hurricane Ian
Heart to Heart International deployed one advance response team to Florida ahead of the storm and more teams followed with our Mobile Medical Unit
Hurricane Fiona hits Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico over the weekend as a Category 1 hurricane. The heavy rains produced massive flooding
Responding to Eta and Iota
November 25, 2020 – Upon arriving in San Pedro Sula on November 21, the team immediately began seeing patients in shelters and various communities around the area.
Responding to Hurricane Dorian
Heart to Heart International arrived in the Bahamas one day after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas. As the full extent of the damage continues…
Testimonials
What this organization is doing for people in the US and all over the world is nothing short of amazing. Spending a few hours to volunteer was a great experience and I would definitely encourage everyone to find time to contribute!
Volunteer
I volunteer, along with others, who have a common goal. To help and support the staff as they organize then head out across the globe with hygiene kits, medicines and mobile clinics. When a request comes in for help from HHI, staff is ready and willing to help but it also takes many volunteers and donations to support this goal.
Volunteer
Great organization helping folks in the USA and wherever needed around the world.
Volunteer
I read a lot of news every day because I want to know what is going on around me and in the world. Being aware of the many disasters and injustices cf.an feel like a huge burden to carry. Volunteering at Heart to Heart gives me the sense that I am helping in a small way and I’m not just involved with my own stuff.
Volunteer
As I’m aging, I realized how blessed I’ve been in so many ways. In my younger years, I worked a lot with the homeless community. As I’m aging I wanted to still give back to my community but do it closer to my home. I volunteered at Heart to Heart with a church group and decided I liked their mission. I’m just one person, but uniting with a group like Heart to Heart I can do so much more.
Volunteer
I feel so privileged to be able to help anyone in need. I’ve learned so much from people who are humbled by life’s struggles. As one person told me, “we’re all just one disaster from homelessness.” Every person should volunteer at least once in their life.
Volunteer
I love to provide quality time in service. Service is at the core of my being. My parents taught me when I was a child to never stop serving and loving people.
Volunteer
Volunteering helps me to feel that I am moving forward in a positive way and that my contribution has some purpose especially in these times of great hardship and suffering for so many people.
Volunteer
I love being able to do something for others especially in a real time of need. Serving fills my cup and blesses my heart. It never ceases to amaze me that in the middle of all the tragedy, those we serve always thank us for being there.
Volunteer
Volunteering reminds me that healing doesn’t always come in big moments; it often shows up in simple acts of kindness, shared humanity, and showing up for people when they feel forgotten. That’s why I’m proud to serve.
Volunteer
I volunteer with Heart to Heart in order to “pay back” for what I have received in that “giving in need” chain. Having been on the receiving end of a disaster, I know what it means to get that package of immediate needs, and am so, so thankful for those that make that happen. Just my small part in my volunteer journey to “give back”.
Volunteer
In October 2024 I was deployed with Heart to Heart to North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. On our last day there we were able to help a young woman by refilling her prescription medication that she had been unable to get. As I was saying goodbye, she told me that she was grateful we could help her as it was one less thing she had to do following this disaster. She was tearful and we gave each other a hug. It reminded me that even this small service can have a very positive impact on a person’s life.
Volunteer
Despite being a physician used to heal and help others, volunteering and helping people in very vulnerable situations has been extremely rewarding. Their appreciation and resilience in face of tremendous adversity is grounding and inspiring.
Volunteer
I volunteer with HHI because I believe in the organization’s founding principle of bringing volunteers together to serve a world in need.
Volunteer
My family has been on the receiving end for Hygiene Kits after natural disasters (major flood in Great Bend, KS and F4 tornado in Hoisington, KS). I know exactly how it feels to receive a Hygiene Kit when your personal items are gone. I am grateful, HHI gives me the opportunity to pay if forward!
Volunteer
Having lost all our possessions/home in a tornado, I have great empathy/sympathy for those thrust into disaster/loss. I was on the receiving side of immediate care and food, housing, and resources. I feel so privileged to be able to help anyone in need.
Volunteer
I hope the small amount I am able to give in some way improves the lives of those less fortunate. Your boots on the ground and the hygiene kits let others know we do care.
Volunteer
By helping to pack hygiene kits, or providing money to help purchase items for the kits or other needed products, my small donation can have a large impact for those who need the help.
Volunteer
Medical Testing in Ghana
Medical testing plays a vital role in delivering effective healthcare services. However, remote communities in Ghana face significant challenges due to limited access to laboratory diagnostics. To address this issue, Heart to Heart International has partnered with BD, a global leader in medical technology, and Millennium Promise, a nonprofit organization focused on disease diagnosis and prevention in Ghana. Our partners at Millennium Promise stated, ‘”The completion of the Laboratory Block marks a transformational step in healthcare delivery for the community.”
Kusewera, Malawi
We distributed 8,000 Hygiene kits to 600 youth from the community. The items in the kits are considered a luxury to most of the community, (even basic soap and washcloth) so they were incredibly helpful in the aim to promote health and good hygiene for all of them. They were so happy! The health of these youth will be improved immensely! Every single recipient of the hygiene kits was so very grateful. One said to us “I can now feel good and keep clean, zikomo!”
Light of Reformation in Ukraine
Your loyalty helps us not to give up and gives us the feeling of a reliable shoulder to lean on.
Fundación Una
Your donations of medicines and supplies sustain our clinic, supporting the most vulnerable children. Thank you!
Fundacion Nueva
If the only thing that was useful from your shipment was this wheelchair, it would’ve all been worth it because you changed this man’s life.” – Fundación Nueva Alegria in Dominican Republic
Tebenguni
May I take this opportunity to thank the donors for saving my life. I was afraid I would die after the snake bite. The medical care was amazing.” – Tebenguni, a 15-year-old girl in Eswatini, who received life-saving care thanks to donated medical supplies.
The most effective way to assist is through financial donations, as they allow disaster agencies to purchase what’s needed most, often at bulk discounts. Only contribute goods through trusted organizations, and only if the organization explicitly requests them. Volunteering should also be coordinated via reputable relief groups, but do not self-deploy. If you need to help locating loved ones or accessing emergency services, use official resources.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, with peak activity between August and October due to warm ocean temperatures and atmospheric conditions. Even outside this window, storms can occur.
An effective hurricane preparedness plan includes:
- Monitoring weather updates during season.
- Securing your home by boarding up windows, reinforcing doors, and protecting valuables.
- Assembling an emergency kit with water, food, first aid, important documents, flashlight, and radio.
- Identifying evacuation routes and safe meeting spots.
- Following local evacuation orders without delay.
Meteorologists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. A 1-to-5 rating based on sustained wind speed. Category 1 storms (74–95 mph) can be damaging, while Categories 3 to 5 are deemed “major hurricanes” with extreme potential for devastation.
The central calm region of a hurricane is known as the eye. A roughly circular area of light winds and clear skies. It’s surrounded by the eyewall, where the storm’s most damaging winds and rainfall occur.
During the hurricane:
- Stay in an interior, windowless room.
- Avoid floodwaters, turning around in flooded areas can be deadly.
- Do not use elevators.
- After the storm, be prepared for power outages and structural hazards like downed power lines, damaged roofs, and contaminated water.
Meteorologists classify hurricanes into five categories on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, based on sustained wind speeds. Here’s what each category means:
Category 1: 74–95 mph: This is the lowest hurricane strength, but still dangerous. It can cause roof, gutter, and siding damage, snap tree branches, and knock out power. Coastal flooding and minor infrastructure damage may also occur.
Category 2: 96–110 mph: Winds in this range are extremely dangerous. Expect major damage to roofs and siding on well-built homes, many trees snapped or uprooted, and long-lasting power outages. Coastal areas may experience significant flooding.
Category 3: 111–129 mph: Known as a major hurricane, Category 3 storms bring devastating damage. They can destroy roofs, knock out water and power for days, and block roads with debris.
Category 4: 130–156 mph: These storms cause catastrophic damage. Most structures suffer severe roof and wall failure, even well-built homes. Trees and power poles are knocked down, widespread uprooting occurs, and large-scale evacuations may be required. Power and water services may be disrupted for weeks.
Category 5: 157 mph or higher: This is the most severe classification. Catastrophic destruction is expected, with most homes sustaining total collapse, long-term power outages, and uninhabitable conditions for weeks or more.