Disaster Response. Step One. Get There.
Our Impact
NGO partners supported
Responders sent
Aid Supplies Delivered (tons)
Situation Overview
On July 1, 2024, Hurricane Beryl passed through St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, making landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou and Petite Martinique islands as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 138 mph. The storm also affected Barbados, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Hurricane Beryl inflicted severe damage across the Caribbean as the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. The storm heralded a vigorous start of what is expected to be an above-normal season, characterized by stronger and more frequent storms. Airlink recognizes the heightened vulnerability of Caribbean communities to future severe weather events due to Beryl’s lasting impacts.
On July 8, Beryl made final landfall in Matagorda, Texas, leaving one million people without power. While we monitor the full extent of the damage in Texas and stand ready to support our partners there, we are actively responding in the Caribbean, focusing primarily on Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, where our partners are concentrating their efforts. In total, 13 countries have been affected.
Humanitarian Needs
Across the region, 740,000 people are exposed to hurricane conditions. Damage assessments are underway, and preliminary reports indicate significant power outages across several islands, affecting multiple hospitals. Extreme infrastructure damage and a lack of clean water are reported in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. There is a need for shelter items (particularly tarpaulins and ropes), and other non-food items such as solar lamps and hygiene and dignity kits.
Airlink’s Role: Overcoming Logistical Hurdles For NGOs
Airlink is working with airline and logistics partners to provide critical airlift and logistical support to responding NGO partners to get the right aid to the right place at the right time.
We are coordinating shipments of shelter, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) supplies, and arranging flights for emergency responders, health professionals, logisticians, and additional programmatic staff.
Access to smaller islands, such as Grenada and Carriacou, poses logistical hurdles due to limited major airport clearances and the reliance on regional and local aircraft. Developing creative solutions to handle smaller amounts of personnel and cargo will be important in this response to accommodate the geography of the impacted islands.
Airlink is engaged with The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which is coordinating the response.
Airlink in the Media:
Hurricane Beryl Has Devastated the Caribbean. Here’s How You Can Help Relief Efforts
By providing airlifts and coordination, Airlink says its strategic approach is critical “to get the right aid to the right place at the right time.”
Help Hurricane Beryl Relief Efforts by Donating to These Organizations
While Hurricane Beryl continues to barrel through the region, here are organizations you can contribute to that are helping with the relief and recovery efforts. Airlink…
Hurricane Beryl has devastated the Caribbean. Here’s how you can help from Miami
Airlink, a nonprofit that airlifts aid to disaster-stricken places, is collaborating with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency to get supplies to islands and helping nonprofits overcome transportation challenge, and is accepting donations.
Our Partners
