FRANKLIN GRAHAM ANNOUNCES DEPLOYMENT OF EMERGENCY FIELD HOSPITAL TO BLACK RIVER, JAMAICA, IN AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE MELISSA
BOONE, N.C., Nov. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow, Samaritan's Purse will launch its third airlift to Jamaica, scaling up the organization's ongoing relief efforts to Hurricane Melissa—the largest storm in the country's history. The 767 cargo plane will carry an Emergency Field Hospital to the island nation. Jamaica's Ministry of Health requested this life-saving facility to provide urgent, critically needed 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.
The Emergency Field Hospital will be rapidly setup by members of the organization's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) as soon as it arrives in Jamaica. It will be equipped with more than 30 inpatient beds and will include:
- One operating room for surgical procedures
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Emergency Room (ER)
- Obstetric (OB) ward for maternal and neonatal care
- Laboratory, pharmacy, and blood bank
"We are bringing in doctors, nurses, and the entire team it takes to get this hospital up and running—along with all the equipment and supplies we need," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. "Hospitals, homes, and entire communities have been devastated. We want these people to know that God loves them and we care about what they're going through. We will also continue distributing emergency supplies like water filters and shelter material. Please continue to pray for the people of Jamaica and for our teams as we respond in Jesus' Name."
The field hospital—a self-sustaining lifeline for disaster-stricken communities— is the latest in a long list of emergency supplies that the organization has deployed to the island. To date, Samaritan's Purse has airlifted 39 tons of emergency relief to Jamaica with more flights planned in the coming days. Samaritan's Purse has distributed 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 safe, 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.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:
- Interview Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan's Purse
- Interview Edward Graham, Chief Operating Officer for Samaritan's Purse
- Interview staff on the ground in Jamaica
- High-quality photos and broadcast-quality B-roll available HERE
About Samaritan's Purse:
Based in Boone, North Carolina, Samaritan's Purse responds to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations—especially in locations where few others are working. Led by President and CEO Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.
SOURCE Samaritan's Purse
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