 In November 2025 I had the chance to help the NGO GiveDirectly design a rapid cash assistance program for people hit by Hurricane Mellisa in Jamaica (see my earlier post: High Performance Mindsets for the Storm: 9 Days of Hurricane Response in Jamaica). We used the mobile phone network to establish a unique pathway for quickly connecting with and helping storm affected people. Starlink Mini units provided fast internet connectivity, which enabled on-the-move navigation and real-time updates to targeting data within the disaster zone. This "web of connectivity" included phones, satellite internet, and financial technology like Western Union for the cash transfer. We successfully moved money from donors in the USA to recipients in Jamaica within days, highlighting fast cash as an essential tool for post-crisis recovery.
The head of GiveDirectly's humanitarian products Leith Baker, and I arrived a few days after the storm in Kingston, and soon drove west into the impact zone. Camille Raguin, and Julien Devos soon joined us to augment the response. The 220 mile per hour winds had flattened any building made of wood frame and tin roofing. The storm toppled electric poles and knocked out most cell phone connectivity in the area.
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 I recently helped the organization GiveDirectly to establish their aid program to people hit by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. This is a smart and new-ish NGO that provides direct cash support to people in poverty settings. They are expanding this low cost and speedy response into disaster zones like the recent mega storm to hit Jamaica.
My long time friend and colleague Leith Baker, who heads GiveDirectly’s humanitarian products, invited me to work together in western Jamaica to assess the situation, design the operation, and start sending money to those who need it most. It was also a great pleasure to work with and get to know GiveDirectly’s Camille Raguin, and Julien Devos who also deployed on the response (check out Camille’s excellent post about the deployment). The cash payments we arranged will help people get emergency supplies like tarps, buy phone credit so they can communicate, and eventually repair their storm damaged homes. |
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