As Hurricane Melissa’s Category 5 winds and rain devastated a large swath of the Caribbean, the United States and its regional partners deployed Soldiers and Guardsmen to evacuate residents in low-lying areas, aid in search and rescue efforts, and provide aerial surveillance of the October 2025 storm. The hurricane left at least 33 dead, thousands homeless and battered infrastructure before moving past Bermuda, still at hurricane strength three days after initially making landfall in Jamaica, more than 2,000 kilometers to the southwest.
In The Bahamas, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) troops deployed to assist in the government’s evacuation order for Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay and Ragged Island. RBDF Soldiers worked with disaster relief personnel to bring hundreds of people to safety. The U.S. also played a facilitating role in the storm relief. “At every point — during the approach of the storm, as it passed, and now as recovery efforts begin — the people and government of the United States have been working to help Bahamians,” stated U.S. Embassy Nassau Chargé d’affaires Kimberly Furnish in a news release. Furnish viewed the damage to The Bahamas on a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft with Bahamian leaders, including RBDF Commander Floyd Moxley on October 31. The Coast Guard plane was provided by Air Station Miami to help assess relief efforts, which also are being supported by a State Department regional disaster assistance team, according to the release.
The State Department collaborated with U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations and several affected governments to deliver food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, and search and rescue support across Melissa’s path. Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica suffered the worst damage and all the deaths.
In the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), the TCI Regiment deployed troops to Grand Turk, Salt Cay, South Caicos, and North and Middle Caicos to ensure the safety and readiness of communities across the islands. The deployment proceeded smoothly and proved the capability of the regiment to react to natural disasters, its commanding officer said in a Facebook post. “I am immensely proud of the professionalism, speed, and dedication shown by the men and women of the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment,” said Lt. Col. Ennis Grant, the regiment’s commanding officer. “Their early and proactive deployment ensured critical infrastructure was secured, communications were maintained, and communities felt reassured across all our islands. They represent the very best of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
The TCI Regiment accomplished the following goals during the nearly weeklong deployment, according to the November 2 post:
- Troops ensured a presence across the five main population centers and assisted civil authorities.
- Assisted residents with battening their homes, bagging sand and preparing shelter among other measures.
- Helped secure critical national assets and government buildings.
- The deployment validated the regiment’s ability to mobilize and sustain operations on multiple islands simultaneously.