Hurricane Melissa

Turning scattered information into coordinated action.

When Hurricane Melissa struck, the challenge was not the absence of information. It was making sense of the information already available. Leap transformed fragmented datasets into practical insight that helped coordinate a faster, more effective private sector response.

Overview

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica needed to coordinate the private sector response. Government agencies, relief organisations, businesses, and community partners were all working with valuable data, yet no single picture existed to guide action.

Without a shared understanding, there was a risk of duplicated efforts, missed communities, and slower decision-making.


Our role

Programme design, governance delivery structures, community engagement, partnership coordination

PSOJ, Jamaica Constabulary force, Government, Civil society

Partners

Focus areas

Community engagement

Youth development

Violence prevention

Institutional strengthening

Data already existed

The challenge was making it usable

Our approach

Gather

Rather than collecting new information, we identified trusted datasets that already existed across multiple organisations.

Connect

We combined programme information, relief data, STATIN records, and the 2022 Census into one clear evidence base.

Translate

Complex information became practical insight that decision-makers could immediately use to coordinate resources.

Latest articles on LinkedIn

Six Weeks to Hurricane Season: The Data We Wish We’d Had on Day One

The clearest lesson from Melissa is not about logistics or funding. It is about information — and most of it did not exist in a usable form on the day she made landfall.

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