MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Project DYNAMO, a U.S.-based veteran-led nonprofit, has expanded its evacuation and relief efforts in Jamaica under Operation Cool Runnings after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa devastated the island, successfully flying out the first groups of stranded Americans from Montego Bay to Key West, Florida on Friday.
Ground teams conducted numerous on-the-ground rescues, including racing to Negril to save two trapped Americans on their honeymoon who were forced to ride out the storm in a tree house; the couple is being flown out today. Meanwhile, Project DYNAMO’s CEO, Mario Duarte, is helping to coordinate a critical flight for a patient on a ventilator from Montego Bay to Kingston, as teams continue executing search-and-rescue missions and delivering relief supplies across western Jamaica.
Two planes are scheduled to land at Montego Bay with relief supplies in the next hour and will return with more Americans to the Florida Keys. The organization also just received an urgent evacuation request for a person in the Black River area needing immediate medical attention.
These operations have incurred significant expenses, primarily for transportation including aviation fuel, ground vehicles, lodging and Cuba overflight permits. Anyone interested in supporting Project DYNAMO can do so by visiting projectdynamo.net.
Project DYNAMO, founded in 2021, has rescued thousands from conflict zones and disaster areas worldwide, including Afghanistan, Israel, Ukraine, Haiti, Maui, North Carolina and Southwest Florida. For assistance requests, visit projectdynamo.net/global-evacuation-request. Donations can be made at projectdynamo.net.
Project DYNAMO is a veteran-led, donor-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to rescuing Americans and allies in conflict zones and disaster areas worldwide. For more information, visit projectdynamo.net.
Founded during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan in 2021, Project DYNAMO is an international search, rescue, aid and assistance 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Florida with worldwide operations. The primary objective of Project DYNAMO is to provide assistance to those impacted in disaster areas and conflict zones throughout the world. Notably, Project DYNAMO conducted the first air-rescue missions from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control, and has negotiated the release and exfiltrated numerous Americans from captivity and false imprisonment.