As the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is reporting significant steps to ensure its preparedness to support emergency response efforts throughout the Caribbean in the event of a disaster.

With a history of active work alongside local and regional disaster management agencies, and with global expertise in responding to disasters and displacements, IOM is prepared to play its part if any major event occurs in the Caribbean.

The recently inaugurated Caribbean Logistics Hub in Barbados has become a pillar of IOM’s emergency preparedness, with WFP partnering in logistics support.

Currently IOM has emergency supplies in stock at The Hub, to improve the safety and dignity of up to 1,000 families.

Items include solar lights, water containers, kitchen sets, home repair supplies and tents.

This vital capacity has been made possible through the generous support of partners such as the EU’s Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), a longstanding contributor to disaster response efforts in the Caribbean.

ECHO has also committed support to distribute these supplies in the event of a disaster.

Since 2024, IOM has been co-leading the Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items Working Group under the coordination of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

This Working Group brings together national disaster agencies, humanitarian organizations, and private sector partners to provide support, upon request, to CARICOM Member States, focusing on families whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Coordinator for IOM Caribbean, Patrice Quesada notes that improved coordination with CDEMA is one of the most significant results of relocating IOM’s Caribbean Office to Barbados.

“We are pleased that the decision taken in 2022 to establish the IOM Caribbean Coordination Office in Barbados has certainly borne fruit, allowing much closer coordination with CDEMA and other UN agencies, and contributing greatly to the UN’s joint response to Hurricane Beryl in 2024.

The lessons we learned allow us to continue improving the way we work, in the interest of saving lives and protecting people on the move due to hurricanes or other disasters in the region.”

IOM has also consistently invested in upskilling public servants and community leaders in Emergency Shelter Coordination and Management, working with local and regional disaster management mechanisms.

This year, 20 additional instructors from government and local organizations will be equipped with the latest tools to support emergency shelter operations throughout the region.

Emergencies demand immediate response, and IOM is continuing to build a network of partner organizations across the Caribbean, and to support them to become partners in response efforts.

This network will play a vital role in emergency response and provide a crucial two-way communication link between IOM and communities across the region.

Any local or regional civil society organization interested in being part of this network, should contact IOM Caribbean (https://www.iom.int/caribbean).

IOM is also growing its collaboration with private companies, recognizing that resilience-building demands action across all sectors.

Agreements with Amazon and Lowe’s will provide access to essential emergency equipment to support response efforts, and DHL is on board to train partners in efficient logistics and distribution.

IOM also partners globally with Microsoft for data collection, and Airbnb for emergency accommodation, and continues to seek new partners to contribute to expediency, efficiency, and accountability in IOM’s work during times of disaster.

As the 2025 Hurricane Season sets in, IOM continues to espouse national, community, household, and individual preparedness, to prevent loss of life and property. Remember, preparedness saves lives.

For more information, please contact: malleyne@iom.int