The Weeknd Donates $350,000 for Jamaica Hurricane Aid

Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that struck Jamaica and other Caribbean nations at the end of October, has left nearly six million people affected, with the island nation suffering the most severe damage. In a significant boost to recovery efforts, singer Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, announced a $350,000 donation from his XO Humanitarian Fund to the World Food Programme on November 13, targeting aid for up to 200,000 Jamaicans impacted by the disaster.

The storm made landfall on October 28, bringing winds of up to 185 miles per hour and causing widespread destruction across Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba. In Jamaica, the entire country was declared a disaster area, with more than 100,000 housing structures damaged or destroyed, heavy flooding, and outages of electricity and water in many regions. Officials reported at least 19 deaths in Jamaica, while search and rescue operations continue in flattened rural areas where roads remain blocked by debris. In Haiti, the storm claimed 30 lives, and over 735,000 people were evacuated in Cuba, though no fatalities were recorded there. The United Nations estimates that nearly 36,000 people in Jamaica alone require immediate food...