Hundreds stranded, including 2 U.S. veterans, as Project DYNAMO Rescue Team, Aircrafts Responding to Storm-Ravaged Jamaica
Team of U.S. military veterans, pilots and first responders with search-and-rescue experience is being deployed to hurricane-ravaged island
From Project Dynamo
TAMPA, Fla. — Project DYNAMO is deploying planes carrying a team of U.S. military veterans, pilots and first responders with search-and-rescue experience to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa decimated parts of the island on Tuesday.
The team is scheduled to depart Thursday morning from Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in Florida, where media are invited to observe the loading of personnel and thousands of pounds of relief including MREs, water purification devices, medical supplies and more. Aircraft will then forward-deploy to Key West, Florida for refueling before continuing to Kingston, Jamaica.
Project DYNAMO has personnel already on the ground in Black River, Jamaica, near ground zero of the historic Category 5 storm’s impact.
The deployment, named Operation Cool Runnings, has already received nearly 50 evacuation requests from Americans in numerous states including Florida, Colorado, New Jersey, Georgia, Alabama and Texas, including two U.S. Coast Guard veterans in Black River who lost everything they own.
The organization is coordinating with Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) and Georgia State Rep. David Clark.
Since its founding in 2021, Project DYNAMO has conducted high-impact missions in Afghanistan, Israel, Ukraine, Haiti, Maui, North Carolina, Southwest Florida and other regions, rescuing thousands from war zones, natural disasters and flooded areas.
Joining Project DYNAMO’s team is retired Army Green Beret Joshua McKee, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. Additionally, Project DYNAMO has received support from Mercury One, Everything Lifesaving, Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, Savage Freedoms Relief Operations and A Hand from Above.
Those in need of assistance, or loved ones of those in need, are urged to fill out a request form at projectdynamo.net/global-evacuation-request. Donations to support Project DYNAMO’s operations can be made at projectdynamo.net.
To directly aid the two stranded American veterans, visit helpdan.org.
Military veterans and first responders interested in volunteering can submit their information at projectdynamo.net/volunteer. Organizations wishing to donate bulk supplies should contact info@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.
Also of note, the U.S. Department of State has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team in the region and activated the Los Angeles and Fairfax Urban Search and Rescue teams with 60-70 personnel. U.S. citizens in need of emergency consular assistance abroad due to Hurricane Melissa should call the U.S. State Department at 1-888-407-4747 or from overseas +1 202-501-4444.
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.
