KINGSTON, Jamaica — International Christian relief organisation, Samaritan’s Purse, says its disaster response teams and supplies are on standby to be deployed to Jamaica, which was left reeling after Hurricane Melissa slammed into the island Tuesday as one of the strongest storms in history.

Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. By the time the storm exited Jamaica’s northern coast, it had weakened to a Category 3 before striking Cuba early Wednesday.

In response, Samaritan’s Purse announced it is preparing to airlift critical relief supplies including community water systems, shelter materials, solar lights, and medical equipment from its North Carolina headquarters to Jamaica.

Medical Operations Manager Damion Tripp confirmed the organisation’s readiness in a post on Instagram on Wednesday.

“We are loading a lot of tarp, non-food items to be able to help the people of the area. We are also loading supplies for our airlift programme. We ask that you pray for the people of Jamaica, pray for their safety, their health, their wellbeing,” he said.

Samaritan’s Purse has previously provided disaster relief across the Caribbean, including in The Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian and in Haiti following major earthquakes.