Over the past 16 years, World Central Kitchen has watched cyclones become increasingly common and intense. In response, WCK teams around the world have served over 27 million meals in over 20 countries with the support of hundreds of local partners, volunteers, and community members. In 2026 alone, WCK has responded to nine major storms across the world. From Cyclone Gezani, which slammed into Toamasina, Madagascar in February, to the trio of hurricanes that struck North America in the fall, WCK teams have been serving families impacted by these storms. As our global networks grow and become more robust, we are increasingly able to respond to more and more disasters, supporting local community members as they lead the way towards recovery. 

Hurricane Helene & Hurricane Isaias: Southeastern US

As climate and natural disasters become increasingly intense and frequent, many areas that don’t typically experience cyclones are seeing intense destruction. That’s why our response to Hurricane Helene was extensive, spanning four months across Florida and North Carolina. We quickly learned that some of the hardest-hit communities also happened to be the hardest to access, but that didn’t stop our teams. Working side by side with our local partners, we served over 1.7 million meals between October 2024 and April 2025.

Unlike many of the communities we respond in, Western North Carolina is not typically impacted by hurricanes, leaving many residents without power and water for months. Our teams remained on the ground as they worked towards recovery, supporting them with door-to-door hot meal deliveries while supplying fresh water and assisting in cleanup efforts. 

Almost exactly two years later, Hurricane Isaias slammed into Alabama and Northern Florida. WCK teams had already pre-positioned supplies on the ground. Before the storm made landfall, our teams prepared our Rapid Response Mobile Kitchen, or RRMK, a 43-foot-long food truck complete with state of the art cooking equipment, so that we could begin supporting families immediately. 

With the RRMK pre-positioned in Alabama, we kickstarted our efforts, cooking at high capacity for the communities who were without power. Our team members on the ground made comforting meals like chili mac for the residents and linemen of East Brewton, AL, who were among the most intensely impacted households. 

Pre-positioning is a critical part of our disaster response model. The more we can prepare the tools, ingredients, and team members we need ahead of time, the faster we can start supporting the people who need us after the storm passes. During a disaster, it can be extremely difficult to access many of these tools, as roadways and powerlines are often damaged. WCK is committed to staying two steps ahead of the storm, constantly monitoring for future disasters and staying in close contact with our partners to get firsthand accounts of what they see. 

During this response and across the globe, we’ve seen community members show up for each other time and time again. Chef Ahmad, owner of Shawarma King in Milton, FL, is one of those people. He first joined us during our response to Hurricane Helene in late 2024, and, when Hurricane Isaias struck, once again jumped into action to care for his community. 

Typhoons Bavi, Sinlaku, & Champi: Guam and the Mariana Islands

In 2026, Typhoons Champi, Bavi, and Sinlaku have each swept across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands since April. After each one, WCK has been there alongside local partners to make sure families had hot meals. Those partnerships are what make speed possible. Because we’ve built them storm after storm, we can preposition teams before landfall and serve meals the moment it’s safe to move. 

We met the team from Queens Restaurant when Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck the island of Tinian. We supported them as they served meals to families impacted by the storm. Only 10 weeks later, they returned to serve their community again after Super Typhoon Bavi. This is the reality on the ground in the Mariana Islands and across the globe–community members showing up for one another time and time again as disasters increase in frequency. 

 Jamaica and Cuba: Hurricane Melissa

As the holiday season approached in Jamaica and Cuba, so too did Hurricane Melissa, which slammed into the island as a Category 5 hurricane in December of 2025. As we did with Hurricane Isaias and Helene, WCK teams pre-positioned supplies on the ground for immediate use after the storm. Working closely with the local partners we had met during Hurricane 

Beryl the year prior, we began serving thousands of meals per day as we connected with community members who had been affected by the storm. 

During this response, Chef Corps members arrived to impacted communities right away. Chef Keisha was one of them– she spent weeks serving hot meals out of our Field Kitchen in Montego Bay. Prior to this, she also supported responses in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where she is from, after a volcanic eruption in 2020 and again after Hurricane Beryl in 2024. Her business, Mariners Hotel & French Verandah Restaurant, served as one of our central hubs during that time. “I was truly astonished by the kitchen and by how seamlessly WCK was able to navigate such a complex project,” Chef Keisha said. “The experience left me feeling genuinely inspired.”

By the time our response wound down, our Chef Corps members, local restaurant partners, and Field Kitchen teams served over 6.7 million meals across Jamaica. As families began to recover, we also stood by them–providing fresh ingredients to people who could not access them but still had the ability to cook for themselves. 

Five Hurricanes in Four Years: Mexico

In Mexico, where WCK teams have responded to five hurricanes across four consecutive years. Each time we return, we’re able to move faster and more efficiently through our local partners and returning community members. We’ve responded on the west coast of Mexico each year since 2023, with two hurricanes making landfall only days apart in October of 2026. 

WCK teams have also pre-positioned in Mexico several times, especially as our connections to local communities grow. In 2026, we pre-positioned ahead of Hurricane Simon, getting supplies to the communities that needed them before the storm hit. 

Here too, our local partnerships are critical to our speed. In Apaculco, after Hurricanes Otis and John left thousands of families without food, water, and basic utilities, our teams maintained close ties with trusted partners. Within three hours of launching our response to Hurricane Erick, our restaurant partners began serving sandwiches as they visited communities, returning later to serve hot meals. 

Whether it’s a hurricane, a typhoon, or a tropical storm, our partnerships and ability to pre-position supplies are central to our relief efforts after a cyclone hits. That’s why WCK has invested in building our capacity through close relationships and innovative technology as climate and natural disasters become increasingly frequent. 

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