Ziggy Marley Mobilizes Family and Music Community to Support Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa
As Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica three weeks ago, Ziggy Marley watched the impact unfold from Los Angeles, where he has been working on a new album. Unable to reach relatives and friends during the first day of the storm, he relied on news reports and scattered updates from contacts on the island. What he saw was “destruction” across large stretches of the countryside and widespread disruption in the most vulnerable regions.
Although eastern Jamaica, including Kingston and the Bob Marley Museum, avoided the worst of the damage, several parishes, such as Saint Ann, were severely hit. With communications down and images of leveled homes circulating online, the Marley family immediately began coordinating relief efforts from abroad.
Cedella and Rohan Marley launched food-supply operations from Florida in partnership with Michael Capponi’s Global Empowerment Mission (GEM). “We as a family live all over the world, so we are just using our resources to gather supplies,” Rohan said. “That’s the most important thing now.”
Ziggy Marley is focusing on housing reconstruction through URGE (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), the nonprofit he runs with his wife, Orly. The foundation has supported health, education, and environmental programs in Jamaica and Africa for more than two decades. The organization now plans to repair or fully rebuild homes lost in the storm, including several that URGE originally constructed. “We got messages from some of the folks we already built homes for a few years ago, that it’s all gone,” Marley said. “So they are seeking help again.”
URGE will collaborate with Food for the Poor to distribute water, food, medical supplies, and equipment for farmers and fishers in the hardest-hit communities. Additional contributions are expected from musicians who have pledged ticket revenue, including Kenny Chesney, whose own Caribbean home was destroyed during Hurricane Irma in 2017, as well as Blues Traveler, Slightly Stoopid, and multiple 2026 festivals such as Cali Vibes, Point Break, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and Lancaster Roots & Blues.
Marley has also reached out to artists, including Rihanna, Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper, to explore similar contributions. His long-standing practice of donating a portion of his own concert ticket sales inspired the broader appeal. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “If people buy a ticket, some of that ticket money can help someone who needs it.”
Despite the scale of the damage, Marley describes a familiar resilience from locals on the ground. Communities are dealing with crop destruction, housing shortages, and limited access to resources, yet the prevailing attitude remains forward-looking. “Not to diminish the destruction,” he said, “but mental attitude is what helps us get through a lot of the stuff we’ve been through throughout the years. The enlightenment for us is that material things can be gone within a day. It’s our mental strength and the love we have that remain.”
