Former Reality Star Helps Evacuate Families From Hurricane Melissa’s Path

Published: October 30, 2025

Hurricane Melissa Threatens Catastrophic Flooding In Jamaica And Haiti — IN FLIGHT, CARIBBEAN SEA – OCTOBER 27: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image released by the U.S. Air Force, a A U.S. Air Force Reserve crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” flies through Hurricane Melissa on October 27, 2025 over the Caribbean Sea. The crew is making a pass through the storm to collect vital weather data for the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it approaches Jamaica, bringing torrential winds and rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by Lt. Col. Mark Withee/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)

By India McCarty

Former BRINGING UP BATES star Lawson Bates is asking for prayers as he helps evacuate people in the path of Hurricane Melissa.

“We are directly in the path of Hurricane Melissa,” Bates wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m working with an emergency rescue team [Medic Corps]. We’re racing the storm to evacuate as many as possible.”

In the video he posted, Bates can be seen guiding families onto an airplane, which will evacuate them from the storm-affected areas.

He added, “Pray for the thousands still in serious danger right now. Today, over 500 people have been rescued to safety.”

In the caption of the post, Bates wrote, “I’ve left the country for an emergency rescue/relief operation with @mediccorps We are directly in the path of Hurricane Melissa facilitating critical evacuations! PRAY for all involved and those in serious danger right now.”

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A post shared by Lawson Bates (@lawbates)

Hurricane Melissa has already caused major damage to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, with a still-rising death toll.

Steven Aristil, with Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency, told The Associated Press that at least 40 people across Haiti have died.

Jean Bertrand Subrème, mayor of the southern Haitian coastal town of Petit-Goâve, said, “I am overwhelmed by the situation” as he begged for government help to rescue victims who are still trapped by floodwaters.

Jamaica’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, released a statement, saying, “Recovery will take time, but the government is fully mobilized. Relief supplies are being prepared, and we are doing everything possible to restore normalcy quickly.”

Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s education minister, said that 77% of the island was without power, with Richard Thompson, acting director general of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management adding, “There’s a total communication blackout.”

An MP in western Jamaica said “it resembled the scene of an apocalypse movie,” while Andrew Houston Moncure, a hotel owner, called it “the most terrifying experience…it just sounds like a freight train going over you.”

Hurricane Melissa reached tropical storm status last week and became a hurricane over the weekend. By the time it made landfall in Jamaica, it was a Category 5 hurricane.

The US State Department is deploying emergency teams to the area “to bolster response efforts,” they stated.

“These teams are working with affected countries and local communities to determine what assistance is needed and with interagency, international, and U.S. military partners to coordinate emergency response efforts,” the statement continued.

Please pray for the people affected by the ongoing flooding and storms caused by Hurricane Melissa.

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