WFP and UNFPA Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Santiago de Cuba

A shipment of humanitarian aid from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) arrived today at the Antonio Maceo International Airport in Santiago de Cuba to support recovery efforts in the eastern provinces severely affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The donation, transported on a flight from Panama, includes 1,625 tarps for temporary roof coverage, an essential resource for protecting homes damaged by the storm's strong winds and intense rains. It also contains 600 mosquito nets, four fumigation kits, four thermal foggers, and 10 trauma backpacks for emergencies—supplies vital for epidemiological control and the work of the health system in a complex scenario.

To ensure basic services in areas with persistent power outages, the shipment incorporates 16 diesel generators of 16 kVA, along with six mobile storage units destined to strengthen logistics in the hardest-hit territories. The aid also includes 200 family tents, eight water tanks, and two lighting kits.

Rolando Verdés, a member of the WFP emergency team, explained that this is the second of three flights scheduled between Saturday and Monday, which will complete the delivery of six mobile storage units, two lighting towers, 200 beds, and eight water tanks.

He indicated that the operation is made possible through funding from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the European Union. It serves to replenish resources used by the agency in its anticipatory and early response to Hurricane Melissa.

The WFP, which leads the logistics sector within the United Nations system's plan of action in Cuba, has deployed specialists to coordinate humanitarian flights and support the assembly of mobile storage units in Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Granma.

Local Government Acknowledges Critical Support

For her part, Madelaine Cortés Barquilla, Director of Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment, and International Cooperation for the Provincial Government of Santiago de Cuba, thanked the received support and highlighted the complex situation facing the territory, with more than one hundred thousand homes damaged, agriculture severely affected, and numerous communication routes deteriorated.

She emphasized that international solidarity is decisive in a context where the population faces significant shortages and challenges in the aftermath of the hurricane.

According to the official, the donation will be immediately distributed to the eastern provinces, with priority given to the most affected municipalities. Its delivery will be carried out through the established procedures of the Defense Councils to guarantee an equitable distribution that benefits the most vulnerable families and communities.

The aid is part of the international cooperation efforts supporting national endeavors to advance recovery and protect the population in the eastern part of the country.