The Diplomat
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has sent a humanitarian shipment to Cuba with basic necessities for the populations most affected by Hurricane Ian.
The shipment, valued at some 100,000 euros, left last Saturday by sea from the AECID warehouse in Panama. This shipment complements the contribution of 100,000 euros from Spanish Cooperation in response to the appeal made by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the first moments of the emergency, after the passage of the hurricane.
Ian has been one of the most destructive hurricanes suffered in recent years by the Cuban population, which continues to suffer the consequences of the hurricane’s passage last September. The hurricane made landfall in Pinar del Río and left a total of 3.2 million people affected, according to the United Nations, in the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana and Isla Juventud. In Pinar del Río province alone, a total of 25,000 people are in need of humanitarian support, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In addition, following the suspension of classes due to the hurricane, which affected or damaged some 1,000 schools, only 52% of students have returned to school. Ian also affected numerous homes, health centers and water and electricity services, to which the population is still without access in many cases.
The Spanish humanitarian shipment includes 450 hygiene kits and as many kitchen kits, 900 sets of sheets, 450 jerrycans for water, 600 zinc roofing sheets and plastic sheeting. All this will be distributed to the most affected families by the Provincial Government of Pinar del Río, AECID informed yesterday in a press release.
This humanitarian shipment is part of the Team Europe operations -the EU initiative that facilitates the transport of humanitarian goods in order to improve the arrival and impact of aid at its destination- following the international appeal for humanitarian aid made by the Cuban State through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
On the other hand, the most vulnerable population of the Dominican Republic has also been affected by this hurricane season in the Atlantic with the passage of Fiona in mid-September. For this reason, AECID and the NGO Caritas recently activated their emergency agreement to assist affected families in 19 communities in three Dominican provinces – La Altagracia, El Seibo and Hato Mayor – with initiatives financed by AECID with a total of 84,867.97 euros. Caritas’ actions are focused on rural and suburban communities to cover food, hygiene and cooking needs.
