UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says an estimated six million people have been affected by Hurricane Melissa, the category 5 storm which swept across the Caribbean last week, prompting UN agencies to scale up relief operations to safeguard livelihoods and reduce further losses.
The UN said Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica all suffered extensive damage and loss of life as a result of Hurricane Melissa.
Speaking from the Jamaican capital, Kingston, the UN’s World Food Programme’s (WFP) Alexis Masciarelli said the immediate priority is “to reach the most isolated communities”.
Masciarelli said WFP has launched emergency food distributions for the hardest-hit families, and that additional relief supplies are scheduled to arrive in the coming days.
WFP said the parish of St. Elizabeth – long regarded as the country’s breadbasket – has been particularly hard hit, with homes, farms, and livelihoods destroyed, and many communities still cut off and without power.
The UN said, so far, 1 500 people have received food kits containing rice, lentils, canned fish and meat, and vegetable oil, while an additional 2 000 kits were airlifted from Barbados to support ongoing relief efforts.
The UN said WFP plans to assist up to 200 000 people in Jamaica to meet urgent food needs.
In Cuba, the UN said Hurricane Melissa caused widespread flooding, power outages, and significant damage.
Food distributions have already reached 181 000 people evacuated to shelters, with the WFP aiming to assist a total of 900 000 people, the UN said, adding that in Haiti, homes and infrastructure along the southern coast – the hardest hit area – have been washed away.
The UN said emergency food distributions have reached 12 700 people across the Grand Sud region.
WFP said it plans to assist 190 000 people, offering a two-week food ration followed by a month of cash assistance to support recovery.
Masciarelli emphasised that the main challenge ahead is reaching people “in the last mile – those who need help the most in areas that remain inaccessible”.
In addition, he highlighted the ongoing communication breakdown, with many areas still cut off after the hurricane, making it difficult to assess people’s needs and track the situation day by day.
Reiterating WFP’s commitment to meeting people’s food needs and supporting relief efforts, the WFP spokesperson recognized that the recovery period would most likely be a “very long marathon recovery period”.
Last Wednesday, WFP launched an urgent appeal for US$74 million to deliver life-saving assistance to up to 1.1 million people across the Caribbean. (CMC)
