Cuba received a shipment of 24 tons of humanitarian aid sent by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Crescent in Panama for the victims of Hurricane Oscar.
The donation includes solar lamps, tools, plastic tarps, kitchen items, hygiene products, and other basic necessities.
The cargo, which arrived on Sunday on a charter flight to Havana's international airport, is the first part of a larger shipment that will be transported by sea.
According to Nicolás Segura, head of operations for the IFRC delegation, who spoke to state television, this other shipment will contain bulkier items such as water tanks, mattresses, and tool kits for roof reconstruction.
The aid will be sent to the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur and Imías in Guantánamo, the areas most affected by Hurricane Oscar, stated Carlos Pérez, the executive secretary of the Cuban Red Cross.
"We thank the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for delivering 24 tons of humanitarian aid to the areas severely affected by Hurricane Oscar in Eastern Cuba," wrote Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on his Twitter account.
The Cuban government has received several donations from organizations and countries to help mitigate the effects of Oscar, which struck the eastern region of the island in October, resulting in eight deaths and two missing persons, as well as millions of pesos in material losses, particularly in housing and agriculture.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced funding of $680,000 to address the damage caused by the phenomenon. This funding will be allocated for agricultural, forestry, and fishery recovery efforts, benefiting over 140,000 residents of San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Maisí, and Baracoa.
The initiative will help rehabilitate the production of short-cycle crops, restore livestock and fisheries production, and improve the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen.
Last week, 300 tons of "vital resources" (construction materials and supplies for primary care) arrived from Venezuela to aid in the recovery from the damage caused by hurricanes Oscar and Rafael in the eastern and western regions, respectively.
On the other hand, the Antonio Maceo Grajales International Airport in Santiago de Cuba received the first of four planes carrying a donation valued at a total of 600,000 dollars, sent by the United Nations and the European Union to the victims of Oscar.
The Santiago airport is set to receive over 94 tons of supplies between November 10 and 13 as part of the UN's action plan in response to the hurricane, aimed at assisting nearly half a million affected individuals in Guantánamo through the delivery of medications, medical supplies, water storage tanks, hygiene kits, chlorine tablets, tarps, mosquito nets, solar lamps, tool kits, among others.
Filed under:
