The United Nations (UN) took on the distribution of food and logistical equipment in the province of Granma, one of the areas most affected by Hurricane Melissa, given the evident inability of the Cuban government to provide basic assistance to the affected families.
In its social media, the organization announced that warehouse 660 in Bayamo is serving as an operations center for the World Food Programme (WFP), from where essential products such as rice, peas, and oil are distributed to protection centers that host hundreds of people displaced by the flooding.
"These foods contain very important dry products in uncertain contexts, when families are exposed and vulnerable to the possibility of losing everything," explained Meylin Pacheco, WFP Cuba Policy and Programs Officer.
He added that many families still cannot return to their homes due to the impact of the rains and the total loss of housing or livelihoods.
Thanks to these resources, those affected receive rations prepared in community protection centers to meet their basic food needs.
The organization also highlighted that the support includes lighting towers, pallets, mobile warehouses, and logistical items that enable operations to continue under challenging conditions.
The UN report emphasizes that the work extends into the night, with the assistance of lighting equipment provided by the WFP, in an effort coordinated directly by international agencies and without mention of Cuban government structures.
The UN's intervention highlights that international humanitarian assistance has been crucial in addressing urgent needs, in a context where the regime continues to turn to external organizations to address basic shortages and prevent the total collapse of social assistance.
In another post, the UN reported that its team flew over Santiago de Cuba by helicopter alongside representatives from the Civil Defense and national authorities to assess the impacts of the hurricane.
“Broken bridges, destroyed roads, houses without roofs. One has to be strong to avoid crying,” reported a resident of El Cobre, as cited by the organization.
Additionally, the organization announced the start of the installation of mobile warehouses in Santiago de Cuba, in collaboration with the Cuban Red Cross, to support the response to the damage caused by the cyclone.
These structures will provide safe spaces to store food and supplies in areas where government capabilities have been affected.
In the absence of an effective government response following Hurricane Melissa, international organizations have taken on the direct care of those affected.
PNUD has deployed electric generators and solar systems in rural communities of Granma that remain unconnected to the national electric grid, as part of an effort to restore basic services in critical areas.
Parallely, the UN has deployed damage assessment missions in eastern Cuba, where it surveyed devastated areas by air alongside the Civil Defense.
The organization also activated the shipment of medications, mosquito nets, and other emergency supplies to support the most vulnerable populations, particularly in isolated municipalities and community protection centers.
These actions are supported by a fund of 74 million dollars that the UN will allocate to restore housing, ensure access to drinking water, and strengthen food security in the most affected regions.
The humanitarian plan also includes the recovery of essential services and the strengthening of local logistical capacities through the use of mobile warehouses and emergency resources.
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