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The humanitarian aid sent by the government of Colombia began to be distributed this Saturday in the Guantanamo municipality of El Salvador, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, which caused severe damage to homes and infrastructure in eastern Cuba.
Members of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) and the Navy of the Republic of Colombia delivered essential items to families affected in the Popular Council of Costa Rica, where numerous homes were either completely or partially destroyed by the passage of the cyclone.
Among the beneficiaries was Imandra Colás Barsaga, a young mother of four who lost nearly everything during the hurricane. The visit from the Colombian delegation included the distribution of food kits, personal hygiene items, bottled water, blankets, and fuel.
The distribution is part of the shipment of 244 tons of aid that arrived on November 6 at the Guillermón Moncada port in Santiago de Cuba, aboard the ship ARC Victoria of the Colombian Navy. The ship had arrived in Cuba with essential supplies such as food, drinking water, gasoline, and oil, intended for those affected in the eastern part of the country.
The vessel departed from Cartagena on November 3rd, under the command of frigate captain María Ángela Fuentes, with a crew of 65 people. The shipment was coordinated by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) and the Colombian Foreign Ministry, as part of a regional humanitarian operation following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
“It is an honor to fulfill the mission entrusted by President Gustavo Petro to provide assistance to our brothers affected by the hurricane, and it is a source of pride to be in the heroic Cuban homeland,” declared Navy Lieutenant Mario José Ariza during the delivery ceremony, as reported by the official Cuban press.
According to the UNGRD, the Colombian mission will deliver 3,200 aid kits —1,600 for food and 1,600 for hygiene— intended for the province of Guantánamo. The shipment from Colombia was described by authorities from both countries as a gesture of regional solidarity. From the Government of Bogotá, the director of the UNGRD, Carlos Carrillo, stated that “the Caribbean is not alone,” emphasizing that the operation is part of the “interinstitutional effort of the Government of Change” to assist Caribbean communities affected by natural disasters.
This shipment adds to the first delivery of 22 tons of humanitarian aid that Colombia had sent to Cuba and Jamaica at the end of October, also in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Venezuela, for its part, had recently sent a new shipment with 5,000 tons of food, medicine, and supplies to support those affected in eastern Cuba. The shipment departed from the port of La Guaira aboard the vessel Manuel Gual and was coordinated by the ALBA Bank, as reported by official sources.
The Venezuelan Deputy Minister Rander Peña described the operation as a “direct expression of solidarity and concrete support” for the Cuban people, while the Cuban ambassador in Caracas, Jorge Luis Mayo, expressed his “eternal gratitude” for the Bolivarian help. The shipment also includes a brigade of electrical workers to assist in the recovery of affected areas.
The hurricane Melissa swept through entire communities in eastern Cuba, leaving thousands of families without shelter or electricity. The devastation has sparked a wave of international solidarity, with humanitarian aid shipments coming from various Latin American countries and non-governmental organizations.
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