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The head of mission at the United States Embassy in Cuba, Mike Hammer, held a meeting with Spencer Chretien, the emergency humanitarian assistance coordinator at the Department of State, to review the progress on the delivery of 3 million dollars in support products to the Cuban people.
The assistance is aimed at those affected by Hurricane Melissa and is channeled through the Catholic Church and Caritas, according to a report by the embassy itself on X.
The publication specifies that the aid corresponds to a humanitarian response due to the impact of the cyclone and that the focus is on monitoring the progress of its distribution.
The U.S. government announced in November the allocation of 3 million dollars in humanitarian assistance for Cubans affected by Hurricane Melissa, according to the same document.
The information was released by the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department (WHA), which explained that the distribution would be carried out in coordination with the Catholic Church to ensure it reaches the most affected communities directly, "without intermediaries from the Cuban government."
In the cited message, the WHA affirmed that the United States was coordinating with the Catholic Church for direct delivery to those in the eastern part of the country who were most affected by the devastation of the hurricane, and added that they kept their “prayers” with the “brave Cuban people.”
The decision is part of the direct support for the Cuban people in times of crisis, and the announcement came shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed the willingness to provide aid “without the regime's intermediaries.”
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba on October 29, leaving tens of thousands affected, along with damage to homes, crops, and electrical networks in Guantánamo, Granma, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba, with reports of communities still cut off from communication.
Channeling aid through the Catholic Church aims to ensure an effective and transparent delivery to the most vulnerable areas.
Washington's humanitarian gesture marks a new chapter in the strained bilateral relations that have historically influenced cooperation in emergency situations.
So far, the Cuban government has not issued an official reaction to the announcement.
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