UN relief chief calls for solidarity with Cuba in wake of Hurricane Ian

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Tuesday called for global solidarity with Cuba as the island nation is dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Ian.

Hurricane Ian was one of the worst disasters ever to hit Cuba, pummeling the country's western provinces and affecting an estimated 3.2 million people. Many lives were saved thanks to swift evacuations. But the hurricane battered schools, homes, hospitals, local businesses and agricultural areas, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN system in Cuba has launched a 42-million-U.S. dollar plan of action to enable relief efforts and jump-start recovery. To support this, Griffiths has allocated 7.8 million dollars from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), said OCHA in a press release.

The newly allocated CERF funds will help 575,000 people in the areas of food security, health, water and sanitation, shelter and education, it said.

"The people of Cuba have shown tremendous resilience and acted quickly on early warnings when facing storms," said Griffiths in the press release. "However, the climate crisis makes storms more intense and more frequent. People were expecting 50 centimeters of rain. But they experienced three times that amount, losing their homes, family photos, children's school supplies and elderly parents' medicines. We all must help the people to respond and recover."

Food, health supplies, hygiene kits, shelter supplies and other items that were pre-positioned ahead of the hurricane are already reaching people in need. But they need much more support, said OCHA.

The hurricane damaged some 170 health clinics and more than 1,000 schools, affecting the education of 139,000 children. Several community food distribution centers and processing warehouses were lost, and many people lost fishing boats, livestock and other means of sustaining their livelihoods. The lack of electricity in much of the affected area and the limited availability of fuel are hindering the response, it said.