Speaking from Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, Alexis Masciarelli of the World Food Program (WFP) said UN News that “our priority at this time is to reach the most isolated communities.”
Now, WFP has launched emergency food distributions for the most affected families and additional relief supplies are scheduled to arrive in the coming days, the agency reported.
St Elizabeth Parish, long considered the country’s breadbasket, has been particularly hard hit, with homes, farms and livelihoods destroyed, and many communities remaining isolated and without electricity.
Food transported by air
So far, 1,500 people have received food kits containing rice, lentils, canned fish and meat and vegetable oil, while another 2,000 kits were airlifted from Barbados to support ongoing relief efforts.
WFP plans to help up to 200,000 people in Jamaica to meet urgent food needs.
In CubaHurricane Melissa caused widespread flooding, power outages, and significant damage.
Food distributions have already reached 181,000 people evacuated to shelters, and WFP aims to help a total of 900,000 people.
In HaitiHomes and infrastructure along the southern coast, the most affected area, have been devastated.
Emergency food distributions have reached 12,700 people across the Greater South region. WFP plans to help 190,000 people, offering a two-week food ration followed by a month of cash assistance to support recovery.
Challenges ahead
Masciarelli emphasized that the main challenge ahead is to reach people “in the last mile: those who most need help in areas that remain inaccessible.”
In addition, he highlighted the current failure in communications, with many areas still cut off after the hurricane, which makes it difficult to evaluate people’s needs and follow the situation day by day.
Reiterating WFP’s commitment to meeting the population’s food needs and supporting relief efforts, the WFP spokesperson acknowledged that the recovery period would most likely be a “very long marathon recovery period.”
On Wednesday, WFP launched an urgent appeal for $74 million to provide life-saving assistance to up to 1.1 million people across the Caribbean.
The UN food agency continues to collaborate with governments and partners to ensure the delivery of emergency supplies and assistance to communities in need.