UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu emphasized that the UN remains closely engaged with governments across the region, UN agencies on the ground and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and highlighted the “tremendous and unprecedented destruction of infrastructure” across Jamaica, where Melissa made landfall on Tuesday.
Looking ahead to months-long reconstruction and recovery efforts, he told correspondents in New York via video conference that “a lot of resources” would be needed to rebuild and get the thriving economy back on its feet.
“I don’t think there is a soul on this island that has not been affected by Hurricane Melissa,” said the resident coordinator.
“Terrible tragedy”
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Director for the Caribbean Cluster Office, Brian Bogart, told UN News from the capital, Kingston: “This is a terrible tragedy and there is a real sense of urgency here on the ground. What we are really focused on now is trying to get food and logistical support to allow the entire humanitarian community to respond in coordination with the government.”
Bogart said the agency’s main goal is to deliver 2,000 boxes of emergency food that are ready to be airlifted from Barbados as soon as the airport reopens, which would be enough to sustain 6,000 people for a week.
As the lead logistics agency, WFP is also loading a ship in Barbados from the Logistics Center located next to CDEMA, with essential items (such as hygiene kits, shelter, generators) and other items from United Nations agencies and partners to support the humanitarian effort in Jamaica.
Hurricane barrels in
Early Wednesday morning, Hurricane Melissa crossed into Cuba, bringing 120 mph winds, heavy rain and a warning of “life-threatening” storm surge, according to news reports. It is scheduled to move on to the Bahamas, followed by Bermuda.
The storm weakened to a Category 2 as it reached Cuba, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Melissa “would still be a powerful hurricane as it passes through the Bahamas later today.”
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the slowly moving storm was “yet another demonstration of climate science and why we must fight for a 1.5 degrees Celsius world.”
Data from the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) shows that Melissa is among the most intense storms to hit Cuba in recent decades, with maximum sustained winds near 138 mph (222 km/h) and two-day rainfall totals approaching 145 millimeters.
On Wednesday, the UN allocated $4 million to Haiti and Cuba from its Central Emergency Fund to help communities prepare for the storm and reduce its impact.
According to media reports, at least 20 Haitians, including 10 children, died due to the flooding river as Melissa sped through the region.
UN works ‘hand in hand’ with authorities
In conveying his deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his solidarity with the governments and communities affected by the hurricane.
“Led by Resident Coordinators on the ground, the United Nations is working hand-in-hand with authorities and humanitarian partners to assess needs, assist those affected and prepare in areas that may still face the impact of the storm,” he said.
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock tweeted that for small island developing states “the climate crisis is a lived reality, and the cost of inaction is measured in lives and livelihoods. Adaptation is not optional, it is survival. Solidarity must become sustained and scaled-up climate action.”