“Calls for massive resource mobilization to address hurricane loss and damage”said the UN deputy spokesperson.
UN provides $4 million aid injection
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to enable agencies and their partners to rapidly scale up humanitarian operations in Jamaica.
Five days after the most powerful storm in the island’s history made landfall in the west, many residents are still waiting for help to arrive, according to local news reports, with many roads still inaccessible and communities without power or running water.
The government reported Saturday that the death toll had risen to at least 28. The top U.N. official on the island, Dennis Zulu, said UN News on Friday that around 13 UN agencies were working as quickly as possible alongside authorities to clear roads and carry out essential repairs.
“My team here remains committed… to ensuring that Jamaica recovers,” he said.
Support for vulnerable children
The U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, said Saturday that more than 700,000 children across the Caribbean had been impacted by the hurricane, which also made landfall in Cuba and caused chaos across western Haiti.
UNICEF is supporting the Government of Jamaica to reach more than 284,000 children to address urgent needs for nutrition, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, including mental health support.
In Haiti, UNICEF is distributing emergency health and hygiene kits, cash to at-risk households and engaging communities.
The United Nations aid coordination office, OCHA, accompanied UNICEF at Cuba’s José Martí airport on Saturday to unload supplies for more than 90,000 people affected by Melissa, together with national authorities, working as one team, boosting the emergency response.
International solidarity is “a lifeline”
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said on Friday: “In times like these, international solidarity is not just a principle: it is a lifeline.”
An OCHA team has been sent to Jamaica to strengthen coordination and information management.
UN agencies and NGOs are helping to restore access, provide emergency water and health services and assist communities whose homes, schools and hospitals have been severely affected.
Well prepared in Cuba
A $4 million CERF allocation to Cuba, administered by OCHA, allowed UN agencies to place life-saving support before the storm hit.
- The World Food Program (WFP) provided food to 180,000 people;
- UNICEF deployed mobile water treatment units and hygiene kits to thousands of people;
- the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) transported medical supplies and generators by air;
- the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) moved seeds and tarps to protect livelihoods and homes;
- and the reproductive health agency, UNFPA, distributed health and dignity kits.
The Cuban Red Cross helped with preventive evacuations, early warning messages and psychosocial support, in coordination with the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
Early warnings throughout Haiti
In Haiti, a country reeling from a massive humanitarian crisis and deadly armed violence, humanitarian teams are working alongside national authorities to respond to urgent needs. Several days before the hurricane hit, a $4 million CERF allocation allowed aid to be pre-positioned.
Additionally, more than 3.5 million alerts were sent to vulnerable populations, saving lives. United Nations agencies and partners are now supporting temporary shelters and providing food, shelter, non-food items and cash assistance.
“Local leadership, global solidarity and early action are saving lives across the region,” Fletcher said. “This is the humanitarian reset in action: acting together for greater impact.”