As Hurricane Melissa moved north of Jamaica on Wednesday, the head of the United Nations team there said preliminary assessments of damage from the Category 5 storm showed a level of devastation “never seen before” on the Caribbean island.
UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu stressed that the UN remained closely engaged with governments in the region, UN agencies on the ground and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), highlighting the “enormous and unprecedented destruction of infrastructure” across Jamaica, where Melissa made landfall on Tuesday.
Looking ahead to the months of reconstruction and recovery efforts ahead, he told correspondents in New York via video conference that it would take “a lot of resources” to rebuild and get the thriving economy back on its feet.
“I don’t think there’s a single soul on this island that hasn’t been affected by Hurricane Melissa,” the resident coordinator emphasized.
“Terrible tragedy”
United Nations World Food Program (PAM) Caribbean Cluster Office Director Brian Bogart told UN News from the capital, Kingston: “It’s a terrible tragedy and there’s a real sense of urgency here on the ground. What we’re really focusing on now is trying to get food and logistical support to enable the entire humanitarian community to respond in coordination with the government.”
Mr Bogart said the agency’s main objective is to deliver 2,000 emergency food boxes which will be ready to be flown 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 to Barbados from the logistics center located next to CDEMA, with essential commodities – such as hygiene kits, shelters, generators – and other items from UN agencies and partners to support the humanitarian effort in Jamaica.
The hurricane falls on
Early Wednesday morning, Hurricane Melissa barreled through Cuba, bringing 125 mph winds, heavy rain and a warning of “potentially life-threatening” storm surge, according to media reports. It is expected to move to the Bahamas, then Bermuda.
The storm weakened to Category 2 and reached Cuba, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Melissa would “remain a strong hurricane as it passes through the Bahamas later today.”
The Deputy Secretary General of the UN Amina Mohamed said the slow-moving storm was “another demonstration of climate science and why we need to fight for a 1.5 degree Celsius world.”
Data from the United Nations Aid Coordination Office (OCHA) shows that Melissa ranks among the most intense storms to hit Cuba in recent decades, with maximum sustained winds of nearly 138 mph (222 km/h) and two-day rainfall totals approaching 145 millimeters.
On Wednesday, the UN allocated $4 million each 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 from river floods as Melissa raced through the region.
The UN works “hand in hand” with the authorities
Expressing its sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated its solidarity with governments and communities affected by the hurricane.
“Guided by resident coordinators on the ground, the UN is working hand-in-hand with authorities and humanitarian partners to assess needs, assist affected people and prepare in areas that may still face the impact of the storm,” he said.
UN President of the General Assembly 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 transform into sustainable, large-scale climate action.”
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
