The United Nations (UN) is aiming to gather $33 million in aid to mitigate the destruction caused by Hurricane Oscar in the Guantánamo province, where at least eight people lost their lives, and significant damage was inflicted on infrastructure, homes, and agricultural fields in eastern Cuba.
On Wednesday, the UN's office in Cuba announced a humanitarian response plan designed to assist nearly half a million people, with a particular focus on the 150,000 residents most impacted in the hardest-hit municipalities, as reported by EFE.
Currently, the organization has secured $6 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), along with additional contributions from its agencies and international partners. To meet the funding goal, the UN has called on the international community to join this initiative to aid the most affected individuals and areas.
In partnership with the Cuban government, the UN's plan targets six essential areas: provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene; temporary shelters and housing reconstruction; education; logistics; healthcare; and food security and nutrition. The objective is to address the most pressing needs of the impacted population, restore basic services, and revitalize devastated regions so residents can resume their livelihoods.
Hurricane Oscar's Impact and Relief Efforts
Hurricane Oscar struck the easternmost region on October 20 as a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The torrential rainfall reached up to 600 millimeters in some areas, leading to severe flooding, river overflows, and landslides, affecting thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, as well as bridges and roads.
To bolster health services in the hardest-hit areas, particularly in Guantánamo, a shipment of 1,498 kilograms of medical supplies and medicines arrived in Cuba on Friday as part of UNICEF's relief efforts. This initial donation aims to enhance healthcare for roughly 140,000 people, including pregnant women, children, and teenagers in the nation's easternmost province.
Additionally, a donation of tents arrived in Baracoa on Monday to support families displaced by the hurricane.