08 September 2008
United States Aids Caribbean Victims of Natural Disasters
Humanitarian aid approved for Cuba, other nations of region
Washington — Victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike and other tropical storms that recently struck Caribbean nations are recovering with help from the United States.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced September 5 that it had approved $100,000 in emergency relief funds to help meet the immediate needs of Cubans affected by Gustav.
State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke told America.gov that the United States has been “heartened by the outpouring of compassion” for hurricane victims in Cuba and is providing humanitarian aid to Cuba through international nongovernmental organizations in that country.
Bronke said the current U.S. trade embargo on Cuba allows “U.S. citizens or organizations with appropriate licenses to provide humanitarian assistance to Cuban citizens,” and added that “many organizations are already licensed to provide such assistance.”
USAID is encouraging individuals and organizations interested in assisting hurricane victims in Cuba to provide cash donations to reputable humanitarian assistance organizations licensed to send humanitarian aid to Cuba, according to Bronke. In responding to the crisis in Cuba, she said, the United States is setting aside political issues and offering humanitarian assistance to victims of a natural disaster.
Bronke said the Cuban government has turned down a U.S. offer to send an American disaster assessment team to Cuba. Nonetheless, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana “will go forward with humanitarian assistance” to victims in Cuba of Gustav and “will assess humanitarian needs in response to Hurricane Ike.”
About 400,000 Cubans have been affected by Gustav, which passed over western Cuba on August 30, according to USAID. The agency said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported seven deaths in Cuba from the hurricane.
September 8 news reports projected Ike would cross areas of western Cuba already damaged by Gustav.
U.S. AID TO HAITI, JAMAICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
In Haiti, USAID is providing an initial $100,000 for the purchase and distribution of emergency relief supplies for populations displaced by Gustav.
The relief effort in Haiti included the dispatch of a three-person USAID assessment team to coordinate the U.S. government's humanitarian response with Haiti’s government, U.N. agencies and other humanitarian organizations. Overflights, assessments and relief-agency meetings are taking place to determine the next steps needed for recovery in that country.
The U.S. Southern Command announced September 8 that USS Kearsarge had been sent to Haiti to assist USAID in relieving human suffering in Haitian communities affected by Gustav, Ike and Tropical Storm Hanna.
The U.S. Navy vessel is moving cargo and equipment between Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince and the cities of Gonaives, Jeremie, Saint Marc, Port de Paix, Jacmel and Les Cayes.
The humanitarian mission of the Kearsarge, which was diverted from Colombia to aid hurricane-stricken areas in the Caribbean, is “Continuing Promise 2008,” a collaboration of the United States, partner militaries and nonprofit groups. The ship's facilities include four operating rooms. (See “Humanitarian Mission Brings Health Care to Caribbean Countries.”)
“Assisting those in need due to a natural disaster is something we’ve been prepared to do since the onset of the Caribbean Phase of Continuing Promise 2008,” said Captain Fernandez Ponds, the mission commander. “Already on a humanitarian/civil assistance mission in Colombia, we moved as quickly as possible to get here … and we are rapidly moving to distribute relief supplies to the citizens of Haiti in the affected areas. The interagency and international cooperation in this combined effort exemplifies the United States’ commitment to cooperative partnerships in the region and our commitment to the citizens of Haiti.”
In Jamaica, USAID is providing $100,000 to support aerial reconnaissance and the purchase and distribution of emergency relief supplies for that country. The U.S. Embassy in Kingston reported Gustav killed four people and affected more than 4,000 others.
The storm caused substantial damage to infrastructure and flooding in at least 72 Jamaican communities, rendering 120 roads impassable and affecting 65 percent of the country's water supply. The storm also heavily damaged the agriculture sector, particularly affecting the banana crop, a primary export.
Several USAID disaster experts have been sent to survey affected areas in Jamaica to determine whether additional assistance is needed.
To respond to damage inflicted by three tropical storms on the Dominican Republic, USAID is providing that country with $50,000 in humanitarian assistance, including containers to store clean water, personal hygiene kits and bedding items.
In late August, Hurricane Gustav displaced 6,000 Dominicans, damaged 1,203 houses, and caused 739 people to move to temporary shelters. In early September, Hurricane Hanna brought additional rainfall and high winds to areas in the Dominican Republic already affected by previous storms.
More information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs is available on the agency’s Web site.
The Southern Command’s announcement is available on its Web site.
