Over Seventy Dead as Hurricane Melissa Cripples Caribbean Region

(MENAFN) A catastrophic humanitarian crisis continues to unfold across the Caribbean as Hurricane Melissa has killed at least 75 people and wreaked havoc on nearly 5 million residents in three nations, according to a UN official who briefed reporters seven days after the storm made landfall.

Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, revealed during Friday's daily briefing that the deadly hurricane has forced over 770,000 individuals from their homes while obliterating or severely damaging tens of thousands of residential structures, educational institutions, and medical centers throughout Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica.

"We and our partners continue to support authorities across all three countries," he said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has dispatched additional personnel to Jamaica to assist government officials in addressing urgent humanitarian concerns and bolstering response capabilities, Haq confirmed.

In Cuba, the Food and Agriculture Organization has provided essential agricultural equipment, animal feed, and fishing gear to devastated communities working to rebuild their economic foundations, the spokesperson reported. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has sent mobile storage facilities, illumination systems, and temporary shelter structures to the nation's eastern regions.

Multiple UN agencies have mobilized throughout the affected zone. The Population Fund is distributing reproductive health kits and working with partners to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The Development Programme is supplying roofing materials, toolkits and generators to aid the early recovery process. The Children's Fund is delivering water storage and treatment supplies that will benefit up to 16,000 people daily, according to Haq.

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