“Our humanitarian assistance is part of a broader effort to support the Cuban people in their search for a better future,” said the State Department.
MIAMI, United States. – The US Government announced this Wednesday that, fulfilling its “commitment to deliver 3 million dollars” to the “Cuban people affected by Hurricane Melissa”, was sending the first shipment of humanitarian aid to the Island.
According to the statement From the State Department released this Wednesday, the assistance is designed to benefit some 6,000 families, equivalent to around 24,000 people, in the most affected eastern provinces: Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma and Guantánamo.
“Our humanitarian assistance is part of a broader effort to support the Cuban people in their search for a better future,” said the State Department.
The logistical plan described by Washington includes charter flights departing from Miami on January 14 and 16. The first flight must arrive in Holguín and the second in Santiago de Cuba, respectively, according to the information sheet.
On each flight, the United States plans to deliver “more than 525 food packages and 650 hygiene and water treatment packages,” with a reach of “more than 1,000 families” per flight. To complete the rest of the shipment, the statement indicates that a commercial ship, scheduled to dock in Santiago de Cuba “in a few weeks,” will transport the missing part of the aid.
The State Department specified some components of the support: in food, it mentioned packages with rice, beans, oil and sugar so that families cover “basic nutritional needs.” In hygiene and water treatment, he cited purifying tablets and storage containers “to store drinking water.” It also indicated the inclusion of kitchen packs with pots and utensils to facilitate meal preparation, as well as household items including sheets and blankets, solar lanterns to provide light during power outages, and “other essential items.”
The US Secretary of State, the Cuban-American Marco Rubio, announced the shipment in his
