Cuba has recently received a shipment of 300 tons of essential supplies from Venezuela, aimed at aiding recovery efforts from the damage caused by Hurricanes Oscar and Rafael in the eastern and western provinces, respectively. The vessel, carrying construction materials and primary care items, docked at the Guillermón Moncada port terminal in Santiago de Cuba.
According to Venezuela's Foreign Minister, this initiative follows an order by President Nicolás Maduro, with the supplies gathered by the Venezuelan people as a "message of solidarity" to Cuba. The arrival was attended by Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the provincial first secretary, and Orlando Maneiro Gaspar, the Venezuelan ambassador to the island.
International Aid for Hurricane Relief
Meanwhile, the Antonio Maceo Grajales International Airport, also in Santiago de Cuba, welcomed the first of four planes on Sunday, carrying a donation valued at $600,000. This aid is provided by the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) for those affected by Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo.
The Santiago airport is set to receive over 94 tons of supplies between November 10 and 13, as part of the UN System's Action Plan in response to Hurricane Oscar, which aims to assist nearly half a million people in the hardest-hit areas of Guantánamo.
Supplies to Enhance Living Conditions
"These critical supplies will support national efforts to improve living conditions, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene through the provision of medicines, medical supplies, water storage tanks, hygiene kits, chlorine tablets, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, solar lamps, toolkits, among others," detailed a statement from the UN System in Cuba.
The donation stems from an agreement involving five UN agencies (the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)) and the European Union. The flights were financed by the EU, with logistical support from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot Network (UNHRD) managed by the World Food Programme.
Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, alongside provincial governor Manuel Falcón Hernández, and Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, the EU ambassador to Cuba, led the ceremony to receive the donation.