Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday that the United States is “prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba” following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
The State Department has already deployed teams expected to arrive in the Caribbean as early as Thursday to assist with disaster response efforts after the storm made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday.
“In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastation of eastern Cuba, the Trump Administration stands with the brave Cuban people who continue to struggle to meet basic needs,” Rubio said. “As in neighboring Caribbean countries, the Department is issuing a Declaration of Humanitarian Assistance for Cuba and is prepared to provide immediate humanitarian assistance directly and via local partners who can most effectively deliver it to those in need.”
He also noted that “U.S. law includes exemptions and authorizations relating to private donations of food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods to Cuba, as well as disaster response,” encouraging those wanting to assist directly to reach out to the department if any issues arise.
The State Department titled its press release, “U.S. stands ready to help the Cuban people.”
Across Cuba, residents began clearing blocked roads and highways with heavy equipment and help from the military on Thursday. The armed forces also rescued people trapped in isolated areas and those at risk from landslides, according to The Associated Press. No deaths were reported, thanks to the evacuation of more than 735,000 people across eastern provinces by Cuba’s Civil Defense.
During a televised Civil Defense meeting chaired by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, no official damage estimate was given. However, local officials from the provinces of Santiago, Granma, Holguín, Guantánamo, and Las Tunas described widespread destruction — including the loss of roofs, power lines, fiber optic cables, damaged roads, and significant crop losses in banana, cassava, and coffee plantations.
“We went through this very badly. So much wind, so much wind. Zinc roofs were torn off, some houses completely collapsed. It was a disaster,” said Odalys Ojeda, a 61-year-old resident of Santiago de Cuba, speaking to the press.
Elsewhere in the region, the mayor of Petit-Grove in southern Haiti reported at least 25 fatalities after a flooded river overflowed its banks, according to FOX Weather. In Jamaica, at least four people were confirmed dead in St. Elizabeth Parish as a result of the hurricane.
