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The United Nations Monitor Storm-ravaged Countries In The Caribbean
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UN Monitoring Region:
By Quincy Parker -
Nassau, Bahamas:


With storm after storm pounding the region and little reprieve in between, the United Nations has announced that while it is providing assistance to a number of storm-ravaged countries in the Caribbean, its resources are stretched.

The damage to the region has been significant, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said, but more severe in some places than in others.

In fact, he said while the UN is monitoring the situation in places like The Bahamas, The Cayman Islands, and the Dominican Republic, the governments in those countries do not seem to need any special support.

He did note that Jamaica had a lot of flooding following Hurricane Gustav, and the UN has already allocated a cash grant of $30,000 and is in touch with the government about further needs.

Among the countries heaviest hit by the storms, which are spinning up during the height of the Atlantic hurricane season, Haiti has seen tremendous loss of life, up to nearly 600 people dead by some counts.

Mr. Holmes told reporters in New York on Friday, "We are faced with a combination, once again, of severe natural disasters in a number of places which is stretching our resources."

Faye, Gustav and Hanna have wrought tremendous damage in the region, and Ike – a category three storm packing sustained winds of 115 miles per hour as of this writing – is on a path to sow devastation across The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, with Cuba and South Florida being warned to pay close attention.

Mr. Holmes noted that The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the United States have all been badly affected.

Haiti

Mr. Holmes said up to 600,000 people may need assistance in Haiti, which has been struck badly by three storms in three weeks – Faye, Gustav and Hanna. He added that the damage caused by the storms has made it difficult to get around and assess the extent of the situation.

"But it’s clear that the death toll is significant," he said, noting that could be between 100 and 200 people. Nine of the 10 districts in Haiti have been seriously affected.

The UN estimates there are some 250,000 people badly affected in the city of Gonaïves alone, with around 70,000 people still waiting for help.

UN agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), have been responding and strengthening their presence on the ground.

In addition, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed a UN disaster and coordination team (UNDAC) to the country on 3 September.

Cuba

Cuba has also been badly affected, particularly by Hurricane Gustav, possibly the worst storm to hit the island nation in 50 years, according to the Red Cross.

"We’re trying to establish the exact extent of the damage and a joint assessment will be undertaken by the government and the United Nations (on Friday)," stated Mr. Holmes.

"Cuban preparations have, as in the past, functioned well in the sense that they managed avoid any casualties, as far as we know. But obviously the damage is very significant," he added.

September 8, 2008

September 8, 2008 | 6:54 PM Comments  0 comments

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