Jamaica gets Sandy relief money from EU
JAMAICA is to receive euro 0.5 million (approx J$63.4 million) from the European Union (EU) to assist victims of Hurricane Sandy in the eastern section of the island.
The EU said the money, which will fund the operations of the French Red Cross in Portland, St Thomas and St Mary to repair damaged homes and helping victims overcome their losses and regain their livelihoods.
The Dominican Republic has also been offered one million euro by the EU, which said it has decided to increase the aid granted to victims of Hurricane Sandy by euro 1.5 million.
The assistance comes five months after the storm made a deadly trek across the Caribbean and North America.
The new funding is in addition to the euro10 million allocated in the aftermath of the storm last year to provide emergency assistance to those Caribbean countries most affected, Haiti (euro 6 million) and Cuba (euro 4 million).
Provided from the reserve for humanitarian aid of the European Development Fund (EDF), the funds will be managed by ECHO, the directorate general for humanitarian aid and civil protection of the European Commission.
“It is precisely a few months after the disaster that many victims felt the medium-term effects of the hurricane after their crops yielded nothing,” said Jocelyn Lance, head of ECHO Office for the Caribbean. He added: “We will work with the communities most affected to restore their livelihoods, in particular food production, and to rehabilitate housing and water systems before the next rainy season.”
In the Dominican Republic, almost 40,000 hurricane victims will benefit from the euro one-million aid package, which will be channelled to the provinces of Barahona, Azua, Monte Plata, San José de Ocoa, Independencia and Bahoruco.
ECHO’s partner organisations — the Spanish Red Cross and Oxfam — will be responsible for the management of humanitarian operations focussing on restoring damaged housing, improving access to drinking water, raising public awareness about the prevention of water-related diseases (dengue fever, cholera and leptospirosis), and helping the people most affected regain their livelihoods.
