The UN provides 6.8 million dollars for those affected by Hurricane Ian in Cuba

The United Nations Organization (UN) announced on Friday that it has raised funds worth 6.8 million dollars to assist those affected by Hurricane Ian in Cuba, mainly in the province of Pinar del Rio.

“A combination of emergency funds from our UN entities and elements positioned there totaling $6.8 million are available,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference from New York.

The support has the leadership of the UN resident coordinator in Havana, Consuelo Vidal-Bruce, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN reports that through the World Food Program (WFP) “more than 2,000 tons of food is distributed on the island in the most affected areas.”

Other entities such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have distributed hygiene kits, drinking water tanks and other items.

Hurricane Ian hit the caribbean island in the last week of September and touched Cuban territory in the western part, causing devastation and damage to the already battered electrical service, which brought a period of blackouts that lasts until today, more than ten days later.

The power outage caused mass protests in Havana, the country’s capital, as well as in other provinces, which led to the mobilization of law enforcement and the arrest of some protesters, according to press agencies accredited there and human rights organizations.

_{*This report had the collaboration of the VOA journalist in New York, Margaret Besheer.}

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