UN releases funds to support response to impact of Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean

He General secretary of the UN, António Guterres, expressed his solidarity with the countries affected by Hurricane Beryl and released four million dollars of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to boost relief efforts.

Hurricane Beryl, classified as the strongest ever recordedformed in June in the Atlantic Ocean and wreaked havoc on Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica.

Initially a tropical depression, Beryl rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane and briefly reached Category 5 status, with winds of up to 150 mph (240 km/h).

The meteor, now downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, advances towards Belize and Mexico and continues to pose a significant threat.

The cyclone has claimed at least ten lives and has left an unknown number of people injured, as well as causing widespread destruction and forcing thousands of people to flee in search of shelter.

Possible call

The head of the UN expressed deep dismay at the devastation caused by the hurricane and reiterated its solidarity with the impacted nations.

“The Secretary-General, in coordination with the affected countries, is considering launching an appeal to address humanitarian needs “resulting from the impact of Hurricane Beryl,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement issued late on Wednesday.

The spokesperson also announced the release of four million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund for Grenada, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Damage assessment

UN humanitarian workers in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada are working with local authorities, assisting in damage assessment and response efforts.

Teams from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are also found in Barbados supporting the efforts in the country and the Eastern Caribbean, Dujarric said at his regular meeting with reporters at United Nations headquarters in New York.

He added that humanitarian teams are also heading to Belize and Jamaica.