The international community is stepping up to provide aid for hurricane-ravaged Haiti, with more than 20 tonnes (22 tons) of food and medical supplies arriving in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday (October 11) from Colombia.
Haiti is reeling after Hurricane Matthew tore through the country, flattening homes and leaving many locals with little more than just their clothes on their back.
As flood waters begin to recede the difficult task ahead is providing those left homeless with food, water and shelter.
With the fear of an expanded cholera outbreak high, Colombia has also sent hygiene kits to help victims.
“We hope that this aid from the Colombian government helps in some way in overcoming this crisis that the Haitian people are suffering from, especially in Jeremie and in six or seven other areas which have been affected. This ship bringing 2,000 boxes, specifically 21 tonnes. There is a thousand boxes of humanitarian aid with food for families and also a thousand boxes of hygiene kits that are also very important at this time for people who have lost everything,” said Colombia’s ambassador to Haiti, Jose Antonio Segebre.
The European Union is one of Haiti’s biggest donors to impoverished Haiti and has vowed to intensify its support.
Earlier this week, the Union announced an additional 1.5 million euros (1.65 million dollars) in emergency humanitarian assistance.
“The European Union has a fairly large plan. If certain countries like Spain will help with the treatment of water, or France will also help with the treatment of water and with medications. The European Union has a global plan to help the country. We are working together. They will first invest in water, infrastructure and also particularly in agriculture and other possibilities. With our ambassador to Brussels, other plans are going to be made. And we thank all these countries even those I haven’t mentioned. We say thanks to all these countries for their solidarity with all peoples,” Haiti’s Foreign Minister Delienne Pierrot told media.
Matthew is the strongest hurricane in the Caribbean since Felix in 2007. It is currently wreaking havoc in the United States where it has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016