Hurricane Melissa Brings Devastation to the Caribbean and Cuba

The Category 3 hurricane, with winds of some 120 miles per hour, made landfall overnight in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, causing widespread destruction and evacuation of over 735,000 people. The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall, winds, and storm surge to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Haiti, with Jamaica already reporting significant damage.

Key Takeaways:

Over 735,000 people have been evacuated to 900 shelters and other locations in Cuba ahead of Hurricane Melissa's landfall.
The World Food Programme transported and pre-positioned nearly 700 metric tons of food for over 180,000 people for 12 days.
UNICEF delivered 1,300 hygiene kits for 6,500 people and deployed portable water-treatment plants serving 16,000 people per day.
The Pan American Health Organization airlifted 2.7 tons of medical supplies, including emergency health kits, generators, and water tanks.
The UN Development Programme has sent tarpaulins, generators, and mattresses, while the UN Population Fund is distributing sexual and reproductive health and dignity kits.
A UN Plan of Action to support 170,000 people is being finalized in Haiti, where authorities have declared a public holiday to allow emergency teams to focus on operations.
The International Organization for Migration is preparing to help 2,000 households in Gonaïves with shelter materials and other essential items.
The Haitian Red Cross and UNESCO are supporting community outreach and public information campaigns.

Statistics:

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of some 120 miles per hour.
Over 735,000 people have been evacuated in Cuba.
The World Food Programme transported and pre-positioned nearly 700 metric tons of food.
UNICEF delivered 1,300 hygiene kits for 6,500 people.
The Pan American Health Organization airlifted 2.7 tons of medical supplies.
A UN Plan of Action is being finalized to support 170,000 people in Haiti.
The International Organization for Migration is preparing to help 2,000 households in Gonaïves.

Sources:

United Nations (video statements) - Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
United Nations: "Noon Briefing Highlights - Sustainable Development Goals" - https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight
United Nations: "Sustainable Development Goals" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1C5Ew5srUk