The European Union (EU) yesterday unveiled Euro 2M in further aid for islands devastated by Hurricane Irma last week.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides said in a statement “Hurricane Irma has left a trail of devastation across many countries. It is our moral duty to help those in need whose lives and homes are being destroyed or severely threatened.
We stand in full solidarity with all those in the Caribbean and in the USA during and after the storm. For as long as it takes.” He noted that last week, the EU mobilised its emergency response tools and its 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre has been in continuous coordination with EU Member States on any help required.
“We have now released an initial amount of humanitarian assistance of €2 million for the most affected islands in the Caribbean. This will help support key sectors such as water and sanitation, health, waste management, logistics”, he said.
He pointed out that EU funding for reconstruction efforts is available in terms of longer term assistance. He said that the new support comes on top of the EU’s Copernicus satellite support, which has been providing essential mapping services since last week.
He added that EU humanitarian experts deployed across the region continue to help the local authorities and coordinate aid deliveries.
The EU mobilised all its emergency response tools last week before Hurricane Irma approached the region. As a first step last week, the EU’s Copernicus satellite mapping system was activated to deliver high quality maps for Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélémy and Saint Martin at the request of France, and of Sint Maarten at the request of the Netherlands, as well as for the British Virgin Islands. The Commission has also activated Copernicus for areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
