Canada has announced significant support for the Caribbean in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, with over $1 million in humanitarian assistance. Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, revealed the funding, aimed at providing critical relief and aiding recovery efforts.
This substantial aid package will enable Canada’s humanitarian partners to deliver essential services, including emergency food and nutrition, protection, and logistics, ensuring that humanitarian goods reach those in need and that relief workers can operate effectively amidst the crisis.
Aid from Canada is on the way from Toronto to Jamaica.
Following the destruction of Hurricane Beryl, we’re working with @redcrosscanada to send essential relief items to those most in need.
📸©️@redcrosscanada pic.twitter.com/na5N7VV7YF
— Ahmed Hussen (@HonAhmedHussen) July 10, 2024
Of the total amount, $500,000 will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) for emergency food assistance and logistics services. Additionally, $160,000, as part of a Government of Canada project with the Canadian Red Cross Society’s Emergency Disaster Assistance Fund, will be directed to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for relief operations in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Jamaica.
Canada is also deploying essential relief items to the Jamaica Red Cross, valued at up to $350,000. Furthermore, Minister Hussen announced that $200,000 will be allocated to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to support the mobilization of regional deployment teams and provide direct assistance to countries in immediate need.
Collaboration with other agencies
In collaboration with UN Women and the UN Population Fund, Canada’s Build Back Equal project will distribute hygiene and dignity product kits in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The country is also supporting the deployment of emergency humanitarian personnel in the Caribbean through funding to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination and the Canadian Red Cross.
Additionally, Canada is enhancing the region’s disaster preparedness through the WFP’s Resilience and Enhanced Adaptability to Disasters in the Caribbean project. This initiative, in collaboration with response organizations including CDEMA, focuses on readiness actions to ensure prompt and effective international support for affected communities and governments.
With the increasing frequency of climate-related natural disasters and the rise in tropical storms due to global warming, Canada reaffirms its commitment to supporting those impacted by severe weather crises.
Read: Caribbean face billions in damage in Hurricane Beryl’s aftermath
