EU Providing More Assistance To Hurricane Irma-ravaged Countries

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, September 12, 2017 (CMC) – The European Union, yesterday, said it has a moral duty to help those in need whose lives and homes were destroyed or severely threatened by Hurricane Irma, as it made its way through the Caribbean, last week.

“Hurricane Irma has left a trail of devastation across many countries,” said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, as he announced that Europe was mobilising further assistance for countries in the region affected by the hurricane.

“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 said, noting that its Emergency Response Coordination Centre has been in continuous coordination with EU member States on any assistance required.

Stylianides said the EU is now providing more assistance, indicating “we have now released an initial amount of humanitarian assistance of two million Euros for the most affected islands in the Caribbean.

“This will help support key sectors such as water and sanitation, health, waste management, logistics. Further EU funding for reconstruction efforts is of course available in terms of longer term assistance,” he said, adding that “this new support comes on top of our EU Copernicus satellite support, which has been providing essential mapping services since last week”.

Stylianides said he wanted to “make it clear that any country in the region can request our help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism”.