WFP appeals for $74 million after Hurricane Melissa, plans food, cash and logistics support across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti

The U.N. World Food Programme on Thursday outlined emergency food, cash and logistics operations after Hurricane Melissa and appealed for roughly $74,000,000 to support affected populations across the Caribbean.

"Last week Hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc across The Caribbean, devastating [the] agricultural heartland of Jamaica, cutting off communities in Cuba and causing flooding across Haiti," Brian Bogart, WFP country director for the Multi-country Caribbean office, said in a virtual briefing. "It is our commitment to meeting urgent food needs as requested by national authorities and our international partners."

The agency described a mix of immediate and medium-term measures. In Jamaica, WFP said it airlifted 2,000 food kits from a regional logistics hub in Barbados to Kingston and is standing up a commodity pipeline from local markets to deliver assistance by air and road. Bogart said WFP “plans to assist up to 200,000 people across the country with food assistance and transition to cash as and when markets begin to recover.” A French Navy vessel…