Hunger and disease spread through Caribbean islands one month after Melissa

Red Cross says millions of people urgently need more help

- MAIRA BUTT

Millions are still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, one month after the category 5 storm devastated the Caribbean.

At least 106 people died when the record-breaking tropical cyclone ripped through the region, leaving at least $10bn worth of damage in its wake.

The UN estimates that some 6 million people were impacted by flooding and 185mph winds after the “storm of the century”, made landfall at the end of October. At least 735,000 people were evacuated in Cuba alone.

One month on, despite international efforts to help, agencies have told The Independent the situation on the ground is still catastrophic.

In Cuba, queues for fuel now last for days, food is scarce, and only 40 per cent of the country has electricity, with even major cities only getting between four and six hours per day, according to the International Federation for the Red Cross (IFRC). Fuel and power shortages are leading to severely disrupted lives, with people unable to refrigerate food.

Water shortages and viral diseases have spread like wildfire, Nicolas Segura, the IFRC’s disaster risk management coordinator for Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, says. There are 700 new cases of chikungunya every day, with over 50,000 people hospitalised with the condition caused by mosquitoes in the aftermath of the disaster.