UN Delivers Aid To Hurricane-Stricken Cuba

By Ryan Villarreal | November 07 2012 5:04 PM

Cuba will receive emergency aid from the U.N. World Food Program after Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage in the eastern portion of the Caribbean island nation.

Reuters

A man salvages bricks from rubble on a street after Hurricane Sandy hit Santiago de Cuba Oct. 25.

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Eleven people were killed after Sandy struck Cuba amidst massive flooding, power outages, and building collapses. Crops and livestock were also significantly damaged by the storm.

"We are especially concerned about the damage in the agricultural sector where tens of thousands of hectares of staple crops have been affected," said WFP emergency coordinator William Vigil in a statement, the BBC reported.

Power remains out in many of the affected areas, and Cuban President Raul Castro has traveled to the region and pledged to remain until power is restored.

Santiago de Cuba, the largest city in the region with a population of 500,000, was directly in the storm’s path and will serve as the center of aid distribution.

WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs described Hurricane Sandy as “the worst catastrophe in 50 years in Santiago de Cuba," according to the BBC.