The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)
I wish to inform the House that, in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean, the Department for International Development is today deploying vital humanitarian support to help save lives and reduce suffering.
This emergency relief will be provided to Haiti and Cuba, the countries outside the USA that were most devastated by the hurricane, following an urgent appeal by the United Nations on 12 November. The hurricane hit Haiti on 23 October and Cuba on 25 October. It caused widespread destruction, destroying crops, homes and public infrastructure.
The UK will contribute £7 million for Haiti and £850,000 for Cuba, to provide immediate life-saving support. Our priorities are to meet food, emergency shelter, water and sanitation needs. I have sent an assessment team from the Department to the region. The team will ensure that a rigorous approach is taken to assessing the most pressing humanitarian priorities so that UK funding is used to achieve the greatest impact on the ground.
The Department for International Development will continue to monitor the situation, consulting with other Government Departments, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in our response to this humanitarian emergency.