Ottawa has announced $7 million in humanitarian aid for Caribbean states affected by Hurricane Melissa, and the government says it could deploy soldiers if requested.
“Canada stands with the people of the Caribbean in their efforts right now, not with words but with actions,” Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, told reporters Thursday on Parliament Hill.
“And we will be here tomorrow to help rebuild stronger, safer and more resilient communities.”
Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday. The Category 5 storm has since killed dozens of people in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti, in addition to damaging infrastructure and causing widespread power outages.
Global Affairs Canada wrote Thursday afternoon that it was “not aware of any Canadian citizens who have been injured or killed as a result of this hurricane,” while Sarai said no Canadians had been reported missing as of that morning.
“Due to power outages in the region, establishing full communication with those on the ground may be challenging and time-consuming,” the department wrote in a media update Thursday afternoon.
The department said its embassy in Havana had not received requests for help from Canadians in Cuba, while the high commission in Jamaica is “inaccessible” but operates remotely.
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Two members of the department’s rapid deployment team arrived in Kingston on Thursday, and three more will arrive on Friday, to provide emergency consular services and logistical support to Canadian diplomats.
The department noted that Kingston’s main airport has reopened to commercial flights.
Sarai said $5 million of the new funding will go toward life-saving aid through emergency response agencies and health providers, adding that Global Affairs Canada is still identifying recipient countries and organizations.
The other $2 million will go to the World Food Program to support its efforts to distribute food and other supplies to Jamaica.
Sarai said Canada is prepared to deploy relief supplies from its emergency stockpile through the Red Cross if countries request that help.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand added that Canada could send military aid if requested.
“Right now, Jamaica’s request has been for humanitarian aid. That’s what we are stepping up to provide. There has been no request for the Canadian Armed Forces at this time,” he told reporters.
“Of course, we are ready 24/7 to help in any way requested.”
He said Canada’s priority is to ensure aid is distributed “as quickly as possible but also in a reliable way.”
Ottawa has funded programs aimed at helping countries like Jamaica cope with natural disasters through emergency planning and logistics.
Canada is also part of a multi-year effort aimed at reforming global financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, so that Caribbean countries can pay for climate-resilient infrastructure.
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