At least 30 killed in Haiti, 1.5 mln people affected in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 people have been killed in Haiti and more than 1.5 million people affected in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa, a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.

In Jamaica, infrastructure has been severely damaged, with more than 130 roads blocked and power and communication networks disrupted, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told a daily briefing.

Health services are under heavy strain, since several hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed, prompting the deployment of an emergency medical team from the Pan American Health Organization, he said.

Haq said the World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that up to 360,000 people may require food assistance in Jamaica.

A UN disaster assessment and coordination team is coordinating assistance teams and aid arriving, in support of the Jamaican government, he said.

In Haiti, Haq said that the United Nations and its partners continue to carry out assessments of the damage wreaked by Hurricane Melissa and are ramping up efforts to reach people in need.

The Food and Agriculture Organization indicated losses in beans, corn and fruit crops, as well as damage to fishing infrastructure, which is expected to increase hunger in a country where half of the population is already food insecure, said the spokesperson.

Speaking to reporters via video link, WFP's Country Director in Cuba Etienne Labande said the hurricane left behind widespread flooding, power outages and heavy damage, with crops lost and many buildings partially or fully destroyed in the eastern part of Cuba.

One particularity in the response to the hurricane is the anticipatory action framework adopted by Cuba, coupled with a pre-approved UN allocation, which enabled UN agencies to preposition key supplies in vulnerable areas ahead of the hurricane's landfall, Labande said. ■