Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to address the humanitarian situation in (a) Haiti, (b) Jamaica, (c) Cuba and (d) the Bahamas caused by hurricane Matthew.
Rory Stewart
The UK is committing up to £5 million of initial support to trusted UN, Red Cross and NGO partners to help thousands of people in Haiti affected by Hurricane Matthew. DFID prepositioned aid in Haiti to better prepare the country for natural disasters, and has a team in Haiti working with international partners and the Government of Haiti to address the humanitarian situation.
In Jamaica, no significant humanitarian need has been identified. In respect of Cuba, the Department is working closely with the International Federation of the Red Cross to ascertain their understanding of needs and potential response plans.
The Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office deployed the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Vessel Wave Knight to the Bahamas to provide aerial reconnaissance and support in the immediate aftermath of Matthew’s impact. The Department for International Development is working with the British Red Cross to deepen our understanding of the humanitarian situation in the Bahamas.
