Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria 5 wrecked the Caribbean islands in September 2017. Residents of Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Haiti, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos suffered from the severe breakdown of essential services.
UNICEF launched an initiative to provide a strategized solution to give quick alleviation for hurricane-affected people and supporting government partners to use built up associations at national and local levels, and to prepare worldwide level systems for fast rehabilitation. Though Hurricane ended in 2017, some activities like cash transfers and distribution of education are still ongoing in 2018.
“As long as children are in need or in danger, we will continue to work tirelessly so that everyone can look to the future with hope,” said María Cristina Perceval, Regional Director of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Since Caribbean region is a massive archipelago and the impact of hurricane varies significantly across the islands. The tourism board of the Caribbean noted the number of islands which were not hit by hurricanes and welcome visitors year-round. Some islands including Aruba, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Curacao, Bonaire are less likely to see hurricanes.
UNICEF is working towards preparing the vulnerable regions of the Caribbean for the next Hurricane season beginning on 1 June. Basic precautions are necessary when you are planning for Caribbean vacation, June 1st to November 30 being the prime hurricane season. “The objective is to mitigate the impact on boys, girls and women and ensure a rapid return to normality,” said the spokesperson.
