Caritas Cuba reported that a ship carrying seven containers of humanitarian aid arrived at the port of Santiago de Cuba on Feb. 10. The aid, sent from the United States, will continue to assist those affected by Hurricane Melissa.
The commercial vessel docked at the port in eastern Cuba five days after the U.S. government announced a second aid package valued at $7 million. In January, the United States sent an initial aid package of $3 million.
The arrangements are being made directly between the Trump administration and the Catholic Church in Cuba, without the intervention of the communist regime.
On its website, Caritas Cuba reported that the shipment contains food and hygiene kits. “Once the supplies leave the port, their final destination will be the dioceses of Bayamo-Manzanillo, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba, where they will be distributed with the usual organization, care, and respect for the recipients,” Caritas stated.
“The Catholic Church, through its humanitarian arm Caritas Cuba, reaffirms with this work its commitment to accompany, serve, and support those most in need, especially during the most difficult times,” the organization stated.
The chargé d’affaires of the United States Embassy in Cuba, Mike Hammer, reported on X that he was in Santiago de Cuba yesterday to verify the arrival of the aid and “see if we can continue sending it to alleviate suffering and improve the conditions of the people a bit.”
The economic crisis in Cuba has been ongoing for several years, with shortages of food and medicine as well as prolonged power outages that sparked street protests in 2021.
In recent days, the situation has worsened with an oil shortage, following Trump’s announcement that as a way to pressure the communist regime, he would impose tariffs on countries that send fuel to the island.
The Cuban government’s response has been to enact even more restrictions on the population. One example is the notice published by the official newspaper Vanguardia that, for the time being, bread will only be guaranteed for children under 13 and adults over 65.
Likewise, the regime announced a few days ago that it no longer has fuel for commercial aircraft, so some airlines have indicated they will no longer be able to operate flights to the island, directly impacting tourism, one of the government’s main sources of income.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
