Havana/Washington (EFE).- Cuba said Thursday it has contacted the United States to coordinate how Washington could deliver humanitarian assistance offered to those affected by Hurricane Melissa, which left widespread destruction across eastern Cuba and several Caribbean nations.
“Following public communications today about the hurricane’s damage, we have contacted the US Department of State and are awaiting details on how and in what manner they are prepared to help,” Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío wrote on social media
His message marked Havana’s first official reaction to United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement that the US was ready to provide “immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Cuba affected by the hurricane.”
Washington offers aid after natural disaster
“We stand ready to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Cuba affected by the hurricane,” Rubio posted on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the State Department had issued a Humanitarian Assistance Declaration for Cuba and other Caribbean nations hit by the storm.
He said the US could deliver aid “either directly or through local partners who can distribute it effectively to those in need.”
The announcement came a day after Rubio, a Cuban-American and vocal critic of the Cuban government, listed Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas among countries receiving US assistance, but omitted Cuba.
The new statement included the island, though without specifying how coordination would occur with Havana.
“President Donald Trump authorized an immediate US response and directed the State Department to mobilize aid for affected communities,” the department said in a statement addressing the entire region.
Rubio has long advocated maintaining pressure on Havana to “force a democratic transition” and reduce its ties with US adversaries, such as Russia and Venezuela.
Cuba awaits clarification as damages mount
While diplomatic details remain unclear, the Cuban government says it is open to defining “how and in what way” Washington’s aid could be channeled.
No further statement has been made by the US Embassy in Havana or the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
Hurricane Melissa, which weakened from Category 5 to Category 2 as it moved north, has left at least 32 people dead across the Caribbean: 23 in Haiti, four in Jamaica, four in Panama, and one in the Dominican Republic, according to regional authorities and the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
In Cuba, the storm caused massive blackouts, left several municipalities flooded and cut off, destroyed homes, and damaged crops and infrastructure in the eastern provinces. Millions were left without electricity or communications for hours.
The NHC said Melissa is now heading toward Bermuda, where conditions are expected to deteriorate overnight. EFE
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