WFP Ready to Support as First Hurricane of the Year Makes Landfall in the Caribbean

Published July 1, 2024

BRIDGETOWN – As the Caribbean braces for Hurricane Beryl, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is on standby to join regional and national response efforts. This first hurricane of the year in the Atlantic Ocean is expected to significantly impact multiple countries in the eastern Caribbean.

“We are actively preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Beryl. In this type of emergency, preparedness is key and every minute counts. The U.N. World Food Programme is working to support regional and national disaster management agencies to ensure that the people impacted by this storm are able to meet their essential needs and get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” said Brian Bogart, U.N. World Food Programme Caribbean multi-country office director designate.

“The U.N. World Food Programme’s office in the Caribbean has for years been working to make sure that governments in the region have the assets and personnel needed for a rapid response to this type of emergency,” Bogart added.

Considering the potential for devastating effects on lives and livelihoods in the region, the U.N. World Food Programme Caribbean Multi Country Office has deployed personnel to Saint Lucia and Grenada, and have staff on the ground ready to respond in Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Across the Caribbean, the U.N. World Food Programme has logistics capabilities and equipment ready for immediate activation and can provide direct assistance to affected communities in the form of food or cash, depending on the specific needs and available resources.

U.N. World Food Programme teams in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba are also closely monitoring Hurricane Beryl and are on standby to respond swiftly as requested by national authorities.

The U.N. World Food Programme’s Caribbean Multi-Country office was opened in 2018 and covers 22 countries and territories across the English and Dutch Caribbean. The U.N. World Food Programme works with national governments and regional bodies – such as the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency – to strengthen disaster management, social protection, and food systems. These investments place the most vulnerable at the forefront of efforts to strengthen climate resilience at the national and community levels.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the world’s leading humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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