HAMILTON, Canada 

The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday appealed for $74 million to deliver life-saving assistance to more than 1 million people across the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Melissa.

WFP's Country Director in Cuba, Etienne Labande, said at a virtual news conference that the hurricane "made landfall in the Santiago de Cuba province as a Category 3 hurricane, but still charged with a lot of rains," leaving behind "widespread flooding, power outages and heavy damage, with crops, laws and many buildings partially or fully destroyed."

He said WFP plans "to assist 900,000 people for three months, and half of those in need of assistance for an additional three months."

Labande added that having WFP staff on the ground is "critical to ensure fast and effective response."

On the situation in Haiti, Labande noted that the storm has worsened an already dire situation where "one in two Haitians were already severely food insecure," as armed groups "control large areas of the capital and other regions, complicating food movements within the country."

He said WFP's collaboration with regional governments makes it a “much easier joint, integrated response. Once they hit, and they will continue to hit, we must be ready."

"Today, we're calling for $74 million to deliver life-saving assistance to up to 1.1 million people in the Caribbean, and coordinate emergency logistics and data communications," he said, stressing, "Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint."

Brian Bogart, WFP's Caribbean director, said Melissa "wreaked havoc across the Caribbean," adding that the agency plans to assist 200,000 people in Jamaica with food and cash support to help communities "transition from an immediate humanitarian response to a longer-term recovery strategy."