Havana, Nov 13 (EFE).- The Spanish government sent 9.3 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba for those affected by Hurricane Óscar in the eastern part of the island, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) reported on Wednesday.
The aid includes 70 tents, 1,000 mosquito nets, and 227 cooking kits worth 56,000 dollars, according to AECID, an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This shipment adds to over 94 tons of essential supplies valued at 600,000 dollars, which were sent to the island earlier in November by the European Union and the United Nations system to assist those affected by Óscar.
The contribution includes medicines, medical supplies, water storage tanks, hygiene kits, chlorine tablets, tarps, mosquito nets, solar lamps, toolkits, and other items.
The shipment, which will support the government's efforts to improve conditions in these regions, is part of a coordinated action plan between Cuban authorities and United Nations agencies, funds, and programs, benefiting nearly half a million people in the province of Guantánamo (east).
Óscar was the first hurricane to hit Cuba in the current hurricane season. It made landfall in Cuba on Sunday, Oct. 21, as a Category 1 hurricane (on a scale of 1 to 5), very close to the coastal city of Baracoa in Guantánamo (east), and weakened into a storm the following day as it moved through an area near Gibara in the Holguín province (northeast).
According to official figures, it left eight people dead and two missing, as well as extensive damage to homes and agriculture.
On Nov. 6, Hurricane Rafael, a Category 3 storm, hit western Cuba. There were no fatalities, yet wind gusts of more than 180 kilometers per hour (111 mph) caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure and a new collapse of the national power system. EFE
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