Geneva/La Habana/Panama City, 2 November 2025 – A charter flight from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) landed in Santiago de Cuba on Sunday, 2 November, carrying the first 20 tons of humanitarian aid for people affected by Hurricane Melissa.
The shipment, capable of providing urgent humanitarian assistance to 1,500 people, arrived at 3:00 p.m. local time from Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. The cargo includes kitchen, hygiene, and bedding kits, blankets, mosquito nets, solar lamps, shelter tools kits, and plastic sheeting, which the Cuban Red Cross will distribute in the hardest hit areas.
The hygiene kits contain essential items such as soap, toothbrushes, shampoo, menstrual hygiene products, towels, and toilet paper, all designed to help families maintain their health and personal care after the storm. Together with the mosquito nets, these supplies are crucial to prevent disease in areas where access to water and sanitation services has been disrupted.
The bedding kits include items such as sheets and pillows, helping families who lost their homes rest more comfortably in temporary shelters. Complementing these efforts, the shelter tools will support the cleaning and reconstruction tasks, and the kitchen kits will provide cooking and serving utensils for five people. Together, these kits support daily life, health, and recovery.
“While the Cuban Red Cross continues to support rescue efforts, damage assessments, and psychosocial assistance, the IFRC has activated all its international support mechanisms to mobilize aid in record time,” said Marianna Kuttothara, IFRC Head of Health, Disasters and Crises for the Americas. “Just three days after Hurricane Melissa, humanitarian supplies were ready for dispatch and will now be distributed with humanity and commitment to those most in need.”
This rapid delivery of aid was made possible thanks to the IFRC’s prepositioned humanitarian stock at its Humanitarian Hub in Panama, where the organization stores enough relief items to assist 20,000 people within 48 to 72 hours after a disaster.
These first 20 tons of relief are part of the IFRC’s broader effort to ensure a fast, high-quality humanitarian response. They complement the recently launched Emergency Appeal for 15 million Swiss francs (approximately USD 18 million), aimed at supporting 100,000 people in Cuba over the next two years.
This humanitarian operation combines immediate response efforts—such as the distribution of essential items and search and rescue operations—with early recovery and long-term resilience, helping families rebuild their homes, restore access to safe water, and recover their health and livelihoods.
Pictures of the cargo available here: https://shared.ifrc.org/collections/~df43f74ef9
For more information, please contact: [email protected]
In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes, +507 6999-3199
María Victoria Langman, +507 6550-1090
In Geneva: Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 4367
Nora Peter, +36 70 953 7709
