GENEVA / HURRICANE MARIA

Hurricane Maria has nearly “wiped the small island nation Dominica off the map” , wreaking "blanket destruction" after it made landfall on 18 September, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today. UNTV CH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:02
• Production Date: 26 September 2017
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: HURRICANES; NATURAL DISASTERS
• Geographic Subject: DOMINICA
• MAMS Id: 1980352
• Parent Id: 1980352
• Alternate Title: unifeed170926a

Description

STORY: GENEVA / HURRICANE MARIA
TRT: 2:02
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTION: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 26 SEPTEMBER 2017 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, Press Room
3. Wide shot, Podium
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“After Hurricane Maria, a category 5, all but wiped the small island nation Dominica off the map on the 18th September, humanitarian agencies have been ramping up their presence and deliveries despite severe logistical constraints.”
5. Close up, journalist
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The Hurricane killed at least 15 people, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), affected some 80 per cent of the total population of 71,000 inhabitants, damaged or disrupted the supplies of food, electricity and running water in all the country's 53 hospitals and health centres and destroyed all crops growing in the island. That is the FAO estimate, 100 per cent destruction of the potatoes, yam, vegetables, fruits, coconuts, coffee and so on growing on Dominica.”
7. Medium shot, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“It is hard to overestimate the immediate and medium-term impact on food security and people’s income, of this blanket destruction.”
9. Medium shot, journalists
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The initial emergency response has been led by the aforementioned Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, with supplies of food and non-food items. Countries in the region have also provided food, medicine and generators as the island is almost entirely without power.”
11. Close up, journalist hands on phone
12. Medium shot, journalists
13. Wide shot, journalists

Storyline

Hurricane Maria has nearly “wiped the small island nation Dominica off the map”, wreaking "blanket destruction" after it made landfall on 18 September, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

Humanitarian agencies have been ramping up their assistance despite the logistical obstacles posed by the devastation caused by the Category five hurricane to the electricity grid, hospitals and health centres.

Speaking to reporters today (26 Sep) in Geneva, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said “the Hurricane killed at least 15 people, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), affected some 80 per cent of the total population of 71,000 inhabitants, damaged or disrupted the supplies of food, electricity and running water in all the country's 53 hospitals and health centres and destroyed all crops growing in the island.”

He added that according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “100 per cent destruction of the potatoes, yam, vegetables, fruits, coconuts, coffee and so on growing on Dominica.”

With 25 per cent of Dominica’s workforce directly depending on agricultural activities, Hurricane Maria’s negative impact on food security and people’s income is catastrophic.

Laerke said “it is hard to overestimate the immediate and medium-term impact on food security and people’s income, of this blanket destruction.”

OCHA reports that tens of thousands of people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with priority response areas being food, water, shelter, and the restoration of electricity to the island.

Currently, Dominica is accessible by the Canefield airport that is being used for emergency flights operated by the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) of the WFP, which has begun flights for aid workers. OCHA reports that at least one seaport is also accessible.

Laerke said “the initial emergency response has been led by the aforementioned Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, with supplies of food and non-food items,” Laerke said. “Countries in the region have also provided food, medicine and generators as the island is almost entirely without power.”

A number of UN agencies including WFP, UNICEF, IOM, WHO, OCHA and humanitarian partners have deployed teams to assess the situation and have begun distributing aid. More staff are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Military forces from Canada, France and the Netherlands are supporting the delivery of critical food and water to affected people. Troops from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are also helping to ensure security at vital access points such as airports and seaports.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an appeal for over $1.6 million and OCHA is working on details for a Flash Appeal to fund the broader response.