Hurricane Irma 2017 - Deployment of Emergency Relief Items - Canadian Red Cross

September 2017 - Hurricane Irma the strongest hurricane ever seen in the Atlantic has caused devastation in Caribbean countries since it first made landfall on September 6th. The hurricane has led to flooding power outages reduced access to clean water and the destruction of homes crops and urban infrastructure in affected countries. With GAC’s support the Canadian Red Cross is dispatching relief supplies from warehouses in Mississauga Ontario to support emergency relief operations in Cuba and the British Virgin Islands. The relief supplies will help to meet the immediate needs of up to 1 000 families affected by the hurricane. The relief supplies include tarpaulins and shelter toolkits to provide temporary shelter basic household items such as blankets kitchen sets and hygiene kits (which include items such as soap and toothbrushes) and well as containers to safely transport water.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to temporary shelter; and (2) increased access to basic household items. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.