Brussels, 29/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - Through its civil protection system, the EU is providing a bridging point for possible aid to Caribbean countries devastated by Hurricane Sandy and to the US, which is preparing for the arrival of the hurricane that is threatening to strike and which could affect 60 million people on the east coast. On Sunday 28 October, after 60 people had lost their lives in the Caribbean due to the hurricane, Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the European Commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, Kristalina Georgieva, offered their condolences and expressed their solidarity with the victims and. In a joint press release they said “We have been profoundly touched by the news of death and devastation caused by the passage of Hurricane Sandy through the northern part of the Caribbean. We wish to express sincere condolences to the people of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, especially the families of those who have lost their lives and those affected by the widespread disastrous effects of the hurricane to homes and livelihoods and the significant economic losses”.
The Commission indicated that following the announcement of the hurricane, the EU Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), a key EU civil protection system body, will continue to monitor the situation in cooperation with humanitarian experts from the Commission on the ground and who are providing an assessment of aid requirements. Ashton and Georgieva provided assurances that, “the European Union stands ready to provide support in the recovery efforts. We will also continue to support disaster prevention and risk reduction projects in vulnerable Caribbean countries and other disaster-prone regions.” (AN/transl.fl)