Brussels, 14/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - During the evening of Friday 11 March, the European Commission announced that €1 million in emergency humanitarian assistance had been released by the EU in order to help families affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston in Fiji.
The funds, taken from the budget of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), will be used to provide shelter, food, access to clean water and sanitation facilities, as well as to help re-launch agricultural activities to enable a means of subsistence to be recovered for the stricken people.
The aid will be channelled through ECHO's NGO partner organisations on the ground.
Over 350,000 people, in other words nearly half the total population of Fiji, have been affected by this very powerful cyclone, which has claimed 42 lives and forced 60,000 people to be evacuated. It has also damaged at least 18,000 houses and left vast areas of farmland devastated. According to the initial needs assessment by experts from ECHO and partner humanitarian organisations, the consequences of the cyclone will continue to be felt for six months to a year.
The EU's civil protection mechanism was activated on 24 February to facilitate the coordination and channelling of aid. France is ensuring the airlift of essential humanitarian items such as water treatment units, tarpaulins and shelter toolkits. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)