U.S. Sends Hurricane Aid to Cuba — Two Months Later

The Catholic Church will start delivering $3 million in U.S. government humanitarian aid to people affected by Hurricane Melissa — more than two months after the hurricane hit the island. 

It’s not uncommon for non-governmental humanitarian donations to face red tape due to U.S. sanctions. See our video on this subject here.

But it's not clear why this U.S. government donation, promised back in November, was so delayed.

Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Thursday that accused the U.S. government of "opportunistically exploiting what appears to be a humanitarian gesture for purposes of political manipulation."

The statement read: “At no point has there been official communication from the U.S. government to the Cuban government to confirm this shipment." It added that material assistance from the U.S. "represents a fraction of the effort of the Cuban people and government and of the aid received from various parts of the world, including U.S. [non-profit] organizations."

Around $74 million is needed to address the devastation from the hurricane, according to the UN, which released $4 million in emergency funding ahead of the storm and $7 million afterward. The UN estimated that Hurricane Melissa affected more than 1.7 million people and damaged over 150,000 homes.