By Anthony Q. Jiffan, Jr
Monrovia, June 10 (LINA) – In the wake of violent windstorms that devastated communities across Nimba and Lofa Counties in March, the European Union (EU) has announced the release of €100,000 (over 21 million Liberian dollars) in emergency humanitarian aid to support families struggling to recover.
The storms, which struck between 19 and 24 March, ripped through 11 communities, destroying homes, disrupting livelihoods, and leaving 372 households (2,604 people) displaced and vulnerable. Subsistence farmers and small-scale traders were particularly hard hit, losing tools, seeds, and household assets, a blow that has deepened food insecurity and weakened coping mechanisms.
According to a release, the EU’s four-month operation will provide emergency shelter materials to rebuild homes, essential household items for families who lost everything, hygiene and health support to prevent disease outbreaks, and multi-purpose cash assistance to help families stabilize and recover.
The release indicated that special attention will be given to vulnerable groups’ women, children, older people, and persons with disabilities ensuring fair, safe, and dignified access to aid.
Meanwhile, the Liberia National Red Cross Society (LNRC) hailed the EU’s intervention as timely and lifesaving.
“This support is more than financial assistance, it is a lifeline to the 372 households who lost homes, belongings, and stability in the wake of disaster. It means that a mother will have shelter for her children, an elderly person will receive care, and families will begin to rebuild their lives with courage and confidence.”
The LNRC, in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is already working with affected communities to deliver cash assistance, distribute shelter materials, and promote water, sanitation, and hygiene.
The release further states that the funding is part of the EU’s broader commitment to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), managed by the IFRC. Established in 1979, the DREF provides rapid financial support to National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responding to small-scale disasters.
The EU, through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department, remains the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid, with a €12 million delegation agreement to replenish the DREF for agreed operations.