SOCOTRA: The first UAE relief plane carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian and food aid arrived on Saturday in Socotra, Yemen.
The assistance is provided by the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to help the population of the island that was hit by Cyclone Mekuno, turning it into a disaster area.
The aid is being provided on the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the instructions of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Foundation.
The Foundation and the Emirates Red Crescent teams began distribution of the aid to the people on the island, in light of the urgent need of the population in the areas most affected by the cyclone, especially the coastal areas and locations close to the valleys, which are difficult to access. The Qalensia district was declared the most affected in Socotra.
A Foundation official source noted, “The assistance is a continuation of the aid, under the instructions of Shaikh Khalifa to help the Yemeni people, based on the feelings of brotherhood and the desire of Shaikh Khalifa to alleviate the daily suffering ... through the provision of basic commodities and foodstuff, especially during Ramadan.”
UAE relief teams have succeeded in reopening a number of main roads on the island, which were blocked due to the cyclone.
The Foundation has provided 10,000 Ramadan food baskets through a sea and air bridge.
