UAE sends aid to help Socotra recover from Cyclone Mekunu

Food, blankets and tents for Socotra were supplied by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation

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A UAE-chartered ship loaded with humanitarian and food aid has arrived at the Yemeni island of Socotra.

The aid was sent in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Mekunu, which hit southern Oman and Socotra in May killing 11 people and leaving dozens missing.

The food, blankets and tents sent to Socotra were supplied by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, after a directive from President Sheikh Khalifa that was followed up by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Khalifa Foundation.

Teams in Socotra have begun distributing the aid among locals, including 7,000 food baskets, 4,732 blankets, 358 tents and 338 food containers.

Mekunu was the fourth hurricane-strength cyclone to hit Southern Yemen in recent years. Cyclone Sagar hit earlier this month. In late 2015 Cyclone Chapala struck Socotra, followed just days later by Cyclone Megh. The latter storm destroyed hundreds of homes and killed 18 people on the island in the Gulf of Aden, about 300 kilometres from Yemen's southern coast.

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Last month, a plane carrying 40 tonnes of relief supplies from the foundation was delivered to Socotra after Emirates Red Crescent workers reopened the main road connecting the main city of Hadibou to the airport and other areas of the island.

The people of Socotra thanked the UAE for its assistance, saying that the aid had helped to relieve the hardships of locals, state news agency Wam reported.

They also thanked the Khalifa Foundation for the aid, saying its efforts in Yemen, together with that of Emirates Red Crescent, had greatly contributed to helping Yemeni people.

The latest aid is part of the foundation's Ramadan campaign, which aims to provide 10,000 food baskets to residents of the Yemeni island, via sea and air.