Yemen: UN food agency airlifts supplies to flood victims

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has today airlifted 17 tons of high-energy biscuits to assist Yemenis affected by a tropical storm that struck last Thursday, killing 180 people and displacing some 10,000 others from their homes.

Departing from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the rations will go to 210 affected households in the eastern town of Mukala.

Requiring no preparation, the high-energy biscuits offer a practical way of meeting basic nutritional requirements for people who have no access to cooking facilities due to flood damage.

WFP has also provided 10 kilograms of dates to each family – an initiative expected to assist nearly 1500 displaced people – and is planning for more rations to be distributed in the future.

WFP’s attempts to get medical supplies and relief aid have been hampered by the flooding of so many roads in the area. To assist other humanitarian organizations, WFP is offering logistical support, drawing on capacity from its existing food assistance operations in the country.