Cuban residents in Mexico have begun stockpiling food and medicine to support the island after Hurricane Melissa struck eastern Cuba, causing damage that is still being assessed.

Mexico City.- Activist Olivia Garza told Prensa Latina, "We have set up a collection center. We're asking the Mexican people, who have always been supportive, to contribute with powdered milk, canned foods, syringes, gauze, cotton, Acetaminophen (paracetamol), and other medicines."

Garza, who is also the vice president of the José Martí Association of Cuban Residents in Mexico, noted that the center is located at Cafetería La Habana Vieja in this capital.

She stated, “Solidarity cannot be blocked. The Cuban residents in Mexico and supportive friends will step forward to support the Cuban people in these times of emergency.”

Melissa, which entered Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, hit the eastern provinces on Wednesday, causing severe flooding and material damage to homes and agriculture. (PL)