By: Akoi M. Baysah, Jr.
The European Union has announced €100,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance to support communities devastated by violent windstorms in northern Liberia.
According to a press release issued Wednesday ,in Monrovia, the funding, equivalent to more than 21 million Liberian dollars, will support 372 households affecting approximately 2,604 people in Nimba County and Lofa County.
The EU said the emergency funding is intended to address urgent humanitarian needs while helping affected families begin early recovery efforts and rebuild resilience following the disaster.
Between March 19 and 24, 2026, powerful windstorms swept through 11 communities across the two counties, destroying homes, damaging property, and displacing dozens of families.
The EU noted that many residents were left exposed to harsh weather conditions and without access to essential household supplies.Under the four-month intervention, affected families will receive emergency shelter materials, essential household items, hygiene and health support, as well as multi-purpose cash assistance aimed at helping families stabilize their living conditions.
The indicated that special consideration will be given to vulnerable populations, including women, children, elderly persons, and people living with disabilities, to ensure equal and dignified access to humanitarian support.
According to the release, the storms also severely disrupted livelihoods in the affected communities, particularly among households dependent on subsistence farming and small-scale businesses.
The destruction of farming tools, seeds, and other household assets has reportedly weakened families’ coping capacities and heightened food insecurity.The humanitarian funding forms part of the EU’s broader contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) managed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The European Liberia further noted that the DREF was established in 1979 to provide rapid financial support to national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies responding to disasters around the world.
Under a €12 million delegation agreement between the EU and the IFRC, the EU helps replenish the fund to support emergency operations within its humanitarian mandate.
