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Red Cross Provides Ongoing Support in Haiti, Dominican Republic
Written by
Lesly Hallman
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Monday, June 07, 2004 — The American Red Cross continues to support rescue efforts in Haiti and the Dominican Republic after heavy rains killed at least 2,000 people in late May.
The Red Cross is providing tracing services for those seeking information about family members in the Dominican Republic who may have been affected by the floods.
The Dominican Red Cross has sent teams to the affected areas to provide
search and rescue assistance, emergency medical care, supplies, and other support. An American Red Cross delegate to the Federation has also arrived on the scene to join the response team and support the ongoing relief efforts, and American Red Cross International Response Team members are ready to deploy to the area if they are needed.
Officials continue to tally the human and economic toll of the disaster. Most of the dead were in Haiti, where at least 1,000 people were killed and 1,600 are still missing. Thousands of homes were also destroyed, leaving 16,000 people displaced. In the Dominican Republic, 70 percent of the country’s rice crops were destroyed, and water is still out of service in many areas.
The American Red Cross has mobilized relief items to the area including bed sheets, water jugs, plastic tarps, and tents.
The Pan-American Disaster Response Unit, a regional, highly-specialized disaster
response division of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is actively engaged in damage assessments and distribution of supplies in the affected areas with the Red Cross societies of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
“The international Red Cross community has come together to support the dire needs of these flood victims,” said American Red Cross spokeswoman Jacki Flowers.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located in the Caribbean. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and has experienced widespread political unrest this year.
Flooded streets like this are common throughout Haiti, as searchers continue to look for victims and survivors of the flood. |
Flooding also caused at least 100 people to evacuate their homes in neighboring Puerto Rico.
You can help those affected by the flooding in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and countless other crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other support to those in need. Donate online or call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Donations can also be mailed to your local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
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