American Red Cross Responds to Flooding in the Dominican Republic

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, November 26, 2003 — Flood-related damage and destruction of highways and village roads have isolated many residents and communities from relief efforts in portions of the northwestern Cibao Valley and the lower Yuna River Basin in the northeast. Flood waters remain high most areas. The worst affected communities are in the districts of Duarte and Montecristi.

“Towns have been completely flooded—literally sitting in the middle of a river—for four or five days,” said Langdon Greenhalgh, manager for Field Response and Readiness in the International Disaster Response Unit (IDRU) at the American Red Cross. “Communities are cut off entirely.”

Greenhalgh, who has been in the Dominican Republic since the flooding worsened last week, said that water systems have been contaminated, and the area is experiencing a flood-related swell in the disease-carrying mosquito population.

“An increase in mosquitoes in addition to inadequate treatment of sewage and limited supplies of potable drinking water bring an increase in exposure to communicable diseases such as malaria and cholera,” Greenhalgh said.

Further devastating long-term affects are expected from sizeable crop and livestock losses, which could contribute to economic losses for the country in the millions of dollars.

The American Red Cross, working directly with the Dominican Red Cross, has joined the local response efforts. A grant from the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) allowed the American Red Cross’s IDRU to dispatch personnel to the affected areas to conduct rapid assessments and initiate procurement of essential relief supplies.

“The American Red Cross, working in partnership with the Dominican Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is distributing hygiene kits with critical items such as toilet paper, soap and toothbrushes to help affected individuals,” Greenhalgh said. “We are also distributing mosquito nets to families to help in preventing transmission of disease.”

In addition to these supply distributions, the Dominican Red Cross has requested the American Red Cross Relief Emergency Response Unit to offer technical expertise, training, and additional staff to support overall Dominican Red Cross operations, including the distribution of water and sanitation supplies and food parcels.

“The current American Red Cross funding to support relief efforts will target 2,000 families, or 10,000 beneficiaries total,” said Lesley Schaffer, IDRU Operations Manager at the American Red Cross. “But with 65,000 people affected, the needs go far beyond that.”

You can help those affected by this crisis and countless others around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the International Response Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.