COCONUT CREEK – Food For The Poor, the second largest international relief organization in the US, has responded to the extensive damages caused by Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Government statistics in the Dominican Republic indicate 56 confirmed dead, with 52 communities not yet reached by rescue workers because of impassable conditions. In the city of La Cueva alone, initial reports indicate 21 dead.
Because Government officials have not been able to access La Cueva or 51 other communities, the final death toll in the Dominican Republic is expected to rise significantly. Food For The Poor has emptied its warehouses and given the Government of the Dominican Republic all relief supplies currently in the country for immediate distribution.
Food For The Poor Project Manager, Liony Batista, is working throughout the country with First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez Reyna to assess the extent of the assistance required. According to Batista, “The community of La Barquita has been completely submerged by the continuous rains.
With more rain predicted, the situation in the Dominican Republic will become increasingly desperate, and additional help will be necessary.”
To aid Tropical Storm Noel victims, Food For The Poor has more than 55 containers of aid underway to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Relief items include generators, hygiene kits, lumber, zinc, tents, blankets, cleaning supplies, medical supplies, clothing and food.
Food For The Poor continues to fulfill its commitment to the Caribbean and Latin America through its major involvement with ongoing emergency relief efforts. Food For The Poor is aided in its distribution efforts in the Dominican Republic by multiple partner organizations, and maintains their own facilities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from where Food For The Poor supplies distribution centers throughout the country.
To help donate funds to Food For The Poor visit, www.foodforthepoor.org or call, 800-487-1158.
