A few days ago, Dominican President Danilo Medina declared a state of emergency across the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, covering the areas between Puerto Plata and Samana. After several weeks of torrential rain, at least two main rivers have burst their banks, devastating local areas and destroying many towns. Over 20,000 people have now been displaced and the limited resources that the government can offer have meant thousands will be left homeless and are currently seeking shelter in schools, community centers and other ministerial and international NGO locations. Farmland, crops and animals have also been decimated, creating a long-term disaster for the sustainability for local communities. As of Thursday night 11/17/16 at 7PM there is again heavy rains and forecasts are predicting more flooding.
With many sanitary and other additional health issues created by the floods, there is a very real threat of water and mosquito borne diseases such as cholera becoming an epidemic. In the short term, the community is in desperate need of:
- Food
- Mosquito Nets
- Bleach
- Mattresses
- Sheets/Blankets
- Medicine
Local restaurant, the Hot Spot Company Cabarete, along with volunteers, have also been making meals which are being delivered daily to residents in the affected areas. Volunteers can provide one hot meal for 300 people for just $50US! Please donate just $5 will make a huge difference!
Monetary contributions also allow locals to allocate funds to where they are needed most, so if you would like to support these efforts and the longer term need to house these families, please donate via paypal to: [email protected]
For bank transfers, please contact [email protected] with subject line Flood Donations for details. For further info and updates contact: Hege Holt or Claudia Batchelor at [email protected].