Salvation Army teams look to address long-term concerns of flood victims in Dominican Republic

As relief efforts are stepped up to provide for the immediate needs of families affected by flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, personnel from The Salvation Army are concerned for the longer-term needs of those who have lost homes and possessions. At least 2,000 people are known to have died or disappeared in severe flooding over the past week. The remote locations of the worst-affected communities mean that accessing villages with aid, or even making assessments, is a huge challenge.

Major Olivia Gulley, The Salvation Army’s emergency coordinator for the Caribbean, reports. 'This will be a long-term relief operation, where the rebuilding of homes and communities will be a huge task.’

Major Vilo Exantus, leader of The Salvation Army in the Dominican Republic, visited the area of Jimani on Saturday 29 May. This border town has suffered some of the worst casualties, with 329 bodies found and at least 300 people still missing. He reports, ‘Many of the survivors are now located on a hill nearby where the Government had been in the process of putting up housing for Haitian refugees. These buildings are in no way complete and the Government has announced that everyone must vacate them on Monday and go into temporary shelter.'

Major Exantus has identified that there is a great need for disinfectant and other cleaning supplies. Mud is caked on everything including the hospital. Families have been given food parcels but now need gas stoves and cooking fuel as well as kitchen items for cooking – to replace possessions lost in the floodwaters. Food stocks are currently adequate – the UN peacekeeping forces have already delivered 100 tonnes of food supplies to the area, enough for more than one week.

Salvation Army relief teams are concerned to support families who have lost crops and who will require assistance after the initial emergency recovery phase. Major Mike Olsen, an experienced emergency consultant, has been despatched to provide assistance to the Salvationists of the Dominican Republic as they seek to respond to this crisis.

The Salvation Army World Services Office in Washington, USA, has offered an immediate grant of US$10,000. However, the needs of the region are great and donations supporting this relief effort would be welcome.