November 6, 2007

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is providing emergency aid to people affected by Hurricane Noel.

Originally a tropical storm that grew to a Category 1 hurricane, Noel swept across the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba causing severe flooding and mudslides killing at least 140 people. The storm is now the deadliest to hit the Atlantic region during the 2007 hurricane season.

In the Dominican Republic, Hurricane Noel claimed more than 60 lives and left at least 62,000 people displaced from their homes. Rescue workers headed out in boats and helicopters to help dozens of communities left isolated by flooding and mudslides. According to Juan Temístocles Montás, the Dominican Minister of Economy, the country's plantain, rice, and cacao plantations suffered an estimated $30 million in damages due to three continuous days of heavy rain.

In Haiti, at least 40 people were reported to have died as a result of Hurricane Noel, with a majority of deaths occurring around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Electricity was lost in several villages and flooding destroyed homes and killed livestock.

ERD is working in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic to distribute emergency supplies such as food, rebuilding materials, blankets, and first aid supplies to the southern Dominican towns of Bani, San Cristobal, and Monte Llano. In Haiti, ERD is assisting the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti to help affected persons living in the towns of Cazale, Leogane, Mathieu, Trouin, and Lompre located in the southern part of the country by providing food, clothing, and temporary shelter.

"We are grateful for ERD's support," said the Rev. Frantz Cole, director of development for the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti. "The situation in general is quite difficult right now. No town was spared from Hurricane Noel. Houses and animals were swept away by flood waters and many people are getting sick. We are in need of generators, flashlights and roofing material."

"Working in close coordination with our local church partners in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Episcopal Relief and Development is providing critical emergency assistance to many locales that the government presently has difficulty reaching," said Matthew St. John, ERD's program associate for Latin America and the Caribbean.

To help people affected by Hurricane Noel, make a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development's "Hurricane Relief Fund" online at http://www.er-d.org/, or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development "Hurricane Relief Fund" P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

Episcopal News Service