November 2, 2007
By Matthew Davies

The Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic is requesting emergency assistance after Tropical Storm Noel, the 14th named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, displaced thousands of people and claimed at least 73 lives in the country due to flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rains.

After leaving the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Noel gained strength and reached hurricane status before emerging over the eastern tip of Cuba and southeastern Bahamas. The storm is responsible for at least 120 deaths throughout the Caribbean.

A November 1 newsletter from the Dominican Republic diocese and its U.S. companions – which include the dioceses of Georgia, Quincy, South Carolina, Southern Virginia, Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida, Virginia, Western Louisiana and others – noted that Bishop Julio Holguín is seeking to direct the Episcopal Church's emergency response to human needs in the country, especially for flood victims in need of food, clothing, bedding, and medicines.

More than 60 destroyed bridges and countless washed-out roads have isolated cities in the south.

According to Reuters, military helicopters and river patrol boats rescued people stranded by floods and mudslides caused by three days of heavy rainfall.

Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, who has declared a state of emergency, "asked multinational financial institutions to lend the country $200 million to rebuild torn roads, collapsed bridges and a ravaged electrical network," Reuters reported.

In Haiti, at least 43 people are dead and thousands are homeless as Noel blew North out of range. In a nation prone to devastating flooding in such storms, the most immediate needs will be for food, shelter, sanitation and drinking water.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti said its soldiers helped to evacuate 8,000 people, distributed 4,500 meals and provided medical assistance to 280 patients, mostly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and cities in the southwest – Leogane, where the diocese supports one of the country's major hospitals, Jacmel and Les Cayes.

Refugees from the flooding are being sheltered in schools in Port-au-Prince.

Noel was beginning to lose organization as a tropical cyclone November 2 as it moved northeast into the open Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center was still recommending that residents along the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina northwards monitor Noel's progress.

Contributions for flood relief should be sent to: The Dominican Development Group, P.O. Box 661, Ellenton, FL 34222.

The Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic is one of the Episcopal Church's 12 overseas dioceses.

Episcopal News Service
Matthew Davies is editor of Episcopal Life Online. Nan Cobbey, associate editor of Episcopal Life, contributed to this report.