Washington, September 25, 1998- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an appeal for funds to aid the health sectors of the Dominican Republic and Haiti and to make emergency repairs to health facilities in the northeastern Caribbean damaged by Hurricane Georges.
PAHO has mobilized its disaster preparedness and emergency relief experts to the affected countries, and has set up special supply management teams in St. Kitts, Antigua, the Dominican Republic and Haiti to coordinate relief supplies, said PAHO's Dr. Claude de Ville. Hurricane Georges, a Category III storm with winds over 100 mph, caused over 100 deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in major damage in its swath through the Caribbean, leaving thousands of persons homeless.
The Organization is asking for $720,000 for emergency supplies and activities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Dr. de Ville said. In Haiti, at least $375,000 is needed to buy medicines and supplies lost in the hurricane, to provide first aid equipment, surveillance, control and testing measures for water-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and diarrheal disease, and to clean up hospitals and health services affected by flooding, he said.
In the Dominican Republic, where health facilities were seriously damaged and thousands have been displaced from their homes, $345,000 is needed for medicines, insecticides, water testing equipment, latrines, surgical supplies, emergency repairs, and support.
In the Caribbean islands, several hospitals and health facilities
suffered serious damage, according to Dr. de Ville. At the Joseph N. France
Hospital, in St. Kitts, "It is estimated that 90% of this hospital has been
lost. An engineer is now in the process of conducting a detailed survey and
assessment of the damage sustained," Dr. de Ville said. Roofs that were replaced
following Hurricane Luis in 1995 were all severely damaged or lost again and
other areas have also been seri
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Contact: Daniel Epstein
epsteind@paho.org
(202) 974-3459
Pan American Health Organization
25-Sep-1998