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Stamford, CT, September 28 2004 – AmeriCares has distributed more than $1 million in relief aid to Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada and the southeastern United States in response to the widespread destruction wielded by four hurricanes in six weeks.
In Haiti, an AmeriCares relief shipment of 23,000 pounds of medical and relief supplies arrived on Monday, September 27. This shipment was valued at more than $800,000 and included antibiotics, analgesics, nutritional supplements, IV solutions, basic first aid supplies, personal hygiene products and clothing.
More than 1,500 people are dead, one thousand others are missing and another 200,000 are homeless in the northern city of Gonaïves after Tropical Storm Jeanne caused severe flooding on September 17.
“This is the third time in six months we have responded to emergencies in Haiti. This latest crisis brings with it the threat of disease and widespread illness,” said Carol Shattuck, AmeriCares chief administrative officer. “With our first shipment now in Haiti, we are continuing to monitor the critical needs and will respond on an ongoing basis.”
The effort in Haiti is only part of the comprehensive relief efforts organized by AmeriCares in response to the hurricane season this year, starting with aid to Florida after Hurricane Charley in August. Earlier this month, AmeriCares deployed more than 34,000 pounds of relief materials valued at $215,000 to the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Grenada, both of which were hard hit by Hurricane Ivan. Closer to home, AmeriCares teamed up with the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, which donated $150,000 worth of personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies for distribution in Mobile, Alabama after Hurricane Ivan. Kimberly-Clark’s factory in Mobile employs nearly 800 people.
“We always plan for hurricane season, because we know it’s coming,” said Shattuck. “But this one has been so strong and so devastating… And the most vulnerable people seem to be the most severely impacted.”