Silver Spring, Maryland--In response to heavy rainfall caused by the season's intense hurricanes and tropical storms, including Tropical Storm Noel, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is working to mitigate the effects of the disasters that have flooded Mexico and elsewhere.
Heavy rains between October 28 and November 1, particularly from Noel, caused catastrophic flooding throughout southern Mexico, affecting more than two million in the states of Tabasco, Chiapas, San Luis Potosi, and northern Veracruz.
In the southeastern state of Tabasco, United Nations reports indicate that nearly two million people have been affected by flooding. More than 50 percent of Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco, is still submerged.
Although the cleanup process has begun and the local government works to stabilize communities, nearly 50,000 homes remain without electricity and more than 150,000 people still remain in shelters.
ADRA Mexico and its local partners, in coordination with United Nations and government agencies, are currently responding to the immediate needs of survivors, operating 23 shelters and providing three warm meals a day for nearly 2,000 survivors.
Teams of volunteers equipped with water pumps and cleaning equipment, supplies, and disinfectants are providing assistance to families as they clear their homes from the bacteria, debris, and stagnant water left behind by the disaster.
In addition, volunteer medical teams are working with the government health department to provide medical assistance and vaccines for survivors in 15 flood-affected communities in Tabasco.
ADRA Mexico plans to expand its response by distributing kitchen kits with stoves and fuel to 500 families to help them provide meals for themselves as they re-establish their lives.
Along with the response in Mexico, ADRA continues to respond to survivors' needs in the aftermath of flooding in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
To donate to ADRA's emergency response effort to aid survivors of the flooding plaguing the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or donate online to ADRA's Emergency Response fund at www.adra.org.
Updates will be released as ADRA's response efforts expand.
ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.
Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.
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Author:
Nadia McGill
Media Contact:
Kara Watkins
ADRA International
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Phone: 301.680.6357
E-mail: Media.Inquiries@adra.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
