Bonn/Port-au-Prince. In the aftermath of hurricanes "Hanna" and "Gustav" in the Caribbean, Welthungerhilfe is making an urgent appeal for donations for the victims of the storms in Haiti. The organisation is also releasing 100,000 euros for immediate relief measures.
Welthungerhilfe's project areas both in the north and south of the country were ravaged by storms, reports Michael Kühn, Welthungerhilfe's Regional Director for Haiti. "Heavy rains have flooded entire towns and villages," he explains. "At least 12,000 Haitians are directly affected in our project areas in the north of the island."
In the north storms have claimed lives, while innumerable houses, fields and public buildings have been submerged and destroyed. Access roads are blocked. Many have been left homeless. "We're only slowly getting information from the affected areas," reports Kühn, "but the data we do have already suggests the worst." Welthungerhilfe will be supplying victims of the storms with emergency shelter, food supplies and drinking water.
In the south of the Caribbean island, where only days prior to "Hanna" hurricane "Gustav" was causing havoc, many people also need help: "Initial reports coming in from our partner organisation show that many victims need food and tools in order to cope with the damage wreaked by the storm there."
The entire island is now watching on in fear as the next tropical hurricanes "Ike" and "Josephine" continue their approach to the Caribbean. "We can only hope that the next hurricanes leave Haiti and the other Caribbean islands untouched," says Kühn. Further rises in food prices are already feared in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
Welthungerhilfe is calling for donations to help the victims of storms in Haiti:
Welthungerhilfe
Account Number 1115
Sparkasse KölnBonn
Sorting Code 370 501 98
Reference: Haiti Hurricane
Michael Kühn, Welthungerhilfe's Regional Director for Haiti, is available for interview in Port-au-Prince upon request.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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