Speeches Shim
On October 5, the USAID Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) delivered an additional 150 rolls of plastic sheeting, as well as water containers, to support storm-affected Dominicans. On October 3, the DART delivered an additional 160 plastic sheets and 100 blankets to Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials for onward distribution to Jimmitt, Dominica.
On the night of September 18, Hurricane Maria struck the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm. Maria’s relentless rains and winds devastated the country, killing at least 27 people and affecting all 71,000 island residents.
Within days of Maria’s passage, members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)— originally activated for early September’s Hurricane Irma—arrived in Dominica to assess conditions. Noting the critical need for materials to repair roofs, the DART quickly mobilized an initial 400 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting, sufficient to assist up to 20,000 people, from USAID stockpiles in Miami, Florida.
Overall, the humanitarian situation in Dominica has improved, with a gradual restoration of road access, as well as electricity and water supplies, according to the UN and other relief organizations. While humanitarian response efforts continue, the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) and other stakeholders are beginning to shift their focus to early recovery.
Members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on Dominica are coordinating with stakeholders to meet the urgent needs of hurricane-affected populations. To ensure the rapid delivery of assistance throughout the island, particularly isolated areas, the DART is working closely with Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials and Joint Task Force-Leeward Islands (JTF-LI), consisting of members from DoD’s Southern Command.
On September 26 and 27, four flights carrying a combined 45 metric tons (MT) of USAID/OFDA relief commodities—including plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, water containers, and blankets sufficient for approximately 30,000 beneficiaries—arrived in Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Sint Maarten. With these flights, USAID/OFDA has airlifted a total of more than 151 MT of relief supplies for the humanitarian response in the Caribbean. Previous flights had transported USAID/OFDA relief items to Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas.
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