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CWS, Dominicans work to recover from 'catastrophic disaster'

Residents try to salvage what they can from their homes, including mattresses, which are carried outside to dry. Photo: Don Tatlock

November 15, 2007

By Don Tatlock
Church World Service

Church World Service continues its work in supporting partners in the Dominican Republic who are responding to needs following flooding caused by Tropical Storm Noel. Lorenzo Mota King, director of long-time CWS partner Social Service of Dominican Churches (SSID), has called Noel the "most catastrophic disaster of recent years," and the latest available figures from the Dominican Republic's National Emergency Commission (CNE) indicate that 85 were killed as a result of the storm; 48 remain missing. Some 65,908 remain displaced - 26,426 in shelters; some 1,879 homes were destroyed. Church World Service Central America and Caribbean Liaison Don Tatlock is currently in the DR working with SSID. What follows is a report from Tatlock on recovery efforts in one of the "bateyes," -- poor rural communities mainly located in areas where sugar cane is raised and harvested.

BATEYE LAS BOMBITAS, BARAHONA, Dominican Republic -- Even though it has been more than 10 days since heavy rains caused by Hurricane Noel resulted in heavy flooding, more than 100 communities are reportedly still inaccessible and incommunicado due to the flooding and poor roadway conditions.

Conditions in one hard-to-reach area -- Bateye Las Bombitas, south of Santo Domingo in the municipality of Barahona --demonstrated the difficulties facing the predominately Haitian and Haitian-Dominican communities trying to recover from the disaster.

Upon reaching Bateye Las Bomitas, we had to stop the convoy of vehicles, turn around and park the vehicles outside the entrance to the community. Once we entered the community, it was difficult for me and for staff members of Servicio Social de Iglesias Dominicana (SSID), a local Church World Service partner, to easily maneuver through the mud-covered streets.

Still, we were eventually able to speak to members of a community that was well-established but clearly hurting.

"Our houses are still full of mud and as you can see, we have lost many of our furnishings, refrigerators and household goods" said Alta Gracia Mendez Nicolas, the mother of seven children. "We have lost most of our agriculture production and know we are making it by food donations and whatever we can scrape together."

Workers unload canned meat provided by the Church of the Brethren. As agricultural production was nearly wiped out, food donations are the only way many in the bateyes are sustained.
Photo: Don Tatlock

In front of many homes were mattresses -- people needed to dry them out during the day because they had nothing else to use for sleeping.

On our visit, we distributed CWS blankets and canned meat donated by the Church of the Brethren, as well as other donations provided by local Dominican churches and the general public, held after a radio telethon.

"It was very fortunate and a blessing from God for us to have recently received a shipment from CWS of blankets, canned meat and five-gallon water jugs," Mota King of SSID said about a "pre-positioning" shipment from CWS that arrived just prior to the flooding.

"With the solidarity of the churches and people of the United States and the solidarity of our own population, we are able to bring a little temporary relief, a drop of hope, to many of the families affected and unprepared for one of the worst storms in the Caribbean since Hurricane George."

He added: "Our goal now is to provide emergency aid -- food supplies, clothing and mattresses. However, we are planning and preparing for a long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction in the agriculture area and housing for many of the families."

Contributions to support this recovery work may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: 2007 Caribbean Storms (Appeal #6759).

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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