The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is providing emergency food aid to displaced families in the Dominican Republic. The Caribbean island nation suffered widespread flooding and destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene last month.
ADRA distributed a two-week supply of food items common to the local diet to families in the province of San Cristobal, one of the most seriously affected areas of the country.
The emergency response specifically targeted households with children less than six years of age. Four days after Irene made landfall, ADRA delivered more than 400 sacks of food to displaced families, many of whom are staying in makeshift shelters. Local ADRA headquarters in Dominican Republic distributed hot meals for 500 people over two days.
Reports indicate that hurricane-triggered floods and landslides have caused much of the damage in the Dominican Republic. Water levels in some areas remain dangerously high, threatening to flood, and in some cases, collapse main bridges. The overflowing Yubazo and Nigua rivers destroyed dozens of homes, displacing or leaving homeless thousands of families.
For updates, visit adra.org.