EU humanitarian aid for flood victims in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Summary: June 4, 2004: Commission provides €2 million in humanitarian aid for flood victims in Haiti and the Dominican Republic (Brussels)

The Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission (ECHO) is providing €2 million in humanitarian aid for the victims of the floods that struck Haiti and the Dominican Republic on 24 May. The funds are earmarked mainly for water/sanitation activities and for emergency supplies of essential items including shelters, cooking equipment and hygiene products. ECHO responded promptly to the flooding, immediately sending its expert based in Santo Domingo to the crisis zone to assess needs and, in liaison with other main humanitarian organisations, to identify where relief could be provided speedily and effectively. Despite access problems in the isolated flood-hit rural areas, ECHO partners have already been able to provide much needed initial aid for the stricken region, where up to 50,000 highly vulnerable people have been identified.

Priority areas identified for ECHO-funded assistance are:

Water/sanitation projects, epidemiological surveillance and medical supplies. Water infrastructures have been destroyed in the floods and sources of clean water have been contaminated, sharply increasing the risk of disease.
Temporary shelters and emergency kits containing basic items (such as cooking equipment and hygiene products). Many families have lost their homes and all their possessions.
Support for agricultural recovery efforts in areas of the Dominican Republic that were hit by severe flooding in November 2003 and where the population had not yet recovered from the effects of the earlier disaster.

The affected area is one of the poorest on the island of Hispaniola. Haiti already faced serious humanitarian problems as a result of the political crisis combined with extreme poverty, and ECHO has therefore been providing substantial relief assistance, with funding of €7.6 million over the last six months. This includes €400,000 for relief efforts, allocated in December 2003, following the previous episode of serious flooding.

The Dominican Republic, although more prosperous, was badly affected by floods as well, at the end of last year, and ECHO responded with €700,000 in humanitarian assistance. It also funds disaster preparedness activities in recognition of the country's vulnerability to weather-related events.

Ref: EC04-138EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 4/6/2004

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