SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The U.S. hurricane relief effort for the Dominican Republic gained momentum Sunday, with tons of food, water and supplies being brought in to help thousands of struggling storm victims.
The United States shipped about $500,000 worth of supplies, including enough plastic sheeting to provide makeshift roofs for 15,000 homes damaged by Hurricane Georges last week.
More aid was coming, said Hugh Parmer, head of disaster relief for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
At least six U.S. military helicopters were due today to carry relief supplies and help rescuers reach towns cut off by flooding, downed bridges and debris-choked roads, Parmer said.
More than 200 people were killed and 100,000 made homeless when Hurricane Georges struck the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. Most victims died in flooding or mudslides. Substandard homes proved no match for the hurricane’s destructive power and the rivers it flooded.
Across the Caribbean, Georges killed more than 300 people, including at least 87 in Haiti, five in Cuba, three in St. Kitts and two in Antigua. At least three were killed in Puerto Rico, where damage surpassed $2 billion.