Produced by Riot House for Discover Dominica, during the 2015 DOMINICA FILM CHALLENGE
On the night of September 18th, 2017, Hurricane Maria, described as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of up to 160mph, made landfall on the tiny Caribbean nation of Dominica, silencing the entire island and effectively cutting off its roughly 72,000 inhabitants from the rest of the world, for days.
The strongest hurricane on record to strike "the Nature Isle", ferocious Maria claimed 27 lives, stripped the once lush landscape of vegetation and disrupted essential supply lines for power and water.
All health centers on the island, including the Princess Margaret General Hospital have been affected. Given its mountainous topography, widespread landslides have also blocked roadways making it difficult for aid workers to access affected people in remote areas.
The scene was described as one of
"total destruction" by first responders to land on the island, reduced to tatters like a debris field; "Cars sat flipped over on the streets, their wheels facing the sky and the country’s lush farmland – planted with crops such as bananas and sweet potatoes – had been decimated. People were really lost and traumatized”
Three weeks later, the situation is improving slowly; however,
continued assistance is required to meet basic and growing health-related needs.
Below excerpts are from a report produced by the United Nations in collaboration with humanitarian partners in Dominica. It covers the period 4 to 7 October, 2017:
"Food and safe water distribution remains a priority as the majority of commercial businesses remains closed and water supply systems have only been partly re-established. Foreign military assets assisted in the air and sea delivery of immediate relief supplies during the first two weeks of the response. Most have now departed as road access has improved however, there are
limited vehicles available for delivery of relief items and clearance of solid waste.
At least 100 metric tons (MT) of food have been delivered as of 6 October, which has met the needs of about half of the population in 80% of the locations/villages of the country for an average period of three days. Some 89,000 liters of water have been delivered, while
tens of thousands of people continue to require food and water assistance every day.
The Roseau (capital) city sewage network sustained damage and raw sewage water is outflowing in several streets within the city
exposing the population to serious health risks. A rapid assessment by Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO), USAID and UNICEF revealed that the technical, human and financial support required to ensure that sewage system becomes operational again is significant. A detailed assessment conducted by experts is pending.
Water and electricity services are returning in the main urban centers although periodic breakages continue to be reported, and much of the rural areas remain without water."
Basically in a nutshell, the needs are immense, and might almost seem too daunting,
so really, what can you do?We recognize that several relief-raising campaigns may have emerged immediately following the event, and so many concerned individuals may have already contributed to relief support in some way or another. If this describes you, the people of the island surely thank you so much as every little bit counts!
We simply ask for your help in this case, to share the link, and spread the word through this campaign further. Our aim is to raise awareness of the ongoing need, and create an opportunity for anyone still so inclined, to channel financial support to organizations that will be on the ground for the medium to long haul.
This campaign partners with the
NGO; Doctors In Our Circle, a group of doctors, some of Dominican descent, others who studied at the (American) Ross University School of Medicine on the island, with the primary focus of addressing the immediate medical crisis and alleviating the demands on the badly damaged central hospital which has also lost its roof.
https://www.gofundme.com/Doctors-In-Our-Circle
Donating to either campaign will effectively have the same net result in terms of where your funds go.
Finally, what's this "Global Relief Run" about?
Run with us alongside the campaign to find out!Harnessing the positive potential of technology and social media, we hope to leverage the strategic global positioning of our network, spanning nearly 20 countries across all continents (excluding Antarctica) for building awareness on the plight of our regional friends and neighbours.
Free for all to get on board, this will be a charity run across time zones!
We hope through this initiative, to generate extended interest in supporting local relief efforts in Dominica, as much as in Mexico following the severe impact of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, described as the "deadliest in decades".
Our #Mexico relief campaign is found at the following link:
https://www.gofundme.com/global-relief-run-71mexico
Stay tuned for more details on "Global Relief Run 7.1" in the coming weeks, including updated country listings where "runners" are confirmed, to find out if you can join an already growing team at your location, or may want to consider adding your country to the worldwide mission!
Truth be told, none of us can ever know when we might find ourselves at the mercy of the world's compassion due to the unrelenting and very unpredictable forces of nature...
Let's help the people of these nations to help themselves..no contribution is too small, and they need us now!
#alllivesmatter GlobalReliefRun7.1#Mexico, GlobalReliefRun7.1#Dominica
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