HELP HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!

ST. ALBANS, NY, After more than a week of torrential rainfalls and flash flooding, Haitis political crisis has been overtaken by a natural catastrophe of horrendous proportions. Some villages in southeastern Haiti are under ten feet of water. Entire towns have been completely wiped out. So far, more than a thousand Haitians have perished. The final death toll may exceed two thousand people. As many as 10,000 Haitians living around the small towns of Mapou and Fond Verrettes have been displaced.
The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has been spared from natures wrath. Jumani and a number of other villages and towns in the southwest corner of the DR have been severely damaged. Nearly 400 residents in this region have been killed. Hundreds more are missing. Thousands have lost their homes and livelihoods.
We know from their history that Haiti and the Dominican Republic are resilient nations, but neither country can hope to recover from the devastation they are enduring without international aid, especially from the United States. Under difficult conditions, American military personnel deployed in Haiti as part of a UN-sanctioned multinational force, are ferrying relief supplies to the flood-damaged areas. New York City has sent relief personnel. A number of state governments are sending help. Numerous private U.S. relief organizations have sprung into action. I commend our military forces in Haiti, state and municipal government rescue operations, and private relief organizations for their valiant efforts to assist the Haitian and Dominican people.
However, it is crystal clear that this will not be enough. Our two neighbors with whom we share a special relationship are experiencing the worst natural disaster in Caribbean history. I call on the residents of the Sixth Congressional District to respond immediately and generously. Check with local and state emergence services, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), radio or television news stations, the International Red Cross, Catholic Charities, World Vision, and other reputable relief organizations, or with Haitian and Dominican support groups, to find out where donations can be sent.
I appeal especially to President Bush to make the resources of not only the U.S. military but also the array of federal disaster rescue, relief, and international aid agencies available. The aid rendered to both countries must be immediate and massive. But, it also must be sustained and varied, including flood control and reforestation. The United States government can and must make the difference between life and death, between recovery and further dislocation, between hope and hopelessness in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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