Date: Fri, 8 Sep 95 12:34:38 EDT
From: Emergency Information Administrator
Subject: Caribbean: Hurricane DHA-04
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
CARIBBEAN - Hurricane
Fact Sheet #4 September 8, 1995
Note: The previous fact sheet was dated September 7, 1995.
Background: After battering the northern leeward islands from
September 4 to September 6, Hurricane Luis has cleared the
Caribbean. Luis currently is located about 640 miles south-
southwest of Bermuda. The Government of Bermuda has issued a
tropical storm watch and a tropical storm warning is in effect
for the Bahamas.
Numbers Affected: There have been no official estimates of the
number of people in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Luis.
Media reports indicate that at least 10 people (1 in Guadeloupe
and 9 in St. Maarten) have been killed, dozens are missing and
thousands have been left homeless but these have not been
confirmed by official sources.
Current Situation: Damage reports continue to come in from the
islands affected by Hurricane Luis. The four-person BHR/OFDA
disaster assessment team will complete its assessment of Antigua
today. So far, the team is reporting that the loss of roofs
appears to be the most serious problem, followed by the lack of
electricity, water and telephones. While the island's
electricity generation and transmission systems weathered
Hurricane Luis well, distribution lines are down all over the
island. The island's water distribution and telephone services
are dependent on these lines, hence the disruption in these
services. The team found Antigua's public hospital to be
operating at 75% its capacity. As previously reported, the
hospital suffered extensive damage to its roof. As of today, the
hospital has only a two-day supply of water remaining. Since
the distribution d on other islands and are working to gather
information on the extent of the damage caused by Luis and the
needs resulting from it. The island nation of Antigua & Barbuda
appears to have been damaged most extensively. The pharmacy and
surgery wards of the island's public hospital were destroyed and
its roof taken off. Thousands of houses, several health posts
and schools were damaged or destroyed. Its international airport
is open but navigational equipment is not functioning, there is
no electric power, no water and no telephonic communication. In
addition, two hotels were washed into the sea and destroyed.
Montserrat, which had 90% of its housing destroyed by Hurricane
Hugo in 1989 and currently is threatened by a volcanic eruption,
emerged from Hurricane Luis with widespread but manageable
damage. Dominica suffered principally from the wind and rains
which caused landslides, inflicted severe damage in the coastal
zone and may have damaged up to 80% of the banana crop. Reports
indicate that the northern and eastern sections of the island are
cut off from the capital due to flooding and landslides, and that
two bridges are unusable. Communications have been restored. In
St. Kitts & Nevis, the government headquarters, several other
public buildings and the main hospital were damaged, as were
numerous houses and commercial establishments, including tourist
hotels. Its services are still in operation.
Humanitarian Assistance: Caribbean neighbors of the islands
affected by Hurricane Luis are offering assistance in the form of
military reconstruction teams, cash donations, technical support,
food, housing materials, clothing and other non-food items. In
addition, international donors such as the Eastern Caribbean
Donor Group (chaired by the U.N. Development Program in
Barbados), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC) and the International Maritime Satellite Organization
(INMARSAT) as well as the Governments of Canada and the United
Kingdom and the European Union are assisting in relief efforts.
On a regional level, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response
Agency (CDERA), the Caribbean Disaster Response Unit (CDRU) and
the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) are conducting
assessments, prioritizing needs and coordinating disaster relief
assistance.
U.S. Government (USG) Assistance: The U.S. Ambassador in
Barbados, who is accredited to each independent Eastern Caribbean
state, declared a disaster on September 5 for Hurricane Luis in
the islands of Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis and Dominica.
On the same day, BHR/OFDA dispatched $25,000 to the Embassy.
These funds will be dispersed quickly once needs have been
clarified and prioritized by the four-person BHR/OFDA assessment
team which arrived in Antigua yesterday. The team's first
priority will be to survey Antigua's damaged public hospital and
determine what is needed for it to resume basic operations.
Contrary to previous reports, the hospital was not completely
destroyed and has been able to continue operations in three wards
on a limited scale.
A BHR/OFDA-funded airlift of relief commodities will arrive in
Antigua today at approximately 2:30 pm EDT. The 40,000-pound
shipment includes 4,500 blankets, four 3,000-gallon water
containers, 1,000 five-gallon water jugs, four chain saws, 400
pairs of gloves, 100 tents and 240,000 sq. ft. of plastic
sheeting to be used as temporary shelter. The value of the
commodities and their transport is $140,000. These items will be
distributed by CDERA and the CRDU.
BHR/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance FY 1995 . . . . . . . . $165,000
distributed by
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