Date: Mon, 11 Sep 95 17:57:13 EDT
From: Emergency Information Administrator
Subject: Caribbean: Hurricane OFDA-05
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
CARIBBEAN - Hurricane
Fact Sheet #5 September 10, 1995
Note: The previous fact sheet was dated September 8, 1995.
Background: After battering the northern leeward islands from
September 4 to September 6, Hurricane Luis has cleared the
Caribbean. As of 11:00 am EDT, Luis was located about 505 miles
south-southwest of Bermuda. The Government of Bermuda has issued
a tropical storm warning.
Numbers Affected: There have been no official estimates of the
number of people in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Luis. A
BHR/OFDA assessment team reported 2 people killed and 155 injured
in Antigua. Media reports indicate that at least 13 people have
been killed, dozens are missing and thousands have been left
homeless but these have not been confirmed by official sources.
Current Situation: The four-person BHR/OFDA team has completed
its assessments of Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts and is
finalizing its findings. To date, the BHR/OFDA team has not
been able to visit St. Maarten, but reports indicate that it
suffered massive damage, including injuries and fatalities. Many
tourists were on the island when Hurricane Luis struck and
efforts to evacuate them commenced on September 7. On that day,
the British High Commission in Antigua evacuated 300 British
citizens by charter flight. On September 9, a U.S. military C-
130 aircraft evacuated two plane loads of American tourists.
Commercial airlines also are beginning to charter flights to
evacuate tourists.
Humanitarian Assistance: The Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) has issued an emergency health appeal for $990,000 for
Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis and Montserrat. The
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC) also has launched an appeal for $1,163,934. In addition,
PAHO, the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs
(UNDHA), the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), the U.N.
International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), several private
sector and non-governmental agencies and the Governments of the
Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, the
United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have contributed
cash, technical support, food and non-food emergency assistance
through means other than PAHO's appeal.
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 for
the islands of Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis and Dominica.
On the same day, BHR/OFDA dispatched $25,000 to the Embassy. A
BHR/OFDA-funded airlift of relief commodities arrived in Antigua
on September 7 at 2:50 pm EDT. The 40,000-pound shipment, worth
$140,000 including transport, contained 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. On September
6, the Ambassador declared a second disaster for St. Kitts &
Nevis for which BHR/OFDA provided another $25,000. A second
BHR/OFDA 50,000-pound airlift of 1,875 blankets and 739,296 sq.
ft. of plastic sheeting, worth approximately $130,000 including
transport, arrived in Antigua at 9:00 am EDT on September 9. The
shipment also included communications equipment. A third 70,000-
pound relief flight is being configured today. It is anticipated
that the airlift will arrive at 9:00 am EDT on September 11 and
will consist of 856,800 sq. ft. of plastic sheeting,
approximately 3,500 blankets, 1,000 five-gallon water jugs, four
chain saws, and 216 pairs of gloves from OFDA stockpiles. The
shipment will also include commodities donated by the American
Red Cross, including 300 cots, 500 blankets, and 48 rolls of
plastic sheeting. An estimation of the value of this shipment,
which will cost approximately $65,000 to transport, currently is
not available. The relief items will be provided to persons in
need in both St. Kitts and Antigua.
BHR/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance FY 1995 . . . . . . . . $385,000
distributed by
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