Help Needed for Gustav Victims

-MEDIA ALERT-

Coconut Creek, Fla. (August 29, 2008,) – Initial reports from a leading international aid agency indicate that Gustav’s rampage through the Caribbean has left widespread damage –and that the toll will likely head higher. The agency says it is seeking donations to speed additional help to storm victims.

Florida-based Food For The Poor says Hurricane Gustav caused massive flooding throughout the southwestern portion of Haiti when it came ashore there Tuesday afternoon. Workers at the nonprofit’s Port-au-Prince offices reported hundreds of homes were destroyed near the town of Miragoane and there has been a surge in the number of Haitians seeking assistance at one of the agency’s feeding centers.

In Jamaica, workers at the agency’s office in Spanish Town, west of Kingston, said roads throughout the island were impassable due to flooding and numerous reports of damaged homes and businesses were coming in. Heavy rains and high winds also caused landslides and downed power lines.

News reports say the powerful storm has killed as many as 78 people in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. That number may climb as Gustav passes over Cayman Islands and the western portions of Cuba. From there, Gustav is predicted to pick up strength over the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall early next week along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma says his agency needs donations to purchase additional building materials to repair storm-damaged homes in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.

To help the victims of Hurricane Gustav, log onto www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Food For The Poor is the second largest international relief and development organization in the nation. With more than 96% of all donations going directly to programs that help those in need, Food For The Poor provides nourishing food, safe shelter, necessary medical care, educational materials, support for orphans and the aged, and much more to the poorest of the poor in 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Contact:
Ann Briere
(954) 427-2222 x 6614



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