Emergency Response

November 5, 2007

Devastating storms have forced nearly a million people from their homes in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco while the people of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and eastern Cuba are struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Noel.

United Church of Canada staff are in touch with networks and partners in each of the affected regions.

Dominican authorities report that Noel resulted in the deaths of 85 people. More than 66,000 people are displaced, with about a third of them in government shelters across the country. A total of 136 communities are cut off and 46 bridges and roads have been destroyed.

In Haiti, 57 people were reported killed, and heavy rain hampered relief efforts by UN and Haitian officials in the flooded southern peninsula.

The same storm forced the evacuation of 30,000 people in the eastern provinces of Cuba, where 60 percent of roads and highways were damaged or flooded.

In Mexico, flood waters have scarcely receded in low-lying Tabasco. Officials have struggled to deliver food and water to people in shelters or stranded in communities that are cut off by high water.

How United Church Members Can Help

• Pray: From the General Council Office, our thoughts and prayers go out to our sisters and brothers who have been affected by Hurricane Noel. United Church members across Canada are urged also to pray for the people who live in affected communities.
• Donate: If you wish to make a donation, funds collected will be shared directly with networks in the region. Cheques and online donations should be made payable to The United Church of Canada and marked "Caribbean Hurricane Noel Relief." The funds will be regarded as supragifts.

Please note: Supragifts cannot be counted as M&S Fund credits. However, they are eligible for tax receipts. Congregational treasurers may receive and receipt individual cheques and then forward one congregational cheque to the United Church.

For further information, please contact:

Jim Hodgson
Caribbean/Central America Regional Program Coordinator
Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit (JGER)
Tel: 416-231-5931 ext. 4013
Toll-free: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 4013
E-mail: Jim Hodgson