Caribbean flood toll 1 400

2004-05-31 09:29

Jimani, Dominican Republic - Flash flooding has killed 385 people in this small Dominican town near the border with Haiti, where 996 more died in the natural disaster.

"We believe in God and in generous souls to build a new Jimani," said relief coordinator Jose Ramon de la Cruz.

The Rio Blanco, whose source is in Haiti, overflowed its banks in the early morning hours of May 24.

One of the most-devastated areas was hit on Saturday by a mild earthquake, further hampering international rescuers racing to deliver aid to the injured and homeless.

With clean drinking water at a premium and the widespread rupture of sewage lines, authorities said there was the added worry of epidemics.

Helicopters spread disinfectant over the town of Jimani, 280 kilometres southwest of the capital, to prevent the spread of disease.

Sixteen Dominicans died outside Jimani, bringing to 401 the number of deaths in the Dominican Republic, according to the National Centre for Emergencies. Between the two countries, 1 397 are known to have died.

Many of the dead have been buried in mass graves.

"People have not only economic needs, but psychological as well, for a trauma that is difficult to overcome," the priest said.

An army of rescuers, firefighters and the Red Cross dug into mud-covered homes and streets looking for survivors, although hopes were all but gone of finding anyone alive six days after the floods hit.

The priest said a "new Jimani" would be elsewhere.

"We cannot even think of reconstruction because conditions are such that people cannot stay here even provisionally. We have to think about building in a new area," he said.

De la Cruz said Japan had donated $100 000. The United States sent $50 000. France sent thousands of meals and military tents, while the United Nations promised 100 tents.

With roads cut off, emergency relief teams struggled to get to the worst-hit villages, which are underneath as many as three metres of water.

With more rain expected, Dominican authorities warned people to stay away from low-lying areas near rivers and valleys.

Spanish State Secretary for Cooperation, Leire Pajin, said her country would ask the EU to provide reconstruction aid to the two countries.

Spain announced it will deliver 30 tons of material next week, while the UN development mission in the Dominican Republic will donate about $750 000 for people who have lost their homes.

In Haiti, floods affected over 16 000 people, 10 000 of whom are in the area of Mapou Belle-Anse and 6 000 in Fond-Verrettes, where medical teams and rescue workers set up aid centres.

From Port-au-Prince, US military helicopters shuttled drinking water, food and temporary shelter to the affected areas.

In Mapou, thanks to a US helicopter carrying an inflatable boat, a team of French Red Cross workers and staff of Doctors Without Borders helped Haitian rescuers recover bodies and animal carcasses from the water.

- AFP