Contact: Press Office, 202-712-4320, Public Information, 202-712-4810, www.usaid.gov

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has airlifted additional emergency relief supplies to flood victims in the Dominican Republic. The total USAID contribution for the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Noel is approximately $950,000, to date. An eight-person USAID disaster assessment team conducted rapid assessments of the flood-affected areas alongside local officials, and as a result, additional USAID relief commodities were airlifted to the country immediately after the needs were identified.

Arriving in Santo Domingo on Sunday, Nov. 4, the additional USAID relief supplies provided were:

·         Ten 10,000-liter water bladders, each of which - when full - can serve between 600 and 700 people

·         150 rolls of plastic sheeting, which can provide shelter for approximately 15,000 families

·         An additional 5,088 family hygiene kits & 5,400 water containers

USAID previously airlifted 6,000 each of water containers, blankets and hygiene kits that will benefit an estimated 30,000 people. In addition to commodities, USAID has also provided funds to the Dominican Republic for the local purchase and transport of shelter materials as well as for water and sanitation and other emergency relief activities.

In coordination with the U.S. Embassy, USAID Mission, Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard, the USAID disaster assessment team continues to work with local officials to identify additional needs and ensure assistance quickly reaches those in need.

During the 2007 hurricane season, USAID emergency humanitarian assistance programs have responded to storms in Belize, Dominica, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua and St. Lucia. Including this additional assistance to the Dominican Republic, USAID's total humanitarian assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean for hurricanes this season is nearly $3.35 million, to date. In addition to responding to disasters, USAID has funded more than $57 million in disaster preparedness and mitigation programs in the Latin American and Caribbean regions since 1998.

For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/

The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.