Hurricane Fiona hit the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic causing historic flooding and widespread power outages. Many groups providing emergency relief services and essential supplies to communities hardest hit by the storm need support. Because Puerto Rico is still rebuilding from the damage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the flooding, power and communication outages caused by Fiona threaten lives and communities on both islands. We have identified several entities in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico that support community response and recovery efforts. These next few days are essential to get emergency services and supplies to those who need it most.
ISER Caribe, with the support of La Casa de las Américas at LaGuardia Community College, will be channeling efforts to support the recovery and mutual support processes for the affected communities in Samaná, Dominican Republic; and the communities of La Playa in Ponce, the Western municipalities and the mountainous region of Castañer in Puerto Rico where we have contacts and collaborations with local entities. As we compile information on the different affected communities and their needs, we have been asked for basic resources such as solar lamps, water filtration systems, non-perishable food, OTC medicines and clothing among other things. There is also a great need for building materials to protect affected homes and household appliances.
For those who want to support, we will be raising funds through our non-profit organization ISER Caribe, which will be used for the following efforts. In Samaná we are in contact with the St. Peter Evangelist Church, the Mother Bethel Methodist Church, the Rotary Club of Samaná and several environmental organizations. At Playa de Ponce we will be supporting the community organization Un Nuevo Amanecer. We will use our office in Cabo Rojo as a collection and service center for the municipalities of western PR and the mountainous region of Castañer.
Our goals are to offer long-term solutions that improve the quality of life of communities made invisible by the political-economic system that prevails in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The funds raised will support our technical assistance and communities to develop redundancy with respect to essential service systems for electricity, drinking water, agriculture and analog communication. Our work will be focused on helping these communities resist the onslaught of future disaster events caused by atmospheric phenomena such as hurricanes Irma, María and Fiona.
For those interested in supporting the efforts in the Dominican Republic, you can send funds to Samaná directly through the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña or the Rotary Club of Samaná. Their information is below.
ISER Caribe:
Paypal.me/isercaribe
Samaná Rotary Club
Cuenta Corriente Banco BHD León 28567310010
Account: Peña por un mejor Pais
Direct donation to Luis Omar Fernandez 00112887682
Savings Account in Banreserva Bank #9605107402
Pastor Jerlin Felix Diaz pastor of the Saint Peters Evangelical Church in Samana
Banreserva bank savings account number 1101650365
