In recent days, the international press has given wide coverage to the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew as it passed through the Caribbean. In Haiti it claimed more than 800 fatal victims, and an estimated 1,400,000 people need help to deal with the destruction of infrastructure, housing, property and crops caused by the storm. Haiti, the country with the highest poverty rate of all the American continent, which is not yet fully recovered from the 2010 earthquake, is now suffering this new catastrophe.
In the Dominican Republic, Hurricane Matthew ―one of the most powerful in the last decade― had a minor impact. In the area of Sabana Yegua, where we carry out our projects, it left several villages inaccessible for a few days, and there were floods in more than fifty homes, with abundant material losses; roofs collapsed in a dozen homes and abundant crops were lost. Despite these calamities, there is a general sense of relief because here no major damage was suffered and there was no loss of life.
We deeply regret the disaster in Haiti, which affects both that country and many of the Haitians who live and work in our region of the Dominican Republic; some of them have received the sad news of the death of family members due of the devastating hurricane.
We will continue to devote as many efforts as possible to improve housing conditions for the most vulnerable families in our parish, and especially to prevent the effects of natural disasters plaguing the region cyclically.
