IOM calls for support for hurricane-hit Dominica
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E-mail Xinhua, October 3, 2017
GENEVA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two weeks after Hurricane Maria demolished Dominica, people affected by the category five hurricane are still in desperate need of assistance, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.
The lack of access to central and coastal communities, beyond Roseau, the country's capital, and Melville, has hindered needs assessments and humanitarian relief efforts, said IOM spokesperson Joel Millman at a UN briefing.
More than 3,000 people have been identified as staying in 78 collective centers across the island through the IOM's displacement and needs tracking tool.
However, the total number of people displaced by the storm is still unknown, as at least 65 centers and numerous unofficial displacement sites and host family locations have yet to be assessed.
"With food, water, telecommunications and access cut off since Sept. 18, the situation in Dominica is growing more difficult every day," said Millman.
He said initial assessments indicate that the number of damaged or destroyed buildings is between 17,000 and 20,000, which housed 54,000 people, or some 80 percent of the total population of the island.
Milliman said 27 people are confirmed dead, but the figure may rise once contact is re-established with cut-off communities.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the government of Dominica report needs for 14,000 tarpaulins, 4,813 cases of water a day.
It also needs road clearance, bridge reconstruction, shelter repair materials, water purification kits, non-food items, generators, dignity and sanitation materials and medical supplies. Enditem
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