The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is responding to help those impacted after heavy rains from a tropical depression caused landslides and flooding in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic the weekend of Nov. 19.
The most significant flooding occurred in the Dominican Republic, where an overflowing river caused bridges to collapse and power outages, displacing thousands of residents.
Dominican President Luis Abinader called it the “largest rainfall event ever” in the country’s history, following torrential storms over 48 hours. Nine people died when torrential rain caused a highway tunnel wall to collapse in the capital of Santo Domingo.
At least 21 people have reportedly died, and more than 13,000 people have been evacuated to secure areas in the Dominican Republic, according to BBC News.
The Church will distribute emergency supplies, including water, food, hygiene items and other resources to the affected communities. The support is being coordinated by local leaders and the Church’s Welfare and Self Reliance Services Department.
In an email to the Church News, Plinio Polanco, the deputy director of audience and messages for the Church’s Caribbean Area, reported the following:
- No major damage was reported in Jamaica, Haiti and Puerto Rico.
- The perimeter wall of the Villa Aura meetinghouse in the Las Caobas Stake collapsed due to flooding. Two other meetinghouses have reported leaks in the ceiling panels.
- No member casualties have been reported.
- Three families lost their homes and all belongings. At least 10 families were relocated.
- The homes of several other families were flooded, and ministering members have organized to help in the cleaning process.
Church leaders will continue to assess the situation and provide support as needed.
