(1 Oct 1998) Natural Sound
U-S officials have announced a 47 (m) million U-S dollars aid package for the Dominican Republic and Haiti - the two countries most affected by Hurricane Georges.
Several U-S congressmen and officials from the U-S Agency for International Development are in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, to distribute aid and assess damage.
But despite increased foreign aid relief, shortages of food, water and shelter are driving many storm victims to the point of despair.
Hurricane Georges began pounding the Dominican Republic on September 22nd - and within a short time had devastated large tracts of the island country.
The latest death toll is nearly 250.
Tens of thousands of Dominicans have been left homeless and are now entering a second week without food or shelter.
Hurricane victims are desperate for relief.
The situation has reached a crisis point where angry mobs of hungry people have been swarming aid convoys bringing food, water and second-hand clothes.
On Wednesday, U-S congressmen and other U-S officials visited the worst stricken areas where they distributed relief and assessed the extent of the damage.
They announced aid totalling 47 (m) million to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to help them recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Georges.
Brian Atwood, director of the U-S Agency for International Development (AID) said that 35 (m) million U-S dollars would go to the Dominican Republic.
The rest of the aid is to be allocated to Haiti, its neighbour on the island of Hispaniola.
Washington has said it will also provide funds to keep planes flying between the Dominican Republic and New York.
They will also keep Dominican military helicopters in the running to ferry relief supplies to isolated communities.
For many poor Dominicans, however, help from friends and family who left for a better life abroad will be the most dependable and long-lasting source of support.
An estimated 1.3 (one point three) (m) million Dominicans live in New York, New Jersey, Miami, Boston and other areas.
In the meantime, aid from both official and unofficial sources, is welcomed with outstretched arms.
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