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Haiti + 4 more

Direct Relief preparing to assist those in Haiti forgotten in Gustav's wake

Santa Barbara, Calif. - Hurricane Gustav's deadly impact throughout the Caribbean was especially felt in Haiti, where an estimated 100 people were killed. Now, with storm system Hanna dumping additional flood waters on the western Caribbean nation and poised to hit the Bahamas, Direct Relief International is sending additional medical material aid to help meet the needs of affected Haitians.

"Haiti is experiencing the intense, Katrina-like damage that we all were concerned would revisit Louisiana" said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief president and CEO. "They are in the midst of a major emergency."

Direct Relief is sending Haitian partners emergency medical supplies they have specifically requested. Before Gustav and Hanna hit, Haiti had been undergoing one of the worst food shortages in its history, with market prices of staple crops increasing more than 50 percent over last year, according to reports from partners in country.

In advance of the storms, Direct Relief pre-positioned nearly $1 million (wholesale value) of requested medical material including antibiotics, antibacterials, and nutritional supplements supplied by corporate donor Abbott with Food For The Poor's medical operations in Kingston, Jamaica and with Obispado de Puerto Plata in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Direct Relief provides ongoing humanitarian assistance to charitable health facilities in Haiti, Jamaica, and other Caribbean nations. Personal care supplies, antibiotics, analgesics, and first-aid materials are among the most commonly supplied items. Direct Relief has been providing assistance in Haiti since 1964, and has delivered more than $71 million (wholesale) in medical material aid since 2000.

About Direct Relief International

Founded in 1948, Direct Relief International is a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit organization focused on improving the quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. Direct Relief works in 59 countries and has delivered more than $1 billion in privately funded humanitarian medical aid to health professionals serving impoverished communities since 2000. Direct Relief is one of two charities ranked by Forbes that has received a perfect fundraising efficiency score for five consecutive years and is ranked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as California's largest international nonprofit organization based on private support. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.

Media Contact: Jim Prosser
Press Secretary
JProsser@DirectRelief.org
Direct Relief: (805) 964-4767