Teams working with Samaritan's Purse are helping more than 10,000 people in 27 communities that were devastated when Hurricane Dean ripped through Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
As Dean moved out of the Yucatán, leaving behind a wide swath of destruction, Samaritan's Purse quickly moved in with vital relief supplies. We initially distributed 170 food packages in the town of Santa Maria. In Boluchen, our local church partner distributed ½ ton of food.
On Friday, we began to distribute an additional 1,000 food baskets consisting of sugar, rice, beans, cooking oil, flour, tuna, bread, and other necessary food items. The items-enough to feed a family of five for one week-were assembled by our local church partners, who are communicating the love of God with each basket they deliver.
We also shipped 215 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting, enough to make repairs and weatherproof up to 600 houses; two generators; and five boxes of water purification kits.
Samaritan's Purse also is responding to critical needs in Jamaica, where Dean battered the southern coast before plowing into the Yucatán. Our church partner in Jamaica said that the damage there is more extensive than previous reports indicated, with up to 60,000 people affected.
Our team in Jamaica is distributing rolls of heavy-duty plastic for housing repairs, and training local pastors and church leaders in the use of water purification kits.
The massive Category 5 hurricane's strong winds and heavy rains triggered mudslides, blocked roads, damaged roofs, and felled trees and power lines across a wide area in Jamaica before slamming into Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The storm had sustained winds of 165 mph with gusts up to 200 mph, making it the ninth most powerful storm on record. It uprooted trees, toppled power lines, flooded streets, damaged houses, and destroyed agricultural crops as it moved inland.
The eye passed over the city of Chetumal, which lies on the border with Belize. There are numerous small fishing villages in this area, and the vast majority of the people are very poor. The fishermen, who rely on the daily catch to feed their families, have nothing to eat, and the drinking water has been contaminated.