Medicines, first-aid supplies and rescue equipment were airlifted from Miami yesterday to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where flooding has left thousands dead or missing.  The supplies were sent in response to the rising fear of disease caused by bodies trapped by the floodwaters.

The shipment contained thousands of work gloves, rubber boots, body bags and flashlight batteries donated by New York City's Department of Emergency Management.  Along with eight generators, hundreds of buckets, shovels and raingear, the supplies left New York City by truck last Friday. Nearly $500,000 in medicines and medical supplies was trucked from the Brunswick, Georgia warehouse of MAP International on Saturday. 

In Haiti, World Vision staff worked around the clock to pack emergency supplies for distribution to flood survivors in the south eastern part of the country, bordering the Dominican Republic. Relief workers spent the past three days distributing the supplies to 20 villages in the area hardest hit by the flooding.

For the past week, World Vision staff in the Dominican Republic have been providing emergency supplies, medical care and trauma counselling to thousands of flood survivors in Jimani, the town hardest-hit by the floods.  Saturday, the area was struck by an earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale; no major damage was reported from the quake but the temblor and its aftershocks contributed to the trauma of survivors.

The official start of the hurricane season, June 1, has added to the sense of urgency surrounding this crisis.

World Vision Canada is asking for the public's help in responding to the needs of the people of Haiti and Dominican Republic.  To donate, please call 1-800-568-5863 or visit the website at www.worldvision.ca

World Vision relief workers are returning from the flood area in Haiti today and are available for interviews tomorrow.

MAP International, founded in 1954 as Medical Assistance Programs, promotes the total health of people living in the world's poorest communities through the provision of essential medicines, the prevention and eradication of disease, and the promotion of community health development, including prevention of childhood diseases, and HIV/AIDS. MAP is supported by donations from individuals, foundations, corporations and churches.