Comrie Promotes Relief Drive for Hurricane Victims

New York City Council Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie has announced that he is lending his support to a local humanitarian effort to solicit donations of food, clothing and supplies for the hurricane relief effort in Haiti. Comrie is urging all his neighbors in Queens to donate what they can to help our neighbors in the Caribbean who have been devastated by the recent hurricane season.
Four storms- Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike -hit the nation of Haiti from the end of August until early September, leaving vast areas of the country under water. Homes have been damaged; livelihoods and crops destroyed; and, the entire road system — including seven of the mountainous country’s key bridges — have been severely damaged. According to the National Committee for Food Security, 30 percent of the rice crop was wiped out by the storms and floods in addition to 20 percent of the banana crop. With the inclusion of maize, beans and wheat, relief organizers have estimated a total agricultural loss of 70 percent.
Additionally, storm victims are facing unbearable conditions, including a lack of shelter and sanitation. An estimated one million people are homeless. In the worst affected areas, there is a real danger of riots and disease outbreak, such as tetanus and malaria. The World Health Organization has confirmed cases of tetanus, typhoid and other infectious diseases in the port city of Gonaives.
“I am humbly asking all my Queens neighbors and people of goodwill across the city to make a donation,” Comrie stated. “We certainly live in tough economic times, but we are also citizens of the world and, collectively if each of us make a small contribution, we will be able to help our Haitian neighbors who have been devastated by the hurricane season.”
The following items are recommended for donation: bottled water (six-pack or cases); rice (dried bags only); beans (dried only and cans); toothbrushes, toothpaste and mild soaps; new hand towels; children’s underclothes; sterno canisters; and, nylon cord (100 feet rolls).
Anyone interested in contributing can drop off supplies at Councilmember Comrie’s District Office, located at 113-43 Farmers Boulevard in St. Albans. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Comrie is joining the on-going relief efforts led by Governor David Paterson and his Council colleague, Haitian-native Mathieu Eugene.
Comrie’s relief effort drive is being coordinated with the assistance of the Queens-based Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP). Based on Linden Boulevard, HAUP is a not-for-profit community-based organization founded in 1975 with the purpose of assisting low-income immigrant minority families and individuals to meet their needs and help them access tools and resources to live healthy and productive lives.
“I want to thank Councilmember Comrie for supporting our efforts,” stated HAUP executive director Elsie St. Louis Accilien. “We need strong voices like his to deliver the message that dire suffering is taking place now in Haiti and we must answer the humanitarian call to help them.”
For more information about the relief drive, call Comrie’s office at 718-776-3700.