Hurricane Dean leaves a trail of destruction
POSTED: Aug. 23, 2007
By Sarah Pate
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Dean's high winds tore off the roofs of thousands of homes.
OBI volunteer teams are supplying hundreds of families with roof tiles.
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CHETUMAL, Mexico - Days after Hurricane Dean made landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm, residents are now sifting through the wreckage left behind.
The storm's high winds peeled off thousands of roofs on homes in villages and neighboring towns just outside Chetumal, leaving homes exposed and vulnerable to more rain damage.
"When we started seeing our roof tops being blown through the sky and banging into houses and cars, we got scared," said Matilde, a hurricane victim and mother of four. "We ran into our neighbor's house and huddled there as we watched our house being torn apart."
Matilde's home was one of nearly 400 in her village of Progresso that was devastated by the storm.
Operation Blessing's primary relief efforts include supplying roofing panels to these victims to quickly restore shelter to their homes before more rains hit. Teams of volunteers have assembled to help distribute panels and assist more than 500 families.
OBI has also agreed to fund and facilitate delivery and distribution of many truckloads of relief supplies arriving to a central warehouse in Chetumal. Teams are coordinating relief efforts with the Mexican military, government officials and local church groups.
"As is so often the case, relief supplies pour into a disaster area, but languish in warehouses out of the reach of desperate victims," said OBI President Bill Horan. "OBI has become very good at breaking logistic logjams and getting the goods into the hands of victims."
How You Can Help
Be a part of OBI's ongoing disaster relief efforts by making an online donation to help the victims of Hurricane Dean. With your support, OBI can continue to bring emergency food, water and medical care to these hurricane victims who are caught in the midst of disaster.
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