Local

Red Cross thanks local hurricane relief donors

6 February 2017

haiti-hurricane-relief-3 — Volunteers from across the island sorted donations bound for Haiti and Cuba as quickly as they could Thursday afternoon. The relief effort is seeking donations of baby items, hygiene products and other emergency necessities. Organizers plan to ship the supplies to Haiti early next week. More than 100 people have died in Haiti since Hurricane Matthew slammed the country with extreme winds and several feet of rain. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay

Cayman Islands donors contributed more than $13,000 for Hurricane Matthew relief efforts in Haiti through the Red Cross, the organization reported.

A five-week campaign involving local businesses, individuals and government departments, raised funds for Haiti after it was struck by the devastating hurricane in early October last year.

Red Cross International Federation hopes to raise $5.7 million by mid-2018 to assist nearly 150,000 people in need.

According to the Red Cross, as of 10 Jan. more than 38,000 Haitian families had been reached and helped with emergency health, nutrition and shelter needs, water and sanitation requirements.