Hermanos Colombianos ayudemos a nuestros hermanos antillanos Nelson Calder�n Enviado a nuestra red informativa desde Puerto Rico = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Subj: I CAN'T THINK RIGHT NOW OF A MORE PATHETIC SITUATION... Date: 98-10-04 16:44:22 EDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jorge L. Belendez) I CAN'T THINK RIGHT NOW OF A MORE PATHETIC SITUATION... Dear Friends and Family: This is a completely different kind of E-Mail from the ones that I wrote you during and after hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico. This one is to let you know some information that has really broken my heart, and perhaps encourage you to be part of a "conspiracy" that may even help to save some lives. Certainly, at the very least, to ease suffering, hunger and pain. As things settle somewhat here in San Juan, and as help and aid, both financial and humanitarian start flowing into the central towns of Puerto Rico, I took a "larger" look at the news, and called some friends from the Dominican Republic to see how they were doing. Here in Puerto Rico, there is help from many sources. First and foremost, the family. They call each other, and if there is no phone, now that the roads are open, they go visit. And if need be, they help out to the extent that they can. Next in line to lend a hand are the neighbors. All of you know that in Puerto Rico, as in many, many places on earth, the neighbors are the resource of first instance for help and succor. After the immediate neighbor's help, is the community assistance and support. Help, and joint action, and collaboration is there for clearing the roads, lending a friendly hand in the neighborhood and helping the local authorities. I have seen, proudly, ordinary citizens even directing traffic. Next in line to provide help is the municipal local government, the Mayor of the town or the city. Then comes help from the central Commonwealth Government and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) and other Federal Government help. So sooner or later, hopefully sooner than later, most will even get money to rebuilt the homes that were lost. Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico there is no hunger, health care is being provided as needed and there is food and groceries in the supermarkets, and more on the way, while financial aid in the form of checks is being given to those in need. The situation if far from ideal, but the mechanisms to overcome the situation are in place and one can see light at the end of the tunnel. That being so, as I said before, I turned my attention to the situation in the Dominican Republic. A nation that does not have the resources, at ANY level to mitigate, alleviate, the destruction and the pain caused by this catastrophic disaster that Hurricane George also caused on that island. They do not have the infrastructure, they don't even have the required amount of hospitals to take care of the patients that may now and eventually need medical care. Even if the sick could afford or physically get to a hospital. Let's take a summary look at the Dominican Republic so that you can have an idea of the general situation BEFORE Hurricane Georges: -- (These statistics were taken just now from the CIA World Factbook 1997 page in the WWW) Population - a nation of almost 8,000,000 human beings Annual per capita income - $3,670 (1996 est.) Unemployment rate: 30% (1996 est.) Labor force - 2.3 million to 2.6 million (out of 8 million) Labor force by occupation - AGRICULTURE 50% Budget - Revenues : $1.8 billion Expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures. Industries - tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel mining, textiles, cement, tobacco -- AFTER hurricane Georges the Dominican Republic has 250,000 people who are totally homeless. Maybe even more than 250,000, nobody knows for sure. Human beings who had a home, albeit modest, are all of a sudden, from one day to the next, completely homeless. Without money, without help, without hope� To make matters worst, the agriculture, the source of employment to 50% of the work force is devastated. Just imagine that. Just imagine if that would happen to you. And to your neighbor, and your family and to whole communities. I can't go on making this E-Mail as long as it should be... All the details of the need and the tragedy, both short and long term, facing the Dominican Republic are both interminable and of catastrophic proportions. Just a short list of the many vital needs of the things they need gives you an idea of the enormity of the problem. This is a very short list my friend Father Nelson Garcia, SJ gave me over the phone today: -- Tylenol Any over-the-counter medication to ease common cold symptoms. Antibiotics Any medication to control diarrhea Anti tetanus Anti pasasites medication Trimesulfates (I may have the wrong spelling. Sulfate??? For those alergic to antibiotics) VITAMINS!!! ... -- Think of the basic things you have in your home medicine cabinet, look at them, THEY NEED THEM BADLY. People are dying because they don't have some of the medication we can get over-the-counter in any local drug store. To them it's a matter of life or death. Ok. So here are the specifics... Anything we send to the Dominican Republic may or may not get there. It may be diverted, it may be used by the wrong people or it may be stolen. So what I propose is the following... As many of you know, I am part of an association called Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria. I am secretary/treasurer of the Agrupacion here in Puerto Rico. (The Agrupacion is a Catholic University Students organization that helps university students who want to "grow" spiritually while they also "grow" professionally during their university years.) I just called a jesuit priest friend of mine (Father Nelson Garcia, S.J.) that is also a member of the Agrupacion (from his university days, long, long ago, jajaja) and is "posted for duty" in the Dominican Republic and coordinated a way to get ANY help you send DIRECTLY to him, from here in Puerto Rico, to be distributed to the most needy. However he sees fit. The way to do that is the following: any of the items listed above, OR ANY SIMILAR ITEM of basic medication you would send to me at my PO Box listed below, in the name of the Agrupacion or in my name, I will send to him. I offer my office and my 3 fellow workers to collect everything and send it via FEDEX (or any other reliable way) to the Dominican Republic. I'll pay the freight. The address is the following: -- Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria c/o Jorge L. Belendez PO Box 362073 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-2073 -- You can send anything to me via regular US Mail. Regular US MAIL delivery here is now back to it's regular delivery schedules. If it's easier to send some cash, I will make sure that it's converted into medication and send the medication to them. That might be easier for some of you. It's incredible to conceive, but even if they had the cash, they might, or do not have, the medication to buy. That is the extent of the dreadful, terrible and horrifying need they have. Here is a tip that I plan to do myself here in Puerto Rico. The way the medication merchandising system works here and in the continental US is that the manufacturers give FREE samples of different medications to ALL doctors. Most doctors have all kinds of fresh medicines stored away in a closet. All of you have a local doctor, or know a local doctor. Just go, tell him or her the situation and ask them for the samples. Those samples are free to him, and I'm sure they will probably will be glad to help out. (Maybe your doctor will give you some names or have his secretary call some other doctors and start sort of a chain of help...) And mail them to me (the Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria). I'll make SURE they get to the needy in the Dominican Republic via Father Nelson Garcia. Who knows, you may be helping lower the fever of a newborn baby or ease the pain of an elderly person, or help the wage earner of the family get back on his feet. In any case, they will thank you for the rest of their lives. Even if they don't know your name. God knows your name. And your heart will feel the joy. And that is the important thing. Another idea� This situation is probably not known to many, many, people who would LOVE to help. Look at your E-Mail lists and send a copy of this E-Mail to those you think might be interested in helping out. God only knows how far this noble, generous, silent effort of help might go... Another idea� rewrite, if you wish, this E-Mail and send it to social clubs like Lions, Rotary, YMCA, Boy Scouts or powerful organizations like AARP, etc, etc.. Send it to the White House, the UN, the IMF (International Monetary Fund), send it to local and national newspapers, Congress, and anybody that you think might help in creating awareness of this potentially catastrophic disaster known. Another thing you can do is to talk with your local Priest, Reverend or Rabbi and propose a second collection with that purpose. Perhaps he can at the end of the Service or Mass let you explain the situation and that may raise some money and create awareness of the magnitude of the problem. The more people know about this situation, the greater the chances that some help will start flowing soon. Time is of the essence here. With the agricultural sector in total ruin, soon the whole country will start to lack food and then it might be too late for many. Yet another idea� many people don't have E-Mail. But many have FAXES. So FAX a copy to anybody you think might be interested in helping out. The fear of most epidemiologist is that if help is not prompt, the results of common illnesses will take epidemic proportions and endanger the lives of thousands and thousands in the coming months. To make matters worst the Dominican Republic was in the midst of a Dengue Fever outbreak before hurricane Georges. Dengue, also called BREAKBONE FEVER, is an acute, highly infectious, mosquito-borne hemorrhagic fever that temporarily is completely incapacitating and may be fatal in the very young and the very old. Besides fever, the disease is characterized by an extreme pain and stiffness of the joints (hence the name "breakbone fever"). Dengue is caused by a virus and may occur in any country where the carrier mosquitoes Aedes aegypti breeds. The only way to control the disease is the destruction of mosquitoes AND their breeding places. But given the circumstances in the Dominican Republic... Already I have heard of some deaths from other common sickness that would not even merit a visit to the doctor here or in the United States. And part of the problem is also that there are areas where there are dozens, maybe even hundreds of human corpses and dead animals that constitute another enormous health hazard. For unknown reasons the government is not telling the whole story. Today I spoke with a friend who just yesterday returned to work in Saint Martin from a visit to relatives in the Dominican Republic and she tells the story of a water dam that was accidentally opened during the hurricane creating a flood that completely wiped out two towns. She tells me that there might be, just from that situation, more that 2,000 persons dead and thousands homeless. But the government has not said anything about that. Today is Sunday� Think about how YOU can help all day today. And see if you can start right away. Spread the word. Call your friends. Tell them to call THEIR friends. These people are in a very bad shape. And the coming months will tax the meager resources of their government. And many will die. Even their very prolific agriculture is ruined, so the livelihood is gone. And with that the ability of the land to feed them. I can't think of a more pathetic situation. God bless you all. Take care, Jorge
