Canadian Red Cross

Published purpose

September 2017 - Hurricane Maria struck Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane, with wind gusts of more than 240 km/h. The disaster caused widespread damage to the country’s power and water supply lines, agriculture, telecommunications and infrastructure, including health centres, bridges, and roadways. At least 80 percent of the island’s population has been affected. With GAC’s support, the Canadian Red Cross is dispatching relief supplies from warehouses in Mississauga, Ontario, to support emergency relief operations in Dominica. The Dominica Red Cross Society is distributing the relief supplies to help meet the immediate needs of up to 500 families affected by the hurricane. The relief supplies include: tarpaulins and shelter toolkits to help provide temporary shelter, basic household items such as blankets, kitchen sets and hygiene kits (which include items such as soap and toothbrushes), as well as containers to safely transport water.