Hurricane appeal receives long-running support

Graham Howe and his wife Jane took part in the New York Marathon and have pledged all the money raised by their efforts to go to recovery work currently underway in the Caribbean.

The couple were concerned after seeing the devastating effects that Hurricane Ivan had on the US and the Caribbean (see related story), and decided to do their bit to help victims of this summer’s freak weather.

As the extent of climate change is now being seen more frequently around the globe, scientist have warned that extreme weather occurrences, such as floods and hurricanes, could now become normal for many parts of the world (see related story).

“Hurricane Ivan left a trail of destruction in its wake, with many people injured or killed and thousands left homeless. We decided to combine the personal challenge of running our first ever marathon with raising money for a worthwhile cause,” he explained.

To date, around 85,000 people in the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica and Cuba have received emergency assistance through the Red Cross Caribbean Hurricane Appeal, with many being given food, water, plastic sheeting and temporary shelter.

With the distribution phase of the relief operation now complete, work is beginning to focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction, with a particular emphasis on the provision of roofing materials, as well as water and sanitation awareness work.

The Red Cross were unavailable to comment on the donation at the time of going to press.

By Jane Kettle