Red Cross appeals for 1.2 million euros for Wilma victims
GENEVA (AFP) Oct 26, 2005 The Red Cross is appealing for over 1.2 million euros (1.4 million US dollars) in aid for 70,000 people affected by Hurricane Wilma, which lashed the coasts of the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico and the southern United States last week.
"The impact of the high winds, floods and landslides will be felt for a considerable time as the destruction has been massive. Thousands of people have been left homeless and have lost all their belongings in the floods," Santiago Gil, the head of the Americas department of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in Geneva.
During the next six months, nearly 14,000 families will need provisions of food, cooking utensils, plastic sheeting, jerrycans, tents, impregnated mosquito nets and first aid kits.
Sanitary equipment and water-purifying tablets will also be supplied.
"As roofs were ripped away by the hurricane, roofing materials will also be a priority," Gil added.
