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 When Jim Brown, Breedlove Assistant General Manager, walked along the dirt paths between shanties in what is known as the bateys in the Dominican Republic, he wondered to himself “how in the world does someone survive the harsh tropical weather”. Little did Jim know that those words would be at the center of attention just a week later.
Jim Brown and friend Dave Walker, Walker Communications, barely made it out of the DR before the airports were shut down as the Tropical Storm Noel approached the island. Jim and Dave had been visiting with partner Batey Relief Alliance to document the distribution of Breedlove food aid in the bateys and through health centers. The supplies of Breedlove food aid and health centers would prove to be essential in the aftermath of Noel. After the storm hit, Batey Relief Alliance sent field personnel along with the local authority, to evaluate the devastated region. They found that the people were stranded without easy access to food. There were also acres of food production around the country that had been wiped out by the storm. BRA proposed to offer disaster relief support to the victims using Breedlove food aid. 600,000 servings of Breedlove food were requested to be diverted from the warehouse in Santo Domingo for disaster relief. Breedlove has shipped 1,875,000 servings to the Dominican, of which the 600,000 servings of disaster aid will be diverted. The President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, declared a state of emergency on October 31, 2007. After days of unrelenting rain from October 29 through November 3, 2007, the devastation left behind to date included: 83 deaths 43 people missing Thousands of houses destroyed More than 62,000 people driven out of their small homes Breedlove will be shipping an additional 1,875,000 servings of food under the regular program to feed impoverished families in the region that has been devastated by Tropical Storm Noel.
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