REBUILDING LIVES

Reconstructing the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Georges

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Introduction: The Dominican Republic Destruction: Hurricane Georges Gallery of Images: Health, Water and Sanitation Agricultural and Economic Reactivation Utilities Disaster Mitigation Housing Rising to the Challenge Message From Elena Brineman, Mission Director Last updated: 20     REBUILDING: UTILITIES Let There be Light in Benedicto Benedicto is a small village of about 400 poor families in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. The village came into being around 100 years ago and is populated mostly by workers from the surrounding sugar cane fields and cattle ranches. Benedicto residents also make a living from working in tourist operations in the eastern region. Ten years ago the Dominican Power Corporation constructed a transmission line that passed through Benedicto. Benedicto was not served with electricity by that new line - they had no electricity only because it was too far from existing distribution lines, even though a high-voltage transmission line passes over the village. Since Georges, 18,750 people have benefited from USAID-financed efforts to rehabilitate electricity distribution systems and to electrify water pumps that bring dependable water to rural communities. NRECA partnered with the private electricity distributor, AES, to rehabilitate the systems and create the first rural electric cooperative in the Dominican Republic. As a result of USAID assistance under the reconstruction program, on September 29, 2001, Benedicto residents finally saw their dream come true. A power substation and a distribution system constructed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), with USAID funding, made it possible for Benedicto to receive electricity. Key to the successful completion of this project was the partnership with NRECA that allowed for the donation of three transformers for the substation. Electricity is there not only for lighting the homes of Benedicto and residents of the relocated Padre Nuestro community, but to encourage productive uses of energy to increase economic opportunities for the poor residents of the area. "There are people in Benedicto that still cannot believe we have electricity. There is even a local resident who has written a poem about it. Benedicto has been around for 100 years, and now it finally has electricity. This is incredible." - Germania "Daisy" Cayetano del Rio   Go to gallery of images

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