SALT LAKE CITY —; A chartered cargo jet filled with food, hygiene kits, blankets and other emergency supplies left the Salt Lake International Airport this morning on a mercy mission to help victims of Hurricane Isidore in Mexico. The emergency humanitarian services project is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 128,000 pounds of supplies, equivalent to six semi trucks full of goods, will aid more than 20,000 people in the Yucatan Peninsula, including several hundred members of the Church.
The number of people left homeless by the hurricane has been climbing over the last week and a half, says Garry Flake, director of Church Humanitarian Emergency Response. "We found that as we build up our emergency supplies, we're able to respond to catastrophes around the world very quickly," said Flake. "And with Church members in Mexico ready to help, well, we're ready to deliver the supplies immediately."
Flake boarded the jet shortly after 10:00 this morning to assist with distribution of the supplies. He said the plane will land in Merida, Mexico, in the late afternoon and that Church members and Mexican relief organizations will begin distributing the food and other goods today.
The Church has six stakes (similar to dioceses) in the Merida area, where an estimated 800 Latter-day Saint families had to leave their homes. "We want to take care of our members, of course," said Flake, "and we're working with local authorities to see that the aid reaches as many additional people as possible." Church leaders in Mexico earlier used cash to purchase immediate relief supplies.