(En Espaņol)

NEW YORK - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, just back from a tour of the hurricane-ravaged Dominican Republic and Haiti, today met with leaders of New York's sizable Dominican and Haitian American communities to brief them on conditions in their homelands and to describe the status of federal and international relief efforts.

Cuomo, who joined U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Brian Atwood, New York Congressman Charles Rangel and other Congressional and Clinton Administration officials in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, assured the New Yorkers that the U.S. government stands prepared to assist the impoverished Caribbean nations in every way possible.

"The people of the Dominican Republic and Haiti are valiantly fighting to recover from the body blows delivered by Hurricane Georges last week," Cuomo said. "On my tour yesterday, I witnessed the extent of the devastation and the strong wills of the Dominican and Haitian people."

Cuomo continued: "New Yorkers from all walks of life - and of all ethnic backgrounds - have come together to assist the victims of Hurricane Georges - those in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as throughout the Caribbean and on the U.S. mainland. It is during times like these that I am especially proud to be a New Yorker and a federal partner in these efforts."

The Congressional and Administration delegation went to the Dominican Republic and Haiti Wednesday after spending Tuesday in Puerto Rico with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Cuomo, who was dispatched by President Clinton last week to report on hurricane damage in Puerto Rico and to speed the delivery of federal assistance, has been in regular touch with President Clinton, Vice President Gore and Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt.

In conjunction with Cuomo's trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Vice President Gore on Wednesday announced the following federal assistance to the two island nations:

• The deployment of three C-130 military aircraft to bring humanitarian relief from New York to the victims of Hurricane Georges in both nations.

• 100,000 metric tons of wheat, valued at $10 million, donated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the government of the Dominican Republic. Authorized under the President's Food Aid Initiative, the proceeds of these sales will be used for reconstruction and development projects.

• A continued partnership to assess relief efforts and develop additional recovery efforts. The Clinton Administration will follow through on reports from the delegation headed by USAID Administrator Atwood and Cuomo.

In addition to directing the Defense Department assistance, the Vice President also coordinated with USAID to facilitate the transportation of the relief supplies to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Cuomo said.

Also among those joining Cuomo, Atwood and Congressman Rangel on the disaster relief tour of Puerto Rico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic were northern New Jersey Congressmen Donald Payne and Bill Pascrell.