The broadcast images cut to the bone: Populations brutalized by a tropical storm that tore through communities, stripping essential services and leaving devastation in its wake. Damage from the hurricane in the southeastern United States was widespread, but Haiti took the fiercest of Jeanne's blows. Area leaders wanted to do something for people they knew would not get anywhere near the relief the U.S. government would provide its citizens.

Today, a semitrailer filled with bottled water and roofing materials donated by south suburban Chicago and Northwest Indiana residents will leave Dolton en route to Tampa, Fla. From there it will be shipped by barge to Haiti where, it is hoped, it will provide some level of relief for communities in dire need. "One of the things that brought it to my attention was when I saw people drinking water from a river with dead bodies in it," said Dolton Mayor William "Bill" Shaw, who has been among those leading the efforts in the area.

Shaw joined Bishop Larry Trotter of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ International, which has six church delegations in Haiti, to create a weeklong donation drive. The donated supplies should pack the truck by the time it leaves the parking lot of Dolton's Village Hall. About 100 other churches joined the effort, with Dolton serving as the hub for donations. Village businesses also contributed $7,000 in relief donations. Tavis Grant, executive assistant to Trotter and bishop of the Greater First Baptist Church of East Chicago, likened the situation in Haiti to a Holocaust-type atmosphere, where "the casualties are mounting every day." "This is a human tragedy going on right in our own hemisphere," he said.While organizers have been given assurances the donations will make it to port in Haiti, they don't have

the luxury of guaranteeing the goods will make it to the people in need.According to Grant, the Haitian government has been holding cargo at port, in light of political unrest and rebels attacking convoys after they leave the docks. An effort is under way to convince U.S. leaders to offer more assistance, he said. Still, organizers are trying to be optimistic the help will get to it's destination.

Meanwhile, those involved in the donation drive praised the generosity of the people in the region, while noting it came as no surprise. Aside from the water, roofing materials and money, Homewood Disposal Service Inc. of Hazel Crest donated the truck, and Melody Movers of Chicago donated the boxes.