Hurricane Matthew Update

Scenes of total devastation--Two homes lie in ruins after Matthew's passage in the village of Vila-de-Woz.

This family's dining room now has a skylight as the roof was totally ripped off by Matthew's winds.

This could be anywhere in the southwest peninsula of Haiti--mattresses, cloths, and furniture sit on the remains of a home drying in the sun.

A sits on the porch of what remains of their home.  In the background, a kitchen another family member's home lies in ruins.

Dear Friends and Family:

Greetings from Haiti.  It has been a week since Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti’s southwestern peninsula west of the city of Les Cayes.  During the first few days our concern was mainly with making sure our own staff members and the staff members of our partner organizations were safe.  Thankfully, God protected all the staff members and property of our organization and that of our Haitian partners.  Now our focus turns toward the relief effort and trying to maintain momentum in our strategic on-going ministries.

Yesterday Zach had a chance to deliver about 1600 lbs of relief supplies to two more remote areas on Haiti’s southwest peninsula that were heavily affected by the hurricane: Vila-de-Wòz (in the mountains north of Les Cayes) and Chalye (a low-lying area west of Miragoane).  When I arrived in the once beautiful shady village of Vila-de-Wòz (which was nearly impossible because the road was washed out), I didn’t even recognize it.  Most of the trees were smashed nearly all of the structures damaged or destroyed. I estimate that nine out of every ten homes are uninhabitable with at least five out of ten being severely damaged or completely destroyed (please see pictures below).  Since the inhabitants had weathered the storm in the local Christian Reformed Church of Haiti church building (see picture) and several other stronger structures, they were physically unharmed.  Several of the community members were suffering the physical symptoms of trauma, however.  After praying with the community members and unloading rice, beans, oil and drinking water, I went to the seaside community of Chalye on the north shore of the southwestern peninsula where the CRC of Haiti also works through a local congregation.  Though Chalye was further from the landfall of Hurricane Matthew’s eye than Vila-de-Wòz, it was severely flooded by the hurricane’s storm surge and extremely high water levels in a local stream.  Moreover, many of the community’s abundant breadfruit trees had fallen on houses as they were heavily laden with fruit when the hurricane hit.  We also provided rice, beans, oil and drinking water to this community.

The general impression driving through Haiti’s southwestern peninsula is one of shock and sadness.  Mattresses, clothes, books, furniture, and countless items have been scattered by the flood or put out to dry by their owners.  Houses, schools, and churches have been stripped of their roofs or smashed completely.  Roads and bridges are eroded or washed out.  One town we passed, called Cavaillon, had been both smashed by the winds and completely flooded by the local river.

What can you do?  First, we ask for your prayers for the Haitian people—especially that roads could be opened and relief reach the remote areas of Haiti’s southwestern peninsula.  Second, please feel free to donate to World Renew, the disaster relief agency of the CRCNA which will be providing support to the communities that we have gotten to know and love in the southwestern peninsula.  Don’t forget to continue supporting the long-term community and church development programs that are so important to us.  Through programs like these we see a day where Haitians are better prepared for such inevitable natural disasters and empowered (through Haitian-supported and led organizations) to bring relief to their own communities in the place of the hundreds of foreign NGOs currently providing these services.

So as to not overwhelm the inboxes of our supporters, we will be posting updates on our blog.  Please check it out for more pictures and information in the coming weeks.