Friends of Haiti,
Over the past few days, several people have said, “Haiti didn’t get to much out of the storm, did they?” Or, “Haiti didn’t get hit very hard, did it?” And with good reason; it just doesn’t make the news if there isn’t massive loss of life. There was loss of life, but not on a “massive” scale.
When it hit Haiti, the winds, predicted to be 70mph, were 60mph. But that wasn’t the problem or concern. It was the amount of rain that worried everyone. The predictions for the rain were right on the mark. According to the Miami Herald, Reuters and other news agencies, there were 8-12 inches of rain that fell in and around Port Au Prince, and up to 18 inches in the mountains above it and the villages. Naturally, with few trees and very little ground cover, all that water came down the mountain sides, washing away almost everything in its path.
To date, there are 25 known dead, several missing and over 200 injured. The International Federation of Red Cross reports at least 2,346 homes badly damaged and at least 335 destroyed. 1,600 homes near our schools in town were affected by flood waters, including those of 3 of our teachers, whose homes were destroyed. Others lost their possessions.
In the outlying areas, 2 teachers lost their homes. In Bayelle, the roof of the school was damaged and the new bathroom (out house!) was destroyed and flood waters were in the building.
Add to that the lost of crops, mostly bananas (one of the main food sources) and then the fear of the cholera starting to spread again. That alone has taken over 7,000 lives and continues to NOT make any news at all.
We appreciate those who have given to help our friends there and start to try and rebuild, again. School will start the first Monday in October now, so pray we can get it all done and ready for the kids.
Steve and Terry
