Four Storms Batter Haiti
800,000 Haitians Affected
October 1, 2008
Dear friend,
In one month poor Haiti was ravaged by four storms. Fay, Gustave, Hanna and Ike dumped rain and relentless winds affecting all departments, states, of Haiti. Fatal flood waters killed over 600 Haitians in Gonaives and Cabaret. More than 150,000 tin and mud shacks were washed away or severely damaged by the back to back storms. Livestock and life sustaining gardens were annihilated in flash floods. Today as flood waters recede, revealing more corpses, the death toll continues to climbs.
Gonaives is Haiti’s fourth largest city. In the central plateau at the base of denuded mountains and a seaside flood plain, Gonaives’ colonial drainage has long been neglected. Government corruption allowed the vital canals to be clogged and in some places built over. Torrential rains, with nowhere to go, filled streets and humble homes. Reforestation, necessary to prevent deadly flooding, has not been implemented by the government and private tree projects have struggled unprotected by government legislation prohibiting fires and loose livestock that devour seedlings. Torrents of water careened down the bare mountains sweeping away people, animals and huts.
Tropical Storm Hanna stalled over Haiti for 12 hours, raising flood waters in Gonaives where those who could, sought refuge on second story concrete buildings. Many, mostly children, simply succumbed to the rising flood waters. Fully one half of the city’s population of 400,000 is children. For the brief 18 hour pause between deadly Hanna and violent Ike, the UN failed to distribute food and drinking water. Hundreds of thousands homeless from Hanna continued through Ike without drinking water for five days, further raising the death toll from dehydration again most victims were children.
In addition to assisting in the evacuation from Gonaives of seven short term missionaries from Seattle; I was privileged to do four interviews with CNN via satellite telephone during the storms and provide them with storm footage. Christian Broadcasting Network, CBN, also requested and received my footage of the devastation. Yvonne began a grass roots campaign during Hanna to notify US senators and congressmen of Haiti’s natural disaster. We believe this hastened the US deployment of aid.
Today Haiti is buried under six foot deep mud in some places. Roads and bridges vanished in the thick flood waters, isolating whole regions of the country. While the US has contributed 29 million dollars in aid via the USS Kearsarge and her eight helicopters, Haiti will take decades to recover. UNICEF projects more children will die; disease and famine are imminent as a result of the storms. Haiti’s tragedy is more desperate than we have seen since 1975. We ask you to prayerfully consider what part you can take in showing His mercy to Haiti.
Your gift to Haiti For Christ in the enclosed self addressed envelope is tax deductible and 100% available to us in Haiti. Your check will be acknowledged and deeply appreciated. As much pressure as the US is now feeling from the economic crisis, Haiti’s suffering is a thousand fold worse. Please pray and do everything you can to help us help Haiti; write to us today.
Praying for mercy,
Joel and Yvonne Trimble
ytrimble
