Hurricane Matthew, the strongest storm to hit Haiti since 1964, has left its mark on the country. The hurricane winds passed over the southern peninsula, but heavy rainfall affected the entire country, causing widespread flooding and mudslides.
It’s important to understand that because of severe deforestation, a few hours of heavy rain can cause major flooding in Haiti. Hurricane Matthew brought 48 hours of heavy rain. We do not want to underestimate the gravity of this storm.
We know that the primary need in the short term will be financial support. Our leaders have good infrastructure in place in their communities. They are able to mobilize the local community, but they will need resources. While we know this is true, at this point, we do not have a good assessment of what needs to be done in the short-term or long-term to empower our leaders to help their communities.
Here are some things that we know will be needs:
Food — Emergency food and long-term food. With much of the farms destroyed, food may be an issue for quite some time.
Water — Access to clean water will be important. For medical purposes, drinking, cooking, and hygiene.
Structural Repairs — Many roofs have been damaged and homes and other structures destroyed. There are Haitians that can help replace all of these, our job will be to provide the resources for materials.
We will be working with our local leaders over the next few days to assess the damage and develop a relief plan for the next few weeks. Then in the coming weeks and months, we will develop a plan to address the long-term effects of this storm. We will continue to update our tribe as we are able to accurately assess the situation. There is a possibility that we will send a response team; however, until our leaders are able to do a thorough assessment of the damage and needs, we will not know how a team could help.
This is when relationship and long-term partnership matters the most. We are so grateful that you are in this with us and with our leaders, children and communities. We will continue to update you all and communicate more specifically as the storm passes through.
Mesí.
The Help One Now team

 
Haiti