Haiti Update

Some of you have been asking how I am - I'm fine. Haiti has been hit by four tropical storms/hurricanes in quick succession. It's currently raining and overcast this morning with the spinoff of Hurricane Ike, the eye of which is passing north of Haiti right now. Damage assessments are still being done but it's clear that there has been significant damage. The situation in Gonaives is the worst, and many say Hanna produced results worse than Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 (which hit Haiti the day after Esther and I arrived in Haiti). The number of deaths won't reach that of Jeanne, but the actual damage is said to be worse. I've spoken to my friends in Dezam, where we lived for 3 years, and the damage to crops is also extensive. Banana crops, sugar cane, avacados which were ripe on the trees - all this has been lost in many parts of the country. Many people had been preparing to plant their rice crop and the rice nurseries, at least in that part of the Artibonite were washed away.

You can read a lot more on major news sites. I found a few photo galleries for those interested in seeing pictures. Two good ones are here:

Le Nouvelliste: click on "L'actualites en Photos" on the left side of the page near the top.

MINUSTAH (the UN mission in Haiti)

I despair the fact that this only sets Haiti further back. Damage to national food production and the massive amounts of imported food aid is going to deepen the long-term food crisis here. School is set to begin this month, but it is expected that it will be delayed. Many schools have been damaged and it will be a while before they can be ready to receive students.

On a positive note, after 4 months of political instability, the Prime Minister (Michele Pierre Louis) was ratified on Friday. Hopefully this will result in improved coordination and progress.

Personally, I am ok. I'm a bit wiped out from how crazy work has been this past week. Apparently, unloading 50 tonnes of relief supplies off an airplane with 24 hours notice, finding a depot for it, getting it to the depot on 6 tractor trailers, and then loading them back up onto trucks the next day to send to all corners of the country on terrible roads after a devastating hurricane has knocked out bridges, flooded all kinds of areas and killed hundreds of people is not as easy as it sounds.

I am supposed to take vacation on Tuesday. Esther and I were going to meet up in NYC and then I was going to go up to Ontario to be with Gabriela and family and friends. I may need to stay for a while though, because of work demands. I should know by tomorrow. I really want to go, but at the same time, I feel the need to stay to help out at work. An unfortunate dilemma.

Please pray for people who are dealing with fall-out of this whole thing.

Ayiti Cheri.

MVG.