Dan is in Haiti and sent the following report: "The palm trees are swaying in the tropical breeze but it's RAINING BUCKETS! Again! Southern Haiti has had almost steady rain for more than a month and a half. Tropical Storm Noel contributed quite a bit of rain and there is more disturbed weather in the Caribbean coming this way. All this rain has created incredible hardships on a people that are already struggling for their day to day existence. Most crops have been lost - especially tough since the Les Cayes plain area is the "breadbasket" of Haiti. Animals have been swept away. Commerce in the outlaying areas has ground to a halt because supplies cannot be brought from the capital to Cayes and then trucks cannot get out to the areas they service. Everything people own is soaking wet, water is inside their flimsy homes (some homes have actually been swept away or are covered in water), sickness is increasing and there is much hunger. Pray for the people!"
Dan went in Wed. Oct. 31 to help prepare for a team from Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church (Chicago area) who were to go in today. Their Sister Church, Astruc, is very remote. It is in the mountains in the middle of the southern peninsula. The Sister Church pastor sent word that the river they must cross to get there is completely impassable. It's way over people's heads. Also, the road leading to the river has been washed away in 3 places. The trip to this church is usually pretty tough in dry conditions. Rain turns the road to a muddy clay mixture that is truly difficult to get through.
After consulting with Dan, the US team decided to cancel the trip. It was clear that they wouldn't be able to get to the church. We are all very disappointed needless to say, but it is a wise decision. They have rescheduled their trip for January. Things should be dried out by then!
Rob was to go in with the team too. Of course, he is not going now, but may still go to Haiti next week to work on the bookkeeping system. We'll keep you up to date on that once his plans are clear.
At this point, we have no word from any of the other sister churches. They will work at that once things dry out and navigation is possible.
Here are some photos that Jenn Rogan (RMI missionary) took 2 weeks ago as they traveled back from a Sister Church.
This is a road! They had to manually build a new section to get around the boulders!
Well, it WAS a road!
RMI staff checking to see if that part of the road was passable.
Jenn, Dan and some RMI staff took these pictures yesterday:
The river in Les Cayes, near the mission center, called La Ravine.
Notice the wet high water mark on the house!
A couple of missionary friends (not RMI) also sent information and photos. Where one of them live, at the top of the mountains in the middle of Haiti's southern peninsula, they personally recorded over 19 inches of rain and 70 mph winds. Here are the pictures they sent:
No comments :
Post a Comment