On the morning of October 4, 2016, a dangerous Category 4 storm made contact near the southern coast of Haiti.
April 1, 2017: Follow-up Assessment
After Hurricane Matthew slammed into the Southern coast of Haiti in 2016, residents were devastated – crops were destroyed, roofs were carried away in the fierce gale, and debris littered the streets. It was soon after that Tzu Chi relief volunteers in Haiti began providing aid, and initiated our Cash-For-Relief program, to help those affected regain their footing amid the turbulent climate.
Now, Tzu Chi volunteers have returned to the areas of Jérémie and Les Cayes for disaster relief assessment once again, in preparation for another distribution this April. Working closely with the World Food Programme (WFP), we will work to assure that those in need receive the care they require.
November 2, 2016: Expanding Aid in Haiti
October 28, 2016: Jing Si Rice for Jérémie
October 26, 2016: Cash for Relief
October 25, 2016: Continued Relief in Les Cayes
October 23, 2016: Hot Meals for Jérémie
October 21, 2016: Planning for Disaster Relief
October 20, 2016: Meeting in Les Cayes
October 11, 2016: The Necessities of Jeremie
It’s a very tense moment; a shocking moment. We have never seen that much devastation in our city.
Certain neighborhoods in Jérémie are covered in mud, and pairing this with the issue of debris piling up in the streets, the founder of the Tzu Chi Foundation, Master Cheng Yen, has advised for the planning of a “Cash For Relief” program in Haiti, which would help with cleaning, as well as other means of providing aid.
Not only are people left homeless and are starving, but we don’t have water either, and cholera is spreading in the dirty waters. So our first needs are water, food, and medicine.
During a meeting with the Mayor of Jérémie, Claude Harry Milord, Tzu Chi volunteers in Haiti received important updates on the pressing needs of the people affected by Hurricane Matthew. In this one city, the homes of 9,000 families have been destroyed, and because of a #cholera outbreak, medical supplies and tarps are in high demand. The mayor also expressed concern that the number of families now homeless in more rural areas is still unknown.
October 10, 2016: Disaster Assessment in Les Cayes
October 7, 2016: Plans for Going Forward
My name is Gabriel Fortune, the Mayor of Les Cayes. First of all, I want to thank everyone in this group for the initiative you have taken that can allow Les Cayes to benefit from your assistance. For us, based on my observations, our biggest needs are two things: first, we need heavy equipment (like a loader) to clear access roads and certain neighborhoods, and second, my observations are that all the homes, many of which have tin roofs, or metal roofing, have been ripped off; almost 100% of them.
Destruction lines the streets of Les Cayes, as well as many more communities in Haiti. Homes lay in ruin, and many are cut off from the rest of the country due to the damage and swelling flood.
Now, the need for tin roofing is extremely important and that would allow us to distribute it by zones and then the people can work to find the rest of the materials, like wood, to finish the job of covering their homes. Because all of the walls are there, but all of the roofs are gone. And while the rain is still falling, all the people in the crowded neighborhoods, in the poorest zones, in the slums, they don’t have the means to deal with this situation...
So many memories must also be left behind, as some possessions– irreplaceable things, such as a child’s drawings– can never be replaced.
We are counting now how many have lost their homes completely, but in the meantime we can do something concrete: re-roofing the houses that are still standing.
Please keep the people of Haiti in your hearts as they confront the wreckage before them, and persevere through all that may still lay ahead. We, at Tzu Chi, will continue to offer help to those affected by this tragedy, and attempt to reduce the suffering thrust upon the people of Haiti. Updates will follow steadily on this blog as more information is obtained. Please help us in this mission of delivering compassionate relief.
