Tropical Storms and such...

Sometimes I do not know what to say on this blog, its hard to know what is going to translate. I know you can understand my English, but not sure I can fully put the things I see on paper. I will attempt, but understand its just not the same.

Tropical storms and hurricanes are common occurrences here. Haiti is right in the middle between Florida and South America, right in the path of would be threats to the United States. Generally, the United States has the ability to prepare for any hurricanes about 3-4 days out (at least). As of last Friday morning, the government in Haiti began to make announcements on public radio, loud speakers mounted on top of cars and on Facebook. The tropical storm hit at 2 am Saturday morning...less than 24 hours after most of the nation was notified of any type of tropical event. Most of the information was advice on keeping documents safe and not drinking rain water run-off as it could be contaminated with cholera. Not, here is how you secure your house. Not, this is where you need to be safe in your home. They did provide some shelter for those in tents, but the rumor was that if you left your tent you may not have a place to go back to. When I spoke to people and asked if they were prepared, the immediate response was "I don't have money to be prepared." People just simply live day-to-day here, money is used immediately after you receive it.

I was prepared with four 5-gallon jugs of treated water and enough food that didn't need to be refrigerated for a week or more. I charged all my battery operated things and made sure I had a secure place to stay when the actual storm hit. My situation is not the norm, I was prepared about 4 days in advance for what was coming and could be proactive. The general population must be reactive to every situation encountered. The longer I live in Haiti the more I see the disparities in my life in Haiti and some of my Haitian friend's lives. Let's not even talk about my life back home, the gap is like the Grand Canyon times 20!

The winds began to pound Tim and Diane's home (new missionaries to Haiti working with my partner CONASPEH as well) at around 11 PM on Friday night. Mainly just strong gusts and light rains. At 1 AM it was at full force and at 2 AM it was truly frightening. The house they are staying in has a large avocado tree and about 130 avocados fell and one smashed through a window. Limbs were snapped and power lines came down in their neighborhood. It is very protected by high concrete fences and the damage was a lot less than most of Haiti because of the strong concrete homes. I fell asleep at some point and woke with a start around 4 AM feeling the ground shaking, but unable to move. I was having a nightmare, not only was their a huge storm but also an earthquake. Yay, PTSD; thanks for rearing your ugly head in the middle of the night. Thankfully, there was not an earthquake...but you can imagine my terror. I got a little more rest and wondered what the rest of Haiti was experiencing and what I would wake up to.

I texted and called friends, American and Haitian alike, to see how everyone fared. I got in touch with a friend from another organization who works with a CONASPEH pastor at his orphanage. The report was not good, in broken English the Pastor told Scott the orphanage blew away. Scott thought, but was not sure, he was talking about the roof. I volunteered to go with Scott to see how things were and talk to the kids. It took us about 2 hours to get there (typically takes this long with traffic, but there was none). There were lots of fallen limbs and trees, but we did not see any flooding. When we arrived, the roof had in fact blown off at some point early in the morning while the children and pastor were in the orphanage. Corrugated tin is no joke; you hear every wind movement, rain drop and when it is ripped from its nails above you it would be extremely scary for the small kids there and the pastor who protects them. Scott took pictures while I comforted children and he planned on getting a team from his organization down here as soon as possible to make the repairs. Pastor thanked us for coming and said your true friends are there with you at the worst times.

On the drive back down we dropped off Scott's translator, Junior. We passed the smallest procession of people. I tense up a little bit when I see people gathered and walking down the street, we are warned about getting involved or being in the middle of a large group. As we got closer we realized they were carrying something and as we passed we realized it was a child's coffin. I hid my tears, I was driving and being with two tough boys was not really how I wanted to approach these feelings. It's so hard to see things like this here ALL the time. See roofs torn off, walls fallen down, children hungry, dogs dying, street kids, trash...its just so hard to cope with.

Sunday I was able to get again to celebrate with a Haitian church on their 11th anniversary. It was a joyous time filled with music and yummy Haitian food. The electricity, internet and other utilities remained out. The government seemed to only start repairs on this Monday. Most people here are used to no electricity all the time, its just the way things are. However, I hope today is our last day without power. My home along with many others who have running water are dependent on a water pump that is powered by electricity. This is a sharp contrast to those who do not even have running water in their homes.

To date there have been 24 people killed in the storms, reports are from flooding, mudslides, electrocution and falling debris. Roughly 15,000 people have been displaced from their homes, whether this is on top of the tent camp or not I am not sure. I pray that this is the only tropical storm or hurricane that hits Haiti this season, but it is going to be a long time till mid-November.

For now, things are back to normal in Haiti. Everyone has returned to the street to sell their wares, people picked up all the trash and trees that were all over. Life goes on.