Posts Tagged ‘Hurricane’
Images of submerged streets and mangled roofs have faded from the headlines. But the greatest storm to touch down in Cuba in decades is still very much a reality for Cubans, CRS, and its partners providing outreach from Miami.
Hurricanes Gustav and Ike tore through areas of Cuba in August and September, causing record damage and forced 3 million residents from their homes. This was no ordinary storm season. Cubans face a long and arduous road to recovery.
Outside of the Daughters of Charity in Miami volunteers stand by a shipment of relief supplies that will be sent to Cuba to help victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Photo by Kai T. Hill/CRS.
This is why the front lawn of the Daughters of Charity in West Miami remains filled with relief supplies. With the help of CRS, the Daughters of Charity this week will have sent 21 large shipping containers of food, medicine and hygiene supplies among other items. So far over $1 million in relief has been sent to the country, says CRS’ Lynn Renner, who recently visited the sisters and the Miami Archdiocese.
Under a canopy of palm trees, petite but stalwart nuns and dozens of volunteers work side by side to sort and pack goods bound for the island.
“They were going about their business very intently,” says Renner. “They have the help they needed and are saying we want to do this to help. They were serious about making sure that everything was categorized properly and of good quality.”
In total, CRS and Daughters of Charity plan to send more than 700,000 pounds of food and medicines and other relief supplies to the island.
CRS is also sending 5,000 roofing panels to Cuba. They were provided by the Friends of Caritas Cuba.
You can also help by making a donation to CRS’ Latin America and Caribbean Severe Weather Fund.
Kai T. Hill, CRS associate web producer
Posted
November 14th, 2008 in
Cuba, Emergency Relief, Hurricane, Storm by:
John Lindner |
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In late September, photojournalist David Snyder traveled to Haiti for CRS. His mission was to document what he found in the flood-ravaged country. The following is the third post in this series.
This photo from the second floor of a building in the bishop’s compound in Gonaives shows the extend of the damage caused by mud. This compound was flooded with about eight feet of water, and provided shelter for hundreds in the weeks after the storm. CRS supported the bishop with 150 family food kits for those living at the compound. Photo by David Snyder for CRS.
Sunday, September 28, 2008 Gonaives, Haiti: Took a trip over to the bishop’s house here in Gonaives. Since the night of the hurricane it has been a shelter for as many as 600 people who made their way, some during the peak of the storm, to the two-story residence – one of the few in Gonaives. There are still probably about 150 people living there – no one knows the exact figure because most people there travel out to their former homes during the day, working to clean what they can, then return at night. It’s a desperate scene, with people crowding into rooms, sleeping where they can. CRS provided 150 family food kits to the beneficiaries there. Later tonight CRS sent a truck out to a school to deliver tools for a cash-for-work project scheduled to start tomorrow. Because the streets are still flooded in many areas, the truck got stuck – its back wheel dropping into a submerged drainage ditch. It took two hours to get it out, and another two to get the tools off loaded and delivered safely to the school because the truck was damaged and wouldn’t run. Such things are typical in the midst of emergencies like this. Sometimes, improvisation is the key to getting things done.
Posted
October 5th, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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In late September, photojournalist David Snyder traveled to Haiti for CRS. His mission was to document what he found in the flood-ravaged country. The following is the first of his Haiti diary entries.
About three feet of mud remains in the compound of the Emmaus School, which CRS is supporting with cash-for-work teams to help remove the tons of mud left by Hurricane Ike. After weeks of providing emergency food and water to those affected by Ike, CRS began cash-for-work projects through Caritas Haiti, paying locals affected by Ike to clear mud from public buildings like schools, hospitals and clinics, so that the communities of Gonaives can begin to recover. Photo by David Snyder for CRS.
Friday, September 26, 2008 Gonaives, Haiti: Got into Port-au-Prince yesterday and drove up to Gonaives today. Hurricane Ike really devastated the city, affecting most, if not all, of the city’s 350,000 residents. I was here once before – in 2004, following Hurricane Jeanne – which also seriously damaged the city. Took a ride out tonight with CRS staff to conduct an assessment of the needs of the city. CRS has been providing emergency food rations through partner agencies Caritas Haiti and the Missionaries of Charity. Next week, they plan to start cash-for-work projects, using local labor to clear schools of the mud that now clogs every surface of the city. Today’s assessment was a chance to look around for suitable school sites. The people here in Gonaives have been tired and stressed since the nearly three weeks now since Ike struck. You have to be careful on such assessments not to build expectations, taking care as well to select schools whose rehabilitation can have the most impact in the quickest amount of time. It can be a delicate balance.
Posted
October 3rd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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Photojournalist David Snyder is reporting from Haiti for CRS. In his first post from Gonaives, he notes the sheer devastation brought by recent storms and the help that’s finding it’s way to the people who need it most.
Gonaives, Haiti: I was traveling with CRS in Asia through early September and saw the news headlines on September 8 about Hurricane Ike, and its effect on Haiti. Now, less than three weeks later, I am in Haiti to see CRS efforts in the wake of the storm, which devastated the island nation. Particularly hard hit was the northern city of Gonaives. It is not my first time here. In 2004, Hurricane Jeanne also devastated Gonaives, and I was here with CRS to document that response as well. From what I have seen so far, Ike has been far more devastating. The entire city is covered in deep mud – more than 2.5 million cubic meters of it – dumped into the city by the hillsides that surround it on three sides, all of which have been completely deforested. Everywhere, people are working with simple tools to clean their homes out, filling the already narrow streets with mountains of black mud. One UN staff member estimates that it would take 200 trucks, working seven days a week, a full year to remove all of the mud from the city. And there are nowhere near that many trucks here.
The Cathedral in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti is currently sheltering up to 200 people in its upper level. Mud and waters from hurricane Ike flooded the church, but the upper level managed to stay dry. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
I went out today to see a CRS food distribution at the Missionaries of Charity compound. CRS has been working through the sisters there, as well as through partner Caritas Haiti, to distribute family ration kits of staples like rice, beans, sugar, dried fish, and bottled water. Today’s distribution reached 500 families – about 2,500 people – part of the 1,500 such kits CRS has delivered so far. Over the years I have seen many such distributions, and I am always amazed by how much organization goes into each one. Beneficiaries are always pre-registered, selected through assessments to affected communities. Once registered, a family member – usually a woman – is given a paper coupon and told to arrive at the distribution site on a given day. When she arrives – like today, for example, at the Missionaries of Charity compound – she is let in with a small group. Their names are called in turn, and each beneficiary turns in a coupon before receiving rations, sometimes moving from station to station to receive different elements of the overall kit. As one group receives their ration, another is let into the compound, and the process repeats itself – for seven hours, today. It sounds simple. But in the midst of the anxiety, frustration, and anger that often follow disasters, such organization is essential not only to make sure those most in need are reached quickly and effectively, but also for security. Everyone must see that the process is fair and equal, that no one who is not registered is receiving food, and that those who are receiving food are in fact the most needy members of the community. It is delicate and tiring work, particularly in the heat and devastation of Haiti today.
I will head out this week to see other CRS projects. Emergencies like this have their own sort of energy, and things often take shape very quickly as needs arise or priorities shift. Right now, those priorities are food and water. CRS also plans some cash-for-work projects next week, helping locals earn money they can use to buy what they need, and bring some semblance of normality back to their lives after the trauma of the past few weeks.
Posted
September 29th, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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Here’s the latest update from CRS’ program manager for Haiti, Greg Elder. He’s working with emergency responders and helping to keep us informed on conditions following massive storm damage.
Gonaivies, Haiti: There’s more rain on the horizon, but for us it’s still work as usual. People are used to storms coming and going during hurricane season. The U.S. embassy has sent out warnings about flash flooding, but you don’t hear a lot of people talking about it. It’s not something being broadcast on the news. Rather than worrying about future disasters, everyone is more focused on our current efforts in the aftermath of Gustav and Hanna.
A woman surveys some of the destruction in the Cathedral in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. The Cathedral is currently sheltering up to 200 people in its upper level. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
CRS has a contingency plan in place in case the rain exacerbates the situation. We work in tandem with the civil protection communities started by the Haitian government to help mitigate disasters. They are trained to inform people about when the storms are coming, where to find shelter, and are stocked with prepositioned supplies.
We’re moving ahead full steam. There’s really no time to waste when responding to these last few storms. There are still areas with standing water. There’s a sense of nervousness, because certain Haitian communities can’t afford any more flooding. No one is sure how much rain these storms will drop. If it’s a big downpour it could affect (relief) access, especially to Gonaives. We’ve just finished a temporary bridge, which has allowed us to travel there by land. Rains would be a huge setback and force us to return sending supplies via helicopter.
There are still some areas of Haiti that remain inaccessible, especially in the tip of the southern peninsula. Roads have been washed out, destroyed along the coast in numerous places. Dozens of towns, coastal ones, but also others in the rainforest or perched in the mountainous terrain are extremely hard to get to. Makeshift roads have cropped up and people are making do by living off the land, their remaining crops and fruit trees. There is small-scale commerce taking place, by street vendors coming and going from town-to-town on foot. Inaccessibility is not a death sentence, but it does mean the people in those regions have to suffer longer.
Catholic Relief Services workers pick up supplies to be distributed in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. Aid workers ship food and supplies by boat and air when roads are inaccessible. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
Today CRS is traveling by helicopter with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and U.S. military personnel to survey the damage and help with response in hard to reach areas. Helicopters are flying in to the central part of the country as we try and determine Haiti’s greatest needs.
The most important aspect of our work is getting food and water to hungry and thirsty people. Saving lives, helping people day-by-day until they get back on their feet, that’s our priority. We’ve started our cash-for-work program and have undertaken the task of clearing away debris and helping to reopen roads. Slowly, if the rains subside, we’ll be able to get Haiti back on its feet.
Posted
September 25th, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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CRS writer Kai T. Hill is in Miami reporting on local efforts to help Haiti and Cuba following a series of storms that battered the island nations.
My visit to relief and collection efforts in Miami began on Sunday at Saint James parish in North Miami.
Before leaving CRS headquarters in Baltimore I learned that Monsignor Jean Pierre, pastor of this prominent, largely Haitian parish, was in Haiti and would be getting back on Sunday. While in Haiti, he met with CRS country representative for Haiti, Bill Canny, and was able to tour some of the affected cities such as Jacmel and Cabaret. In addition to providing food, water and survival supplies to families in the hardest hit areas, CRS has obtained a warehouse in Port-Au-Prince to help Haiti’s bishops store incoming donated goods.
Catholic Relief Services workers pick up supplies to be distributed in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. Aid workers are shipping food and supplies by boat and air, as the roads leading up to the city remain inaccesible. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
“A lot of people are still living in mud, scared to go into their homes, some are still living on their rooftops, We have to keep being in solidarity with them,” says Msgr. Pierre above the bustling sound of volunteers packing donated goods that range from clothes to baby strollers and cans of beans and rice to cases of bottled water stacked several feet high.
Thus far the parish has sent about four or five 40,000 pound shipping containers to the Port of Miami to be shipped to Haiti. It’s one thing to see the fallout of disaster on television but last week Msgr. Pierre had a chance to see Haiti’s devastation first hand.
In the community of Caberet, Haiti he says “People are still in shock. It was a heartbreaking lesson to hear their stories as they have lost a child, they have lost a parent because they could not swim. But the storms happened at night so most of the people were sleeping. Most of the people who have died were children because they could not run, they could not hide.”
I’d never met Msgr. Pierre in person and figured that I would have to dodge between parishioners after Mass to introduce myself and borrow a few minutes of his time. When I pulled up in the church’s side lot a man wearing casual clothing greeted me. I told him that I was looking for Monsignor Jean Pierre. He smiled whimsically and told me that I was looking at him. He was not how I had pictured a monsignor. It was just in May that I sought his guidance for a CRS web article on the Archdiocese of Miami’s efforts to raise money for CRS and send goods to Haiti. Although his parish is one of the most prominent in South Florida’s Haitian community, he also encouraged me to visit Notre Dame D’ Haiti a ways south.
Today, the floods from three successive hurricanes have become the latest affliction to Haiti. Msgr. Pierre was eager to talk about his recent trip, South Florida’s collection efforts and how CRS is helping hurricane-affected families recover.
One of the most important things families things need now are building materials.”I’ve seen so many families homes there, I think that’s an urgent need. I would encourage people to donate so that we can get people back on their feet.”
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, flood, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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CRS’ program manager for Haiti, Greg Elder, is reporting from Gonaives.
The Haitian city of Gonaives is still only reachable by air and water. I sailed along the coastline with five other CRS staffers in an old fishing boat navigated by diving instructor well known in Port-au-Prince. Its insides had been stripped and there was plenty of room for supplies and the food provisions we carried in our bags to last us the 5-10 days we’d be in the field. It was a two-hour boat ride through debris littered water -empty bottles, trash, and pieces of wood stirred up by the hurricanes.
The Cathedral in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti, is currently sheltering up to 200 people in its upper level. Mud and waters from hurricane Ike flooded the church, but the upper level managed to stay dry. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
The port of Gonaives was teeming with activity. There was a U.S. freighter with three landing crafts, those had been released and were taking supplies in to the city. Six helicopters flew overhead, carrying more supplies -including ours- from Port-au-Prince to Gonaives.
My first impression as I surveyed the city was of the very tall mountains devoid of any trees or grass. There was no foliage in sight: only rock and dirt. It was so barren, and it was very hot because there is hardly any shade. Mud caked buildings lined the Gonaives streets. People were scooping out bucketfuls of water or shoveling through the 3-4 feet of mud that Ike and Hanna had dumped into their homes. Overturned vehicles were everywhere, also cars and trucks that had either gotten stuck in the mud or had tried to cross while the water was rising.
The need is tremendous. As we drove through the streets people would see the CRS logo and run up to our truck with outstretched hands pleading for help. Every food distribution done by the World Food Program (WFP), for example, is guarded by U.N. troops. If a truck pulls up with food, people will chase it. They’ll follow it. One night, out of safety concerns, we left our truck parked by the police station. The next morning we had to walk through a wave of people. At least a 1,000 had gathered thinking there was going to be a food distribution. We had to maneuver our way out from the crowd with the help of the police.
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, Hunger, Hurricane by:
John Lindner |
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CRS writer Kai T. Hill is in Miami reporting on local efforts to help Haiti and Cuba following a series of storms that battered the island nations.
For weeks I sat behind my desk at Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore processing details from storm-torn Haiti and Cuba. During emergencies we rely on updates and photos from the field to provide our Web readers and donors with “on the ground” accounts as quickly as possible.
Catholic Relief Services workers pick up supplies to be distributed in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti. Aid workers are shipping food and supplies by boat and air, as the roads leading up to the city remain inaccesible. Photo by Greg Elder/CRS
Yet, to my surprise the situation reports not only included details of the destruction and loss inside Haiti, but also the remarkable Church response by parishes and communities throughout the United States. From small towns like Gary, Indiana, to New York, New Jersey and South Florida, parishes are collecting money, residents are filling church halls with clothes, canned goods, food and other items. Volunteers are working around the clock to fill shipping containers headed for the ports.
As the associate web producer for CRS my current assignment is to tell the stories of lay Catholics and Church leaders who are donating money, goods and time for both islands. No better place to start is Miami, Florida—the closest point to Haiti and Cuba geographically and in heart and spirit.
CRS has shared a long relationship with the Archdiocese of Miami, where Archbishop Favalora recently sent a strong message for Catholics to live their faith through outreach for the suffering in Haiti and Cuba.
In the days leading up to my trip I made sure that I had enough notebooks to fill with quotes from people like Sister Hilda, a petite elderly nun, who is directing the Daughters of Charity’s collection efforts for Cuba in west Miami. In addition to helping the Daughters ship emergency items to Cuba, we recently learned that we have helped them obtain a warehouse to store the great volume of donated goods coming in each day.
CRS is grateful to its donors who make these efforts possible by contributing to our Latin America Severe Weather Fund. On the islands themselves we’ve been able to provide food and survival essentials for thousands of families in some of the hardest hit areas.
CRS’s relationship with the Daugthers goes back more than 10 years. For Haiti I plan to visit two key parishes, Notre Dame D’ Haiti located in the heart of Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood and Saint James parish in North Miami. It was only four months ago that I arrived at Notre Dame’s white gates to talk about the food crisis. Today, it’s the floods.
- Kai T. Hill
Posted
September 22nd, 2008 in
Emergency Response, flood, Hunger, Hurricane by:
Catholic Relief Services |
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“Haiti’s government estimates 600 people are dead and another 850,000 people affected by four strong storms that pelted the country in the past month.”
That’s the opening paragraph of the CRS website’s latest update on Haiti.
The good news is that CRS staff and other aid workers have been able to get some food and other essential supplies to flood survivors. We’re awaiting further updates from our staff in Haiti.
Posted
September 15th, 2008 in
Hurricane by:
Catholic Relief Services |
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A CRS staffer is quoted in this NPR story posted Friday, 9.12. Here’s a quote from the story:
“We got rice, bread, peanut butter, beans,” says Bill Canny, the country representative for Catholic Relief Services. “So it’s a packet to sustain a family of five for 15 days. We have trouble getting these to Gonaives — the roads have been closed. But there are plenty of places affected and we are getting it to other parts of the country that are equally suffering from the effects of the hurricanes.”
The NPR story also notes: “Catholic Relief Services first came to Haiti in response to Hurricane Hazel in 1954. It has grown into one of the largest aid agencies in the country.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted
September 13th, 2008 in
Emergency, Food Aid, Haiti, Hurricane by:
Catholic Relief Services |
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