Keep up to date with what's happening in Haiti since the 7.0 earthquake hit on January 12, 2010. Read some amazing stories, view on-the-ground, unbiased reports and learn how you can help.
Corruption continues in Haiti. With the rains have come further tarp distributions, which seem to be going well. Public food distributions, however, are not. A veteran missionary couple we know hears of poor planning, confusion and some pretty rough scenes. Some of their people have said that, in their areas, it's organized with food cards but that often cards are sold, not free as told.
I read on the CBS News website that enough aid has been raised to give each displaced family a check for $37,000. The question is, what is being done with all that aid money? Why haven't these 1.5 million Haitians received what they need to help get them back on their feet? Four months after the earthquake, 1.5 million remain homeless.
Interesting! I just learned from a missionary in Haiti that it costs a lot more to get some rice in that was donated than it does to go to the street market and just buy it outright. Rice and beans are readily available at the street markets where they can buy it cheaper locally and avoid shipping costs, plus customs fees and hassles associated with getting aid into the country. Purchasing directly from the street market not only speeds rice and bean delivery, but also helps support local Haitians and rebuild the economy.
Here's another tip: If you know of people who are collecting things to send to Haiti, like rice and canned beans, try to steer them to other items, such as the tents, sheets, baby formulas, etc. Tents are not easy to find and are selling for $120 a piece - so much for aid to Haiti. Although tents are best, a 10 x 10 waterproof tarp is better than nothing to try and keep people dry during the rainy season.
There is little or no medical help in Haiti now for the basic needs of ill people. Please do whatever you can to continue to support getting medical aid into Haiti. It is sorely needed.
The above photo is typical of the air immediately following the quake. On-scene witness: "It was as if an air raid had happened and everything was destroyed. The sounds were of screaming and wailing masses of people. I don't think a soul was silent after this event."
Like most photos of the devastation after the earthquake, you look at it and try to understand what it was. Large buildings and most major landmarks were destroyed, so it is not easy to navigate some areas of downtown without wondering if you are lost. When flying into the capitol, there are no more obvious landmarks that always dotted the skyline and made you know this was Port-au-Prince. Now the scene is unreal and nothing is familiar any more.
Many churches and cathedrals were destroyed, but the people flock to the streets in front of their churches and worship. There are local neighborhood services going on every day of the week somewhere. They are praying for their country to change for the better and for the masses to repent of their sins.
Spiritual and emotional needs are very high with the constant see-saw of good and bad news - discovering a friend still alive, learning another perished in the disaster. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and earnestly pray for and support the missionaries and aid workers who labor on and on.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of people quietly going about their business, serving Haitian people by putting the Haitian person first. They don’t have an agenda or anything to gain. These are the true heroes in Haiti. Pray that they find supernatural strength to keep going, in spite of the monumental work that lies in front of them, and continue to joyfully allow the unselfish love of Jesus to shine through them, spreading infectious cheer and courage to the people of Haiti. Will you join in prayer?
It's hard to imagine that more than one million people were left homeless by the January 12 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas in Haiti. With the rainy season at the door, thousands more Haitians are at risk from flooding and mudslides commonly caused by torrential rains.
Relocation efforts have officially begun this weekend and, over the next 10 or 12 days, they hope to move 7,500 quake survivors to an area about 45 minutes away from Port-au-Prince. In the meantime, on short notice, relief organizations are scrambling to put water and sanitation units in place as these thousands of Haitians begin arriving at the new location.
Although aftershocks from the Haiti earthquake of January 12 have diminished, they continue to cause damage to cracked and weakened structures.
A missionary friend just wrote two days ago, telling us the front porch on their mission station collapsed after another tremor - one more reminder why they still can't sleep in their earthquake-damaged home. During the main quake, part of the back of their home collapsed, narrowly missing the missionary's wife.
The people of Haiti still ride an emotional roller coaster. They continue to receive news of friends and family who did not escape and perished during the quake, bringing them renewed grief. Then, sometimes within the same day, someone shows up alive who has been missing, hurtling their emotions upward in a spurt of joy. No time later, those emotions come crashing down in despair as they learn of yet another person who did not escape.
This regular roller coaster of emotions has taken a great toll on the people of Haiti, often leaving them feeling completely exhausted.
Here is why we cannot give up. This is where this little girl lives.
Haiti right now. At the time the above picture was taken of this mother and daughter, they had not seen any aid. Yet it had been over two months since the earthquake.
Haitians continue to deal with the emotional strain, joys, and grief left in the wake of the quake of January 12.
A missionary sent me a text message today, telling me he had a visit from a good friend. How happy he was to know his friend was still alive after the quake!
After talking with him, he learned his friend had been rescued from the main floor of a 5-story building that collapsed on him. The good news quickly followed on the heels of bad news, as the missionary learned that the same building collapse had killed some of their mutual friends.
The miraculous part of the story was that the friend talking to him happened to fall into a space between two checkouts when the building fell. It could be he was referring to the collapse of the Palmera Market in Port-au-Prince.
"With the nightly rains, life has become very miserable for so many who are living in very makeshift shelters. Everyone stays cold and wet, and it's difficult to get things to dry. Doing laundry is almost out of the question.
"Last night's rains were heavy and have not stopped yet this morning. Mudslides are now a major concern in many areas where some of the mountains had already opened up and slid during the quakes." These words were sent to me this morning by a close missionary friend in Haiti, via text messaging.
A news report was released today about a Haitian woman who, like hundreds of thousands across post-earthquake Haiti, has been unable to obtain even a basic tent or tarpaulin from relief agencies. As the rainy season approaches, this mother sleeps on an uncovered mattress with her newborn child in the backyard of her quake-damaged home. Read more.
Meanwhile, corruption continues, depriving Haitians of urgently needed medical care. Yesterday, the Miami Herald reported that corrupt customs officials were asking $65,000 to release a 36-foot mobile medical unit and ambulance from a northern port. You can read the full news article here.
Our totally spent, Haitian missionary friend laments, "We had hoped we'd be further along after two and a half months."
The rains have begun in Haiti and countless people are still without shelter. Many are living in tents which are not waterproof, being soaked to the skin. I have read reports where it has been difficult to sleep in tent cities because of the continual cries coming from mothers and children throughout the night.
Nighttime temperatures dip down into the 60s this time of year. Combine that with rain and wind and you get a chilling combination.
Hundreds of bodies have been left, decomposing under the rubble of earthquake devastation. As the rains come pouring down, they are mixing with decomposing bodies, carrying life-threatening illness into the streets and surrounding tent cities.
I was pleased to discover a wonderful ministry that is providing lasting, mini water and wastewater treatment systems. The name of this ministry is Water Missions International and they are known for their outstanding work wherever disaster hits. Right now, Samaritan's Purse is working with Water Missions, helping them get these systems set up throughout Haiti.
One of their mini water treatment systems provides safe drinking water to 3,000 people. Already they have installed enough mini water treatment systems to serve the needs of 300,000 people in Haiti but so much more is needed.
Churches and individuals have responded to Haiti's water needs by raising funds to purchase and ship Water Missions International water treatment units that can be set up and running within two hours of delivery.
My husband and I live just outside Cleveland, Ohio, on beautiful Lake Erie. We have linked troubled youth and adults with life-changing programs since 1983.
