Gustav

It's still raining. ALOT! Gustav may have moved on but the aftermath has only just begun.

School has been cancelled for our kids again today. Port au Prince was not hit hard; I hear that it rarely is. BUT, we are hearing of massive flooding in Jacmel, Les Cayes and other outlying areas where they suffered the brunt of the storm.

I have never been in a hurricane before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've watched the news from Florida and other states and what I experienced was nothing like what I thought I would.. We experienced surges of wind and rain, hitting every hour to hour and half. Between the surges it was eerily calm. Haiti is a country of sounds: people shouting to one another; singing; church bells ringing; tap-taps honking; diesel engines revving; roosters, pigs, donkeys and dogs all fighting to be heard; children playing; constant sound. Yesterday we heard none of that; just the sound of the wind and rain and then… silence.

Of course, we were 50-75 miles from the eye of the storm and so we did not get the worst of it. However, for Haiti it isn't necessary for the eye of the storm to pass over to cause problems, it's the "fringes" that do the most damage... the rain... the wind... the flooding... the cold. In a country that has stripped its mountains of vegetation, that has no sewer system, that does not have any sort of emergency preparation procedures in place, whose rivers are unable to handle the deluge of water, with people who have no access to television or the internet the results can be devastating. Denial is also a huge factor. I read reports of people saying there was no storm coming because it was sunny out! Haitian’s I talked to here seemed to dismiss the possible severity of the storm.

It saddens me to see the devastation that occurs that is so preventable. People have already died and most likely there will be more. People who are starving and need to get food will try to cross rivers that are not passable. Mudslides will occur; the land just can not hold this much water. Levies will break, villages will be swept away. All of which is preventable with time and effort. Unfortunately once the threat has passed, more pressing concerns will get in the way and replanting trees, fortifying the river banks, educating the people etc. will be put off once again. People will die, children will be left as orphans with no where to go since the orphanages are already filled to capacity.

It’s a cycle that has been going on for hundreds of years. I have no solution for the problem. But, I can do something… I can pray!!

I pray that the cycle can be broken; this country has enough heartache as it is.