More than 40 tons of supplies have arrived safely in Haiti and our staff on the ground are starting to meet the needs of hurricane survivors
Update: October 24, 2016.
Samaritan’s Purse sent two airlifts and 40 tons of water filters, heavy-duty plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, and blankets to help survivors of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. A Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was also aboard our DC-8. They have joined our field staff in distributing these relief supplies to Haitians in desperate need. The 40 tons of supplies sent on October 6 and 7 will reach 5,000 households.
Since our initial response we have airlifted 220 metric tons of supplies that have helped provide shelter, hygiene, sanitation, and medical care to thousands of households impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Cholera has stricken many communities, but our mobile medical teams are on the ground providing life-saving relief for cholera patients and the injured.
“Hurricane Matthew has wreaked havoc on Haiti,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Our teams are on the ground helping in Jesus’ Name. They’re going to do all they can to meet the needs of the suffering people there. Please pray for the people of Haiti as they recover from this deadly storm.”
An additional airlift with 20 tons of relief supplies went to the Bahamas, with a DART again aboard the DC-8.
A group of medical staff—part of our DART—is on the Haitian peninsula dispensing aid from backpack kits. The medical team is working with church partners and expected to hold medical clinics this week. Our heavy equipment is also active in Haiti, helping communities remove debris and clear roads.
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Hurricane Matthew caused horrendous damage as it hit Haiti with torrential rain and winds up to 145 mph on Tuesday, October 4.
Hundreds died in what was a Category 4 storm and the death toll is likely to climb. An estimated 350,000 people in Haiti are now in desperate need of help. A major bridge connecting the southwest of Haiti to the rest of the country has washed out.
After pummeling Haiti, Hurricane Matthew passed over Cuba, hit the Bahamas, and churned up the Atlantic coast of the United States. It made landfall along the coast of South Carolina.
In Haiti, Samaritan’s Purse field staff are on the ground, assessing damage, and bringing relief to survivors of the catastrophic storm. The slow-moving hurricane made landfall around 7 a.m. local time Tuesday and ripped up the Tiburon Peninsula of southwestern Haiti.
Handing out tarps in Nan Dupin, one of Haiti’s hardest hit areas.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and continues to deal with the aftermath of a devastating 2010 earthquake. Housing and other infrastructure in the country tends to be weak. Cholera is a national issue and sanitation problems could be exacerbated by the storm.
Please pray for the people of Haiti as they suffer through this latest natural disaster. Please also pray for our staff as they prepare to meet the needs of storm-battered survivors.
Samaritan’s Purse has been hard at work in Haiti for many years, both before and after the earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak. We have current projects in a number of relief sectors including agua, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; recycling; education; agriculture; food security; construction; and gender-based violence response. World Medical Mission sends medical volunteers to help at the Haiti Health Ministries Medical Clinic.
Unloading the DC-8 in Haiti
In addition, we operate and staff the Hogar y Academia Greta, which provides housing, education, and a nurturing Christian environment for some of Haiti’s future leaders.
Meeting the spiritual needs of our beneficiaries is integral to all of our work. Everything we do is intended as a witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Original story published October 4, 2016. Latest update: October 24.
