Shades of the 2010 earthquake danced through the heads of our friends, neighbors and partners in Fond Doux when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit along the fault line of South Haiti about 8:29 AM August 14th. The Haitian Civil Protection Agencysaid (8/20/2021) 2,189 people were killed and 12,268 people injured and up to 130,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Major damage to Fond Doux did not occur, but people were afraid to sleep in their homes according to our Executive Director Emile Maceus.
Makendy Lazard, head of the Simple English School in Miragoane where our English scholarship students attend, said, “We were just traumatized, but outside of that we are fine.” But there was some major damage nearby — just 20 miles west of Fond Doux. An aftershock of 5.0 magnitude hit Miragoane about 1:05 PM. Makendy explained that the public hospital that serves the rural community was overwhelmed with the injured. They did not have enough medicine or food for the injured
Funds for relief were immediately raised and plans laid to help not only those that were directly hit by the twin disasters, but those affected by their aftermath. Our Executive Director wanted to take some supplies from Petit Goave to Les Cayes (the center of the destruction), but because of the threat of violence and the difficult roads, the board reluctantly did not approve the request.
Instead the board forwarded some supplies to Les Cayes through the Paulos Group that is organizing in-country relief in the fashion which Emile proposed. The Paulos Group opened up two soup kitchens between Les Cayes (the hardest hit large city) and Camp-Perrin, with a goal of serving two thousand meals a day.
Matt McCormick, Paulos Group partner, said, “While our logistics team is at work on this, we have another team scrounging the island’s importers and warehouses for tarps and tents.” The truck needed to go through an area infested with gangs. Matt, continued, ”We contract with Haitian drivers who drive these routes on a near daily basis. They know the geography, hot spots, what to watch for, how to negotiate, and maybe most importantly—they blend in.”
One of our translators now lives in Dame-Marie, Haiti. His house was destroyed. The Foundation provided him some money to help him with food and provisions and also the means to help others.
This is what he told us.
“Thank God I am safe in Dame-Marie, but the damage is truly catastrophic. Hospitals, churches, schools have been damaged, no death. This is the same region that was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. I woke up that morning. I ran out. It was about 8:29.
This house which I lived in shook so bad, roof and door, wall collapsed. All around people ran out. Few of them were harmed. Many houses were damaged. This could not have come at a worse time for this country that is reeling still from the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and then the tropical storm Grace has just knocked in the door. The quake comes at a time when the government is in the throes of crisis and civil unrest and gang violence are plaguing the country. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases . . .
We had been sleeping on the street. Now I am living in a shelter surrounding with old sheet metal. The road from Jeremie to Dame-Marie was blocked. In the area food has become very expensive. Our needs are food, water, clothes, a laptop (a friend let me use his) . . .
It’s unimaginable that families forced out of their homes because of the earthquake are now also dealing with a tropical storm and the risk of flash floods and landslides. Everything you can do with your compassionate and generous support to bring relief to many of us who are suffering is welcome.”
The board has authorized or spent $3350 on direct and indirect relief including $1000 provided by the Outreach Committee of Epworth Church designated for food and disaster relief. We received several other sizeable gifts to be used at our discretion as well. We profoundly thank them and all donors for their support. We authorized spending over $1000 for direct relief through the Paulos Group and through our translator William Burke. We also aided our translator Burke himself. The board through the efforts of the FDFC is purchasing and arranging for distribution tarps and food (beans, rice and oil) for local relief for those in Fond Doux and Platon that were mostly indirectly affected (but still affected) by the twin disasters. They are in perpetual need.