October 4: Hurricane Matthew
The following blog was written at noon on October 4th as I was anxiously waiting for Hurricane Matthew to hit.
October 4.
I can't help but wonder if this date will become as infamous as January 12. When referencing the earthquake in Haiti you don't have to say more than, "January 12th" for everyone to know exactly what you are referring to.
October 4. We are exactly half way through the day as I write these words. I'm sitting on my covered patio listening to the rain, a broken tree branch lay across the road by my gate, and the wind is whipping our banana and almond tree wildly. This is only a tiny fraction of what has been going on in the south of Haiti where Hurricane Matthew, a category 4 hurricane, has hit. We're just feeling the far off edges of the storm in Titanyen.
I was able to give away keys to 36 homes in Minoterie to families who have been living in tents on Friday and Saturday of last week. I was so excited to see another 36 families FINALLY have safe shelter. Excited to have 36 tents torn down, never to be lived in again. Every tent torn down is a win for me!
But Hurricane Matthew.
Temporary shelters are going to be needed all over again. A local organization is already planning their relief efforts which include 750,000 temporary shelters. I'm very familiar with temporary shelters, having worked with our housing projects for the past two years visiting with families who have been living in temporary shelters, some since 2010. Please understand that I believe temporary shelters are a life saving necessity, so important and essential in emergency situations like an earthquake, like a hurricane. But here's the thing: I have been working my butt of for two years to get families OUT of temporary shelters and into safe, permanent homes. It's something I'm really passionate about, every family deserves a safe place to live. We aren't finished getting earthquake victims into safe housing and here comes another natural disaster where I'm sure hundreds of thousands of families will lose their homes, some for the second time.
I'm not going to lie, I feel defeated.
I feel defeated, and frustrated and angry.
I feel sad, and scared and heartbroken. I imagine myself in the shoes of a Haitian women with no options. Preparing for the storm wasn't an option. Her house is made of sticks, tarp and maybe some tin. She doesn't live in this shelter because she likes it, or wants to, she lives there because renting a house isn't an option. She lives day to day so stocking up on food and water isn't an option. Her babies are hungry, cold and scared but providing for them in this terrible moment isn't an option. Right now, living through this storm is all she can do. She has no other option.
I can't help but think about the spiritual aspect of this storm too. Is there one? I don't really know, but it sure feels like it. It feels evil, and angry like a vicious attack on a country barely holding it's head up. What tomorrow will bring is unknown, for now all we can do is pray.
Here is one thing I do know, no matter what happens Haiti will live through this storm. Haiti will survive. Haiti will persevere. Haiti has no other option.
Ayiti cheri, mwen renmen w.
October 4.
I can't help but wonder if this date will become as infamous as January 12. When referencing the earthquake in Haiti you don't have to say more than, "January 12th" for everyone to know exactly what you are referring to.
October 4. We are exactly half way through the day as I write these words. I'm sitting on my covered patio listening to the rain, a broken tree branch lay across the road by my gate, and the wind is whipping our banana and almond tree wildly. This is only a tiny fraction of what has been going on in the south of Haiti where Hurricane Matthew, a category 4 hurricane, has hit. We're just feeling the far off edges of the storm in Titanyen.
I was able to give away keys to 36 homes in Minoterie to families who have been living in tents on Friday and Saturday of last week. I was so excited to see another 36 families FINALLY have safe shelter. Excited to have 36 tents torn down, never to be lived in again. Every tent torn down is a win for me!
But Hurricane Matthew.
Temporary shelters are going to be needed all over again. A local organization is already planning their relief efforts which include 750,000 temporary shelters. I'm very familiar with temporary shelters, having worked with our housing projects for the past two years visiting with families who have been living in temporary shelters, some since 2010. Please understand that I believe temporary shelters are a life saving necessity, so important and essential in emergency situations like an earthquake, like a hurricane. But here's the thing: I have been working my butt of for two years to get families OUT of temporary shelters and into safe, permanent homes. It's something I'm really passionate about, every family deserves a safe place to live. We aren't finished getting earthquake victims into safe housing and here comes another natural disaster where I'm sure hundreds of thousands of families will lose their homes, some for the second time.
I'm not going to lie, I feel defeated.
I feel defeated, and frustrated and angry.
I feel sad, and scared and heartbroken. I imagine myself in the shoes of a Haitian women with no options. Preparing for the storm wasn't an option. Her house is made of sticks, tarp and maybe some tin. She doesn't live in this shelter because she likes it, or wants to, she lives there because renting a house isn't an option. She lives day to day so stocking up on food and water isn't an option. Her babies are hungry, cold and scared but providing for them in this terrible moment isn't an option. Right now, living through this storm is all she can do. She has no other option.
I can't help but think about the spiritual aspect of this storm too. Is there one? I don't really know, but it sure feels like it. It feels evil, and angry like a vicious attack on a country barely holding it's head up. What tomorrow will bring is unknown, for now all we can do is pray.
Here is one thing I do know, no matter what happens Haiti will live through this storm. Haiti will survive. Haiti will persevere. Haiti has no other option.
Ayiti cheri, mwen renmen w.
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