Caribbean Nazarenes Die in Hurricane Refugee Camp, Survivors Face Hunger
The winds and rain of Ike, Hanna, and Gustav left Haiti weeks ago, but the people there are still struggling to meet even the basic needs for survival.
Bill Dawson, French Field Director in the Caribbean region, reported that thousands of Nazarenes are living in refugee camps around the flooded city of Gonaives, Haiti. "Two Nazarenes died in the camps on Tuesday of this week," he said.
It is difficult to explain what the conditions are like in Haiti and Cuba as those left behind in the storms’ aftermath try to create some kind of normalcy in life. Some reports estimate as many as two million people have been displaced by the storms.
Many photos of the aftermath have come in from Nazarenes in Cuba and Haiti, and perhaps these images tell the story best. Yet even this picture is incomplete, as many of the photos are too disturbing to post. Cuban photo gallery. Haitian photo gallery.
The Miami Herald has also posted a telling Photo Gallery here that offers a glimpse into the difficulties those who survived the storm are facing.
The Miami Herald reported that the busy hurricane season hit the island nations of Cuba and Haiti “where it hurts most: in the heart of agriculture.” The season of storms brought both death and destruction to Cuba and Haiti, as well as the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Following months of a food shortage in the Caribbean brought about by high prices caused in part by increasing fuel costs, the storms have now swept away food staples as well as the potential for new crops in many areas.
Herald reporters added, “For Haiti, the toughest loss was in the Artibonite Valley, the heart of the country's already paltry breadbasket. Cuba suffered agricultural losses on both coasts, where storms wiped out not just the bananas that farmers scrambled to recover, but the entire sugar cane crop, 135,000 tons of citrus and a staggering 700,000 tons of food.”
A related article titled “In Haiti, Famine Is Just Around the Corner” suggests that the reality of moving from a food crisis (reported on in May 2008), to a food crisis on top of hurricane recovery may prove to be too much for many Haitians.
Curt Luthye, Work and Witness coordinator in the Caribbean, commented, "This is a Katrina-sized event for the people of the Caribbean. I am praying that we have a Katrina-sized response from the U.S. Nazarenes. We need their help desperately."
We need your help. We’re asking you to pray, and we’re asking you to give. Spread the word to your personal prayer lines, to your zone churches, to your schools and to your families. And we offer a sincere thanks to those who have already responded.
Check here for other info and past news releases. Feel free to distribute them to your local churches and friends. Contact communications@caribnaz.org if you need assistance downloading pictures or videos.