Port au Prince before the hurricane

Jonas Bellevue walked through the densely populated slum, moving slowly amid the winding maze of narrow corridors and tin shacks, screaming.

“Get out of here, Get out of here,” the assistant mayor of Haiti’s largest slum, Cité Soleil, yelled as he stuck his bald head in doorways and climbed over muddy paths and wooden canoes in the drizzling rain. “What’s coming is bad.” Residents, hearing Jonas panicked plea, asked in a dismissive tone, “Where to? How?”

Haiti’s cash-strapped government has asked residents living along the country’s coastline to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Matthew. And while some, doubting the forecasts, have stubbornly refused to evacuate flood-prone communities such as Leogane, jeremie and the southern island of Ile-a-Vache, others say they would like to protect themselves, but lacked the ability to do so. “If they relocate us, I’ll go,” said Amita Lestin, 60, a resident in Wharf Jeremie, which is partly built on trash. “But how? We don’t have anywhere to go and no way to get there.”

Haiti braces itself on Oct. 3, 2016 as it begins to feel the effects of Hurricane Matthew. Hurricane Matthew is expected to bring sea surges between 7 and 10 feet when it hits Haiti on Monday and Tuesday. While the southern peninsula is most at risk, all of Haiti is under threat, officials say. Cité Soleil is located in the Port-Au-Prince metropolitan area.

Cité Soleil sits below sea-level, which means hundreds of thousands of people possibly being affected by storm surge and rain.

“A total catastrophe,” said Cité Soleil Mayor Jean Hislain Frederic. “The way Cité Soleil is built, it’s a bowl so all of the water from Petionville, Delmas, Kenscoff, Port-au-Prince — all invade the people of Cité Soleil.”

For days, Frederic and Jonas have been hitting the airwaves pleading for help with finding shelters and buses to move an estimated 100,000 residents out of danger. Nearby Delmas Mayor Wilson Jeudy refused their request, they said, while Port-au-Prince Mayor Youry Chevry never responded. Petionville Mayor Dominique Saint Roc did respond, offering to give shelter to up to 200 people. “We don’t have any buses,” Jonas said.

Nevertheless, he and Frederic walked the streets of the slum Monday, pleading with residents to leave. At the forefront of their minds, they said, is 2004’s Hurricane Jeanne, which killed at least 3,000 people in the city of Gonaives after residents were caught off guard in the middle of the night.
There was also Hurricane Ike in 2008, which sent frightened mothers running with their babies in the middle of the storm. What the storm’s waters didn’t sweep away, an overflowing river did, killing dozens of children. “You always have people who are reluctant to leave,” Frederic said. “But when the danger is in front of them, when the water starts to come down, all will run. Then, we will have a bigger problem on our hands.”

The elected officials who took office three months ago have been closely following the weather updates. Matthew scares them.

“What can reach us between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. is typical of what happened in Gonaives with Jeanne and the amount of water that can invade Cité Soleil,” Jonas said. “We, in Cité Soleil, won’t be able to handle it. We will have a lot of people who die.” There are about 500,000 people who live in Cité Soleil, mostly all of them in dilapidated housing built on debris. Officials have identified 15 shelters with a total capacity of 2,000 people, they said. Only two of the facilities are schools. Most of them are open-air, including an athletic field.

“Even if it means having people wait out the storm in the streets, it’s better than having them remain inside by the sea,” Jonas said. “To save people’s lives today, we have no other choice.”

Michael Vilien Reynold: My once-in-history opportunity.By the time I knew...

Michael Vilien Reynold: My once-in-history opportunity.
By the time I knew...: My once-in-history opportunity . By the time I knew what to call it, I was in neck deep. Maybe when you said goodbye as your cousin die...

Hurricane Mathew in Haiti

Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean’s worst storm in nearly a decade.

The death toll stood at seven — three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic — but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way on.

The full scope of its toll, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew’s furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.

The bridge that collapsed was on the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti.

“It’s going to be difficult to find an alternative route,” civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP.

Next-in-line Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.

The northern eyewall — the most destructive part of a hurricane, just outside the eye.

Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an “extremely dangerous” Category Four storm — the maximum is five — near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.
It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti. Matthew began battering Haiti late Monday with strong winds and rising sea levels, before barreling ashore some 400 kilometers west of the capital Port-au-Prince. Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola — the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic — Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb. Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic. After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday. The hurricane was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas.

Rising waters already have caused extensive flooding in and around the flimsy homes and buildings in Haiti’s southwest. More than 9,000 Haitians have been evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said.
But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas. They included the capital’s destitute, densely populated neighborhoods, including Cite Soleil — where a fifth of the half-million residents face serious flooding risks — and the seaside Cite L’Eternel. First deluge, then mudslides - Part of the seaport city of Les Cayes was underwater after being deluged by Matthew, also blamed for triggering mudslides. Haiti is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.

Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country’s massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.

One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Pierre Duval, ventured out to buy rum. “I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we’ll see,” Duval said.

USAID said it has dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica. It also is sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers.

The drive before the hurricane

Seven hours in the truck, driving up and down crazy mountains without guardrails, and an evening full of flooding rains. This has been our day.
But I’m not complaining. No. Not in the least bit.
Because we are all safe. Our bellies are full. And Frantz is a rockstar driver.

This morning we left port au prince and headed to Petit Goave for the first night of our trip. Being a Sunday morning the traffic was minimal, which was wonderful. We took a couple of stops on the side of the road so Frantz could fly his drone. The volunteers took long naps. And the rain held off until we reached the outskirts of the city.

Tonight we are staying at the compounds a guesthouse operated by the Wesleyan Church Right in the middle of the city if you are ever in need of a place to stay in Petit goave you should really check it out. It’s super cute and in the perfect location. so why wouldn’t you want to stay here?

We arrived at the compound in the early afternoon. Our volunteers spent a majority of the next few hours playing in the rain and jumping/rolling around in muddy puddles. I should have stopped them. They ruined a day’s worth of clean clothing. But goodness they were happy. So I just let them have it. We later met a guy from Help One Now for dinner at fort royal Amore, which was super yummy. Help One Now is a great organization that strives to empower local leaders to care for their communities. Check out the links to learn more about their work.

Alright, time for bed. We are getting up early tomorrow morning to head down to Jacmel and this boy is tired. Stay tuned!

~ Michael Vilien Reynold

Reflection of gratitude

Lately I’ve been reflecting back on my past in Haiti, trying to record the details I always want to remember, the stories I never want to forget, the events that have shaped me for better or for worse. It’s been a difficult time of reflection, as some times down here have been quite dark. Somedays the road we walked was not at all clear. But in looking back, in being vulnerable enough to remember, I am constantly being reminded how faithful God is. No matter how dark times were, no matter how uncertain the path was before us, there was always a shimmer of light. He was always there. His light was always present to help see us though. 

So today I want to encourage you. We serve a God who knows all things, who can not only see the paths ahead of us but created them, and who has already conquered the darkness we often face. And I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but trust him! I’ll admit, I have often second guessed him, but thankfully he was always bigger than my doubt. And he is bigger than yours too. I promise.  Happy weekend. Go walk the paths he has prepared for you, confident that his light is always there.

Michael Vilien Reynold

Hurricane Matthew the threat it represents

While category 4 hurricane, Matthew approaches and threatens Haiti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) implemented since July 2010, reveals in its latest report dated 30 September 2016, that 14,593 household or 55,107 people (Internally Displaced persons (IDPs)) are still living in camps and/or hosting sites in Haiti. All these families are in a situation of extreme vulnerability under tents or T-Shelters, face the powerful winds and torrential rains expected

Situation in figures on September 30, 2016 :
Number of households and IDPs :
The 3 communes with the highest IDP population are the following:

1. Delmas: 8,249 households corresponding 27,384 individuals;
2. Croix-des-Bouquets: 2,474 households corresponding to 10,806 individuals;
3. Léogane: 813 households corresponding to 3,274 individuals;
Number of camps and camp-like settlements :
The 4 communes with the highest number of IDP sites are the following:
1. Delmas: 9 IDP sites
2. Léogane: 6 IDP sites
3. Croix-des-Bouquets and Tabarre: with 5 sites each.
14 sites are almost entirely made up of tents.
17 sites have a percentage of 60% or more of T-Shelters.

Decrease in the number of displaced people in camps :
When comparing the figures from the 27th round of the DTM to the IDP figures from 2010, a net decrease of 346,924 of the total households (or 1,481,340 individuals) identified in 2010, can be observed. Furthermore, this also represents a decrease of 1,524 sites compared to July 2010, during the height of the internal displacement in Haiti.

Since July 2010, the IDP household population has decreased by 96%.

During this reporting period, 2 camps have been reported as closed, whereby a total of 31 households (representing 98 individuals) were relocated through the return program. Furthermore, there were no evictions during this round of DTM assessments.

Hurricane Matthew in Haiti

Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean’s worst storm in nearly a decade.

The death toll stood at seven — three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic — but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way on.

The full scope of its toll, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew’s furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.

The bridge that collapsed was on the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti.

“It’s going to be difficult to find an alternative route,” civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP.

Next-in-line Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.

The northern eyewall — the most destructive part of a hurricane, just outside the eye.

Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an “extremely dangerous” Category Four storm — the maximum is five — near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.
It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti. Matthew began battering Haiti late Monday with strong winds and rising sea levels, before barreling ashore some 400 kilometers west of the capital Port-au-Prince. Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola — the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic — Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb. Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic. After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday. The hurricane was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas.

Rising waters already have caused extensive flooding in and around the flimsy homes and buildings in Haiti’s southwest. More than 9,000 Haitians have been evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said.
But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas. They included the capital’s destitute, densely populated neighborhoods, including Cite Soleil — where a fifth of the half-million residents face serious flooding risks — and the seaside Cite L’Eternel. First deluge, then mudslides - Part of the seaport city of Les Cayes was underwater after being deluged by Matthew, also blamed for triggering mudslides. Haiti is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.

Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country’s massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.

One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Pierre Duval, ventured out to buy rum. “I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we’ll see,” Duval said.

USAID said it has dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica. It also is sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers.