September 8, 2008
Hurricane Ike showed signs of weakening Monday as it headed toward the United States. However, the downgraded category-2 hurricane has caused extensive damage throughout the Caribbean, including 61 deaths in Haiti. Those deaths are in addition to the 500 reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), quoting figures from the Haitian government, in the wake of Tropical Storm Hanna last week.
Ike began affecting Cuba today, and tens of thousands were preparing for evacuations. The Cuban Council of Churches, a long-time CWS partner, said that given the damage sustained last week from Hurricane Gustav, "the situation in the country is very difficult."
Similarly, Ike's "pelting rains couldn't have come at a worse time for Haiti," said CWS partner Christian Aid in a statement to members of the Action by Churches Together alliance. In all, four storms have hit Haiti in recent weeks, resulting in what Christian Aid said was possibly "lasting damage to Haiti's 'rice bowl,'" a farming area whose revival is needed to assist a country trying to struggle out of a new round of food crises.
"Damage to agricultural production is critical in the present situation of food insecurity reigning in the country, where 2.3 million people are in a situation of moderate to acute risk," Christian Aid said, adding that perhaps as many as 4 million Haitians will be in "dire need of food with an active hurricane season. The frustration is growing among the affected families who believe not enough is being done to help them cope with the situation."
In the northern Haitian city of Gonaives, Christian Aid reported, "waters were rising even as aid groups struggled to reach people with little or no access to food or water for days. The entire country is affected and most of departments are isolated."
Response
The initial CWS response to the recent round of hurricanes includes sending a $10,000 rapid response grant to our partner Christian Center for Integrated Development (SKDE) in Haiti for immediate relief efforts.
ACT partners in Haiti have requested 5,000 CWS Hygiene Kits; 5,000 CWS School Kits; and an unspecified number of CWS Blankets, which CWS stands ready to provide via airlift.
There has not yet been a request from the Cuban Council of Churches, but CWS has a long history of material resource support for the Cuban Council for relief assistance.
As well, CWS is looking to member communions who have long-time relationships with churches in the islands of Turks and Caicos, where it is estimated that 80 percent of the homes were damaged, to provide us with assessment information on what might be supported during relief and recovery phases there.
Initial funds to this appeal will support rapid response grants to partners, shipping costs for material resource shipments and local purchase of relief commodities that are requested.
HOW TO HELP: Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: 2008 Caribbean Hurricanes, Appeal Number #6761.
Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
People rest in a former convent turned into a shelter in Havana September 9, 2008. Strong winds howled in the streets of Havana and thousands huddled in shelters as Hurricane Ike ...
