Hello,
I am writing this note for our Executive Director, Michael Anello, your usual correspondent. He is in Haiti and safe but last weekend’s rainstorms and flooding have vastly impacted him, our CODEP partners, and more. He has no internet but has been able to call with some early reports, and I can pass along what we have learned.
The rains last Saturday were heavy. As we well know, the mountains of Haiti are denuded and heavy rain imperils everything. At one point a wall of water about 4.5 feet high washed down onto the Family Health Ministries guest house where Michael lives. He climbed out the window and was safe but everything was washed away. He reports that he has three t-shirts and the pair of shorts he is wearing.
Various people have been helping scrub the mud out of the facility. Michael sounded nearly speechless in telling about that. People he hasn’t seen in years have simply showed up and gone to work. One of the Animators, Carlo, arrived, went to work, and wouldn’t stop for the entire day – even to eat. As Michael tells it, “Carlo said that he didn’t want food. Others needed it more.”
The initial cleanup is done. But it is a bleak, if less muddy place. Michael is sleeping on a plastic sheet on a concrete floor.
We will relay more as we learn more. Meanwhile, we are all left to reflect on why reforestation is so crucial for Haiti, its people, and its mountains.
Martha Johnson
Member, HRP Advisory Council
The Last Flood
The last flood at the facility was in 2020, and a few inches of water made it into the guesthouse. The generator was restored so fans and light were possible.
Now imagine 4.5 feet!! We will share current pictures when they are available.