Hurricane leaves much of country inaccessible

Church agencies have mobilised to respond to the destruction in Haiti, which took the full impact of Hurricane Matthew last week, leaving as many as 900 people dead and 350,000 in need of humanitarian aid. There are also growing fears of an increase in cholera cases because of flood water mixing with sewage.

The hurricane left much of the southwestern part of Haiti – the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere – devastated after hitting the country’s Caribbean coast on 4 October. The cities of Les Cayes in the southwest and Jérémie in the northwest were particularly hard hit by Matthew, which was the strongest storm in the region in a decade.

Cafod, Christian Aid and Tearfund have all launched emergency appeals. Cafod partner Caritas Haiti had an emergency team in place in Les Cayes before the storm hit and began distributing blankets, bedding and sanitation kits as the winds and rain subsided. “The effect of the hurricane in the south of Haiti is catastrophic,” Fr Jean-Hervé François, Caritas Haiti director, reported, adding: “People have lost everything.”

As relief teams rushed to deliver food, water and shelter to the area, the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) reported the collapse of the bridge at Petit Goave along the only main road connecting western Haiti and the capital Port-au-Prince.

“Hopefully, a temporary fix can be effected quickly, but until then, getting supplies to affected areas will be difficult,” the CMMB stated. At least 500,000 people are stranded in the south and some towns are only accessible by helicopter. There is also a cholera outbreak in three southern towns that has so far claimed 13 lives. Waterborne and communicable diseases are “a key challenge” in the aftermath of the storm, the CMMB said.

Catholic Relief Services said that winds tore off part of the roof of the agency’s offices and a warehouse in Les Cayes. Staff had to relocate to higher ground because of the threat of rising waters. Development and Peace, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ aid and development agency, reported that numerous nurseries that were preparing to harvest vegetables were destroyed and Haitians now face serious food shortages.

As Haitians attended Sunday services in damaged churches, Pope Francis sent a message to Haitian Cardinal Chibly Langlois, saying that he wished “to express his sorrow and to join in prayer in the suffering of all those who have lost loved ones”. The hurricane also hit Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the south Florida coast, but Haiti suffered by far the worst damage. The country was hardest hit due to extreme deforestation, limited infrastructure and high population density.

Haiti is still recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake that left 150,000 people dead.