Posted September 10, 2008

Haiti – The situation gets worse
The situation of the people in Haiti who during the past weekend were hit by the hurricane “Ike” has gotten worse.

“Ike” is the fourth hurricane, after “Fay”, “Gustav”, “Hanna”, which in less than a month has struck the Caribbean country. The city to suffer the most from “Ike” has been Cabaret, about 50 km from Port-au-Prince. Relief agencies are finding it difficult to respond on account of blocked roads.

There seems to be no solution to the problems of Gonaives. As the days pass bodies of people and the carcasses of animals that were drowned in the storms of hurricane “Hanna” and caught in mud slides are surfacing from the water and the mud.

Even though less severe, “Ike” has been a great trial for the Salesians in Gonaives who in spite of the damage they have suffered had taken in some of the survivors from the surrounding area. Over 600 have died and there are thousands of homeless people who have lost almost everything. The hurricanes have created more victims and destruction and further impoverished the survivors.

Haiti – Hurricane Hanna
A new hurricane has struck Haiti. Only a week after “Gustav” caused the death of 77 people on the island, the rains of the hurricane “Hanna” have submerged the city of Gonaïves, in the north of the country, where , according to the latest reports from the authorities there have been 500 victims.

The Salesian house in the Gonaïves area has been damaged. It has proved impossible to reach the place by road on account of the deluge. In spite of the difficulty and at the risk of his own life, Fr Jean Sylvain Jeannot, Vice Superior of the Vice Province of Haiti, managed to reach the house and see the Salesian working there.

According to a telephone conversation there has been considerable damage to the community house and to the buildings of the vocational training school where the ground floor is completely under water. There has been damage to the generators, the computers, cars, the water pump and school equipment. The quarters of the surrounding fence have been knocked down by the force of the water.

Nevertheless, the Salesians have opened the doors of the school to about 250 displaced people from the area. Even though the number in need is even greater, it has been necessary to limit those coming in since only the first floor of the building can be used.

In these first days of September the school was preparing to start lessons, but now according to the decision of the local authorities school will begin in October.

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