Haiti (MNN) — "These storms have shattered all hopes of harvesting its rice crop, further compounding miseries there," said officials with TEAR Fund New Zealand, commenting on the bleak state of Haiti after Hurricane Ike worsened the food crisis.
Ike brought the death toll to 600 as flooding and landslides added to the devastation wrought by high winds. Compassion International reports that the Artibonite region has been most affected and that the minimal infrastructure there has been totally wiped out by the storms, making aid efforts difficult. Waters rose to 3m and forced residents to take refuge on their roofs. TEAR Fund NZ responded to this crisis by giving $10,000 out of its Disaster Relief Fund.
TEAR Fund reports more than 650 of its members sponsor children in Haiti through its partnership with Compassion, and all projects have been affected by the storm. Compassion International is assessing immediate needs and will use the aid money where most needed. TEAR Fund funds local churches and Christian organizations around the world to carry out relief work. Compassion will provide relief aid for the people of Haiti through the funds provided by TEAR Fund.
To help with the hurricane response, click here. If you would like to contribute so that TEAR Fund can be ready to respond to the next disaster, please click here.
