Haiti (MNN) — Tropical storm Isaac took a swipe at Haiti
and the Dominican Republic over the weekend.
The main issue of concern for the residents of Hispaniola
was flooding. In a country where 54%
of the population lives on less than $1 per day, neither country has much reserve for
emergencies.
In Haiti, more than 400,000 people are still living in tent cities, still trying to recover
from destroyed homes from the January 2010 earthquake. Evacuation orders have been given, but for
residents of the tent cities, there's nowhere to evacuate. It means this population is vulnerable.
Regardless of the amount, the threatened rain poses a
significant threat to Haiti, which is highly prone to flooding and mudslides
because of its near-total deforestation. The danger from flash floods and
mudslides is even greater outside the capital, where crumbling hillsides
stripped of vegetation have made much of the country's often poorly built homes
vulnerable to floods and lethal landslides.
Food for the Hungry is working in 29 communities in Haiti
and 29 communities in the Dominican Republic. The ministry brings critical
physical assistance and Christ's love to disaster survivors. FH staff already had
a response plan in place as Isaac began menacing Friday.
They've got a network in place after having responded to the
crisis in 2010 and creating a long-term development work to help Haitians recuperate
their loss. Actually, the history goes
back further. FH has been involved with Haiti since the 1970s. In the early
2000s, FH began an HIV/AIDS prevention and care program in Port-au-Prince.
