Hurricane Matthew has departed Haiti. It is with immense gratitude that Bruce and Amy, missionaries in Haiti, report that they have not seen any loss of life in their immediate vicinity! There is flooding, especially at sea level, but not sufficient to wash away the shanties that line the shore, and the people who reside in them. There are many trees down, which makes accessing the areas that sustained more damage hard to reach. Since Bruce and Amy are on the north side of Haiti, they were spared the worst of the storm, the south side of Haiti faced much more destruction.

The missionaries are planning cleanup, but their primary quad being in poor repair, (it only runs in third gear, has no reverse, and is put into gear with a wrench), it will be a challenge to get into the mountains to assess the damage. In fact, Bruce and Amy just made it to their home at the base of the mountains. There is minor flooding in their daughter’s bedroom, that wall and the “school room” wall are concrete and water seeped into the wall. Their solar panels seem to be okay, and their water tank and lines as of now are holding steady. Bruce added an additional water catch a couple weeks ago and now their ground cistern is full! Their neighbor is a carpenter and his workshop was heavily damaged, preventing him from working. They plan to help him with repairs so that he can return to work. They are actively planning their relief efforts and getting organized.

Their current needs are:

• Getting better quality quads shipped to the island (they have the quads in the U.S., but shipping there is a waiting list to ship them to Haiti, they are hopeful that the current situation will move the quads up on the shipping list). The plan is to get the quads shipped ASAP to promote relief efforts.
• Water filters. The flooding is not as overwhelming as anticipated, but still severe enough that the water supply will become tainted. Clean water is a big need on the island of Haiti anyway, so getting filters there ahead of the diseases is crucial. There could be serious illness spread by the flooding.
• Strength and wisdom for the extended clean up that is needed, and the ability to come alongside many whose meager livelihood or homes have been destroyed.

Praises include:

• Bruce and Amy have minimal flooding and no other damage to their home.
• There is no reported loss of life in their immediate vicinity.
• The support of family and friends back home.

Much aid is needed, specifically for the water filters to help prevent disease, for shipping for supplies, especially the quads that will give the missionary team access to much more of the island. If you would like to help, you can give financially Starfysh (use the code KULFAN). Bruce and Amy appreciate the enormous support from the Wesleyan Mission and WISH (West Indies Self Help), and they continue to work in partnership with these mission organizations. 

Prayers go out to all who are bracing for Matthew in the days to come.