I admit asking myself this after learning that Tropical Storm Isaac was bound for the small island nation. Perhaps you wondered the same thing.
While this storm wasn’t as strong as we feared, it still managed to do significant damage, especially to the southern portion of the country, where communities are still working to recover from 2010’s devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
Between August 24 and 25, Isaac brought heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds, followed by severe flooding and landslides. There have been 24 deaths and 42 injuries reported so far, according to the Haitian government agency, Direction de Protection Civile.
The storm damaged houses and schools, blocked roads, killed livestock and destroyed crops in rural regions that are particularly vulnerable because of their remote locations. There have also been new reports of cholera since the storm.
Thanks to the generous support of people like you, LWR and partners were monitoring the situation on the ground as Isaac approached and quickly mobilized to help people in need.
In immediate response to the storm, LWR is working with local partner Lutheran World Federation to reach out to 10,560 people living in the most heavily affected areas. We're distributing critically needed items like LWR Personal Care Kits, hygiene and food kits from local organizations, aquatabs and disinfectant to help protect families from cholera, a potentially fatal intestinal infection that can spread in conditions of compromised sanitation.
As a long-term response to poverty and vulnerability in Haiti, LWR continues to use your gifts to work with development partners to strengthen communities, promote sustainable agriculture and improve the incomes and lives of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Please pray for the safety and health of Haiti’s people and for the work LWR and partners are doing — today and into the future — to help put this embattled nation on the road to long-term recovery.
And please support LWR’s sustainable development work. Your gifts make it possible for us to respond quickly and efficiently to the needs of people living in poverty around the world, even in the face of persistent challenges like disasters.
Thank you for your support!