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| Devastation in Haiti from Hurricane Matthew. |
"Due to the power outages and communications challenges in the
aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, information about the scale of the
storm's impact is coming in slowly," said Abagail Nelson, Episcopal
Relief & Development's Senior Vice President for Programs. "From
what we are seeing so far, the damage is extensive in a number of areas
and it will take a long time, even years, for many of these places to
recover."
Episcopal Church-affiliated organizations and networks in Haiti
and Cuba continue to assess damage and respond to emergency needs. In
Haiti, Episcopal Relief & Development support will enable local
partners such as the Bishop Tharp Institute (BTI) to provide food and
water to displaced people sheltering on the school's campus. BTI is
located in Les Cayes, one of the most hard-hit areas of Haiti's
southern peninsula. As of October 9, more than 1.4 million people are
in need of humanitarian assistance and over 61,000 people are in temporary shelters, according to UN OCHA. The Haitian Directorate for Civil Protection has confirmed 336 fatalities as of October 8, though other sources place the death toll upwards of 1,000.
In the United States, the slow-moving storm grazed the Florida
coast and had a large impact further north into the Carolinas.
Episcopal Relief & Development is in contact with dioceses along
the southern Atlantic coast, providing technical assistance to local
leaders who are reaching out in their communities. After several days
of heavy rain, flood levels continue to rise in areas of South Carolina
and eastern North Carolina, stranding large numbers of people and prompting evacuations.
Church partners are monitoring the situation locally and communicating
as able regarding property damage and community members with emergency
needs.
Please continue to pray for communities affected by Hurricane
Matthew, for first responders who are rescuing and caring for people in
need and for the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
Donations to the Hurricane Matthew Response Fund will help Episcopal Relief & Development provide critical assistance to communities in need.
