Situation in Haiti "alarming"
ACN has been able to speak to our Church partners in Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake. They tell us the situation there is dire.
By ACN Staff
Damage at the Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of Latiboliere in the Diocese of Jeremie. (Credit: Diocese Jeremie)
It has now been over a week since the earthquake on Saturday 14 August wrecked much of Haiti. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been able to speak to more of our Church partners in that time. The situation on the ground in Haiti is not good. Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, was able to speak on the phone to ACN. The situation for the people of his diocese is dire, with many still waiting to receive aid. The cardinal said the following:
Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
“So far, we have still not received any tents. The people are sleeping on the ground. There is no water, no electricity, no food, no clothes.”
ACN has received preliminary statics about the havoc wrecked in the Diocese of Les Cayes. A total of 682 deaths and 1,275 injuries have been recorded in the diocese. Almost 11,500 homes have been damaged. A total of 135 churches have been destroyed and another 111 churches have been damaged.
The head of ACN’s Latin America section (which includes Haiti), Rafael D’Aqui, tells us what the immediate priorities are for ACN in Haiti:
“Needless to say, one of the most urgent needs that ACN would like to help with is to provide the diocese with a new working base and equip it so that it can coordinate the aid and supply the people’s needs at this very difficult time. There is also a need to provide the bishop and his closest collaborators with a roof over their heads, since they have lost everything. We had great difficulty even contacting the Cardinal, since he hasn’t even got his mobile phone.”
The situation is “alarming” in other dioceses in Haiti. The Diocese of Jeremie is still recovering from Hurricane Matthew which hit in 2016. The earthquake compounded this damage. When putting together churches still damaged from the hurricane and those damaged by the earthquake, nearly 64% of the diocese’s churches are damaged. Bishop Joseph Gontrand Decoste of the diocese sent this message to ACN’s benefactors as a thank you for the support that has been offered:
Damage at the Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of Latiboliere in the Diocese of Jeremie. (Credit: Diocese Jeremie)
“most profound gratitude for your spiritual closeness, your practical solidarity, your moral and spiritual support and whatever aid you have given the diocese to help it cope with this catastrophic situation, so filled with anguish and suffering.”
ACN’s first emergency project aims at helping 45 families in the Diocese of Jeremie. ACN received a message from Father Jean-Jacques Saint-Louis, the Provincial Superior of the de Montfort Fathers in Haiti, who are working in some of the worst hit areas of Haiti. Father Jean-Jacques Saint-Louis said the following:
“The situation is impossible. The people are too frightened to return to their homes. We have to provide food, clothing, water, medicines and temporary shelter for these people. This is the most important thing at the moment.
I am counting on your prayers and support to help us in these moments of great anguish. At these difficult times in our country, prayer should hold a special place. Thank you for accompanying Haiti with your prayers.”
If you are interested in helping ACN’s work in Haiti please visit our Haiti Appeal at the link below.