Hurricane Matthew: What Came and What's Coming

Are you feeling overwhelmed by Hurricane Matthew posts yet? I know I am. There are so many posts. Some of them are confusing. Some of them are conflicting. Some of them are simply not true. I know there was one photo circulating “of Haiti” that was actually from Jamaica a couple years ago. I think often in the midst of a disaster it is hard to find the truth. Here is the truth of my hurricane experience.

Last Friday all of the American staff in Saint Louis headed to our Mole campus for some staff meetings. The plan was to fly there and take a truck back Tuesday morning. To give you an idea on how bad the roads are: it takes 5-6 hours via truck, but it took us 13 minutes in the plane. We knew a storm was coming, but we had no idea the magnitude. I packed a flimsy rain jacket just in case I needed it. Saturday evening Jody, the director of the Mole campus and our Haiti operations manager, told us the hurricane was coming straight towards us and was at that time a category 5. Original reports had the storm moving faster than it did, so we were not able to go home to Saint Louis. We started making plans for our Saint Louis campus from the Mole (ex. our surgery wing floods so we needed all the equipment moved). We spent Sunday helping the Mole campus prepare for the hurricane. While our Saint Louis campus is up the mountain some, the Mole campus is pretty much sea level and right across from the ocean. Here is a photo of the beach across from them (before the storm).

At church Sunday no one in the community had even heard the hurricane was coming. What is worse than the destruction of a hurricane? Not being able to prepare for it at all. The mission was able to send people throughout the Mole and a couple close fishing villages to warn people about the hurricane. It is hard to tell people about an incoming storm though. Haiti isn’t like the States. There are no shelters set up. There was no pre-disaster relief work or giving out food. How do you prepare people for the worst when they are already living in the worst?

For me, one of the hardest parts was the waiting. We knew the hurricane was coming, but it was moving so slowly. We knew we were in the direct path of the eye of the hurricane. We prepared as much as we could and we warned everyone we could warn. The Castillo house has a satellite TV, so we were able to watch the news reports of the hurricane hitting southern Haiti. The reports were devastating. The only thing left for us to do was wait and see if the worst would happen to us.

The storm finally hit us Tuesday morning. At this point we lost service (and tv) so we were not quite sure where the eye was. The rains and winds came with more force than I expected. At the start of the hurricane, I stood with all of the orphans in the only second story building watching the tin roof. I kept thinking if the winds got much stronger, the roof would not stay. The second story room was our backup plan in case of flooding. Where would we go if the roof blew off? I was anticipating it to gradually increase to a peak and then gradually decrease. However, the storm stayed with pretty much the same intensity for about 24 hours. The pounding rains and winds caused trees and electrical poles to fall and lots of flooding. At one point, some parts of campus were knee deep in water. As trees and other debris were falling and flying through the air, it was not safe for us to be outside. We stayed inside listening and praying for the roof over our heads and for everyone who did not have a roof over theirs.

When we first starting hearing the reports of how we were going to be directly hit by the eye of the hurricane, I thought God had placed us in the Mole so we could help with the relief work afterwards. As we started walking through the town after the storm, I realized that was not true. God had us in the Mole so we could call on prayer warriors all around the world who because of their prayers God changed the direction of the storm. I was blown away by the prayer response I heard of and felt. I firmly believe that because of these specific prayers the direct eye of the hurricane did not pass over us.

This is not to say there was no damage. In the Mole, houses and businesses were destroyed. The campus received damage to roofs as well as doors and gates being ripped off. As we walked around town, most of the gardens we saw were destroyed. We saw a lot of fallen trees and mounds of sand that had washed into houses. There were houses without roofs or walls. The fishing villages were pretty much destroyed. However, we did not see any injuries or death. I have heard reports of over 800 deaths in Haiti. Here we had none. I feel like one of Jody's prayer requests was answered. She called on people to pray that the things lost would be replaceable, and that is what we saw. While it was a long few days, the results really were an answer to so many prayers.

Unfortunately, the effects from Hurricane Matthew are just starting to be seen in the Northwest zone. Our already delayed presidential election has been postponed again. We are going to start seeing a rise in malnutrition. A lot of farmers lost all of their crops and/or livestock. This was their way of both feeding their families and making money. We are also going to see a food shortage for everyone. We are anticipating a rise in cholera, a huge problem that has been in Haiti since the earthquake. Today I met with our local cholera clinic to make plans for what is to come and offer support. Cholera has already taken enough lives. God moved mountains to protect us from the storm, and I know He can also protect us from this next storm of illness and starvation that is brewing.

So what can you do? The first and most important thing is to pray. Pray for southern Haiti, which was hit so much harder than us. Pray for the storm that is coming from the aftermath. Pray for the families that lost their homes and businesses. Pray that cholera would stop taking the lives of innocent Haitians. Pray for protection throughout the rest of hurricane season. Pray for wisdom for NWHCM as we try to find the best ways to help. The next thing you can do is collect supplies. My mother is currently collecting clothes for a boys orphanage in southern Haiti that lost everything. You can also give money. Here is our disaster relief link. http://bit.ly/NWHCMDisasterRelief This money will go towards helping families rebuild, buying food for those who have none, supplying clinics, and so much more.

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. If it weren’t for them, this blog would have a much different tone. Please continue to pray.