FFTP Delivers Aid as Haiti Convulses from Relentless Aftershocks
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Aug. 15, 2021) This morning, a fleet of five 40-foot containers carrying essential aid left the Food For The Poor-Haiti warehouse dock in Port-au-Prince, headed for the southern peninsula of the country. On Saturday, that area was rocked by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, about 80 miles west of Port-au-Prince, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Another two trucks of medical supplies were headed to the General Hospital of Les Cayes.
At noon today, the death toll had risen to more than 700 and local hospitals were overwhelmed with injured people, according to a story in the New York Times.
As of 11 p.m. Saturday night, 72 aftershocks from the earthquake were reported. Seismologists said the quake had a depth of seven miles and was felt as far away as Jamaica, 200 miles away.
“We have been through a painful experience,” said Bishop Oge Beauvoir, Executive Director of FFTP-Haiti. “The needs are really crucial. It’s a matter of life and death for so many people on the streets. We need emergency relief. We need medicines, hygiene items, food, tents, water. Food For The Poor is committed to help. We count on people in America as you do every time to help Haiti in its time of need. You are our brothers and sisters. You did so in the past and we are praying that you will for us again.”
Dieuseul Simon Desras, the Minister of Planning and External Cooperation in Haiti, said that seven out of 10 homes were destroyed in Les Nippes, the epicenter of the earthquake.
This is the same region that was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
“Food For The Poor is making the impossible possible with courageous missions to the area hit hardest by this devastating earthquake,” said FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine.
“Our charity has been working in Haiti since 1986, and we are well-positioned to carry out the wishes of our generous donors who continue to reach out to the people of Haiti. As I have said before, no matter what comes for Haiti, we stand with the people of Haiti.”
The containers packed today included provisions of food and baby supplies, and were supplemented with disaster kits. Each kit contains a blanket, a school supply bag, a children’s activity kit, a hygiene kit, water purifier, oral rehydration solution, a tarp and a solar lamp.
On Monday morning, team members in FFTP’s Coconut Creek warehouse will organize and pack canned goods into a container to be shipped to Haiti this week.
The quake comes at a time when the government is in the throes of crisis and civil unrest and gang violence are plaguing the country. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.
Early this week, Tropical Storm Grace is expected to bear down on Haiti.
The National Hurricane Center said Grace was forecasted to brush Puerto Rico today, and could bring heavy rain and high winds to Haiti beginning Monday although the southern peninsula hardest hit by the quake might be spared the worst of the bad weather. The storm is expected to produce 4 to 7 inches of rain over Haiti, with isolated totals of 10 inches, that could lead to flash flooding and mudslides Monday into Tuesday.
Miraculously, the charity had just delivered rice, beans, sardines and tuna on Friday to three of its distribution centers in Jacmel, Leogane and Nippes. The quake struck about 5 miles from Petit Trou de Nippes.
In early July, a convoy of ten 40-foot tractor-trailers delivered lifesaving supplies to four empty distribution centers, using a window of opportunity as the worst of Hurricane Elsa passed to move goods on roads that had been blocked by gangs for weeks.
Once again, FFTP is asking for a humanitarian corridor to open so that lifesaving supplies can be safely delivered by the team.
Haiti is still recovering from a disastrous quake more than 11 years ago. More than 250,000 people were killed that day and an estimated 1.3 million were left homeless.
Following today’s earthquake, donors can help FFTP deliver aid to Haiti in two ways:
- Make a cash donation. Go to www.foodforthepoor.org/haitiemergency
- Bring canned goods and first aid kits to the charity’s Coconut Creek warehouse, 6401 Lyons Road, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information on the specific items accepted, please go to www.FoodForThePoor.org/help-now/haiti-crisis/
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Kathy Skipper
Director of Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6614
[email protected]
Michael Turnbell
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]