CRS Aids Storm-Ravaged Haiti after Hanna and Gustav

The current death toll in Haiti stands at 137, with over 15,000 families affected, and 6,700 being housed in temporary shelters.

BALTIMORE, Md. (CRS) - Severe weather patterns throughout the Caribbean and South Asia have wreaked havoc on Haiti, India, and Nepal. Floodwaters have forced mass evacuations leaving millions stranded. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is on the ground working with partners distributing food staples and setting up temporary shelters as all three countries gear up for the arduous task of rebuilding.

Days after Tropical Storm Hanna pelted Haiti, causing flooding and landslides throughout all of its 10 departments, the Caribbean country is once again threatened by the severe weather patterns expected from hurricanes Ike and Josephine. Hanna will continue to dump rain on the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation through Sunday, further exacerbating the floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Gustav over a week ago.

The current death toll in Haiti stands at 137, with over 15,000 families affected, and 6,700 being housed in temporary shelters. Widespread flooding in the northern coastal city of Gonaives has forced a medical director there to call for the evacuation of all patients at the local hospital and impromptu shelters are attempting to house the displaced. CRS is actively working with its partners on the ground to find ways to transport these patients to other medical facilities.

"The whole country is now affected by severe flooding and heavy rains," says Catholic Relief Services' Regional Technical Advisor for Emergencies, Holly Inurreta, "Travel throughout the country is further complicated because the main road from Port-au-Prince has been made impassable by rising floodwaters, downed bridges and trees. CRS, however, has been able to locate an alternative route to Gonaives."

The Goanivian bishop's residence has been transformed into a temporary sanctuary for those forced from their homes. "For four days many Goanivian families have been blocked in their houses without water or electricity," says the Bishop of Gonaives Monsignor Yves Marie PĂ©an, "At the Bishop's House we are accommodating more than 500 people including members of the clergy and their family." The house is still in need of a refrigerator and generators in order to be fully operational.CRS trucks carrying 9 tons of food and 9 tons of water to the Bishop's House and the Missionaries of Charity House were dispatched this afternoon. An additional 2,000 relief kits were transported by helicopter early this morning.

In South Asia, rising monsoon floodwaters continue to force people to move in mass exodus far from their homes along the Indian and Nepalese borders, where the devastation from the rains is getting worse. The floods have affected an estimated 2.6 million families in India, and at least 100,000 in eastern Nepal.In Supaul district in the northeastern Bihar state of India, affected communities haven't been hit by a monsoon in nearly a decade; they weren't prepared. On August 18, the eastern embankment of the Kosi River on the Indo-Nepal border suffered a major breach, affecting people living at the border in both countries."Essentially, a river exists now in areas where it didn't before," reported Jennifer Poidatz, Catholic Relief Services' country representative in India.

Main roads have been damaged and many places can be accessed only by boat. The damage will be enduring, displacing people for several months at a minimum. CRS has relief teams on the ground in both countries collaborating with local partners to provide immediate, lifesaving rescue and support. The agency is also coordinating with national and state authorities as well as U.N. organizations. "We've identified needs of $5 million for the disasters in both the Caribbean and South Asia "says Catholic Relief Services president Ken Hackett, "but this could go as high as $3 million for each with the situation worsening in South Asia and two more hurricanes on the horizon for the Caribbean."

CRS has committed an initial $500,000 for relief efforts in these regions. Both areas have a severe shortage of hygiene supplies, water treatment and safe water storage. Water and sanitation kits will be crucial to avoiding any large-scale outbreak of waterborne diseases.

How to Help: Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS, Donate online: www.crs.org, Write a check: Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. For more information, please visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org.

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Reprinted by Catholic Online with permission of Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org)