Hurricane Update: US report

Hurricane update: 8/23 am

Press release received at 10 am from the UN Joint Operations center in Haiti.

Also the  DPC(Directorate of Civil Protection) issued an Alert Rouge (Red Alert) notice:

Le gouvernement haïtien a décrété mercredi soir l’alerte rouge aux inondations,

éboulements et glissements de terrain sur l’ensemble du territoire national à l’approche

de la tempête tropicale Isaac qui devrait toucher le pays dans la nuit de jeudi à

vendredi.

Le secrétariat permanent de gestion des risques et des désastres a annoncé l’activation

de son plan national face à l’arrivée imminente de ce cyclone qui, selon le centre

national de météorologie (CNM), devrait se renforcer pour passer au stade d’ouragan

au moment d’atteindre les côtes d’Haïti et de la République Dominicaine.

Intervenant mercredi soir au centre d’opérations d’urgence de la protection civile, les

ministres de l’intérieur, Ronsard St-Cyr, de l’environnement, Jean Vilmond Hilaire, et

le secrétaire d’Etat à la sécurité publique, Réginald Delva, ont appelé l’ensemble de la

population, en particulier les habitants des zones à risques, à la vigilance et au respect

des consignes de sécurité. Ils étaient entourés de la directrice de la protection civile,

Alta Jean-Baptiste, et du directeur du CNM, Ronald Semelfort.

La tempête Isaac représente une menace tout particulièrement pour le grand sud dont

les départements du sud-est et des Nippes (sud-ouest)

Localisé mercredi au sud de la Guadeloupe, dans les petites Antilles, elle devrait

également balayer l’île de Porto Rico au cours des prochaines heures.

spp/Radio Kiskeya

Translated The Haitian government has declared a red alert Wednesday evening to flooding

rockfalls and landslides across the country to approach

Tropical Storm Isaac expected to affect the country in the Thursday night

Fridays.

The Permanent Secretariat of Risk Management and Disaster announced the activation

its national plan to face the imminent arrival of the cyclone, according to the center

National Meteorology (NJC) should be strengthened to go to hurricane

when reaching the coast of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Speaking Wednesday night at the emergency operations center for civil protection,

Ministers of the Interior, Ronsard St-Cyr, the environment, Jean Hilaire Vilmond and

Secretary of State for Public Security, Reginald Delva, called the entire

population, especially those living in areas at risk, vigilance and respect

safety instructions. They were surrounded by the Director of Civil Protection

Alta Jean-Baptiste, director of the NJC, Ronald Semelfort.

Storm Isaac poses a threat especially for the deep south which

departments Southeast and Nippes (southwest)

Wednesday located south of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles, it should

also scan the island of Puerto Rico in the coming hours.

spp / Radio Kiskeya

Hurricane Update

While the meteorologists are hard at work tracking the Tropical Storm Isaac, Ted has been running around to get things together and get prepared for it's arrival in Haiti late Friday night.

Please keep him in your prayers as he gathers staples, fills gas tanks, contacts each of our partner churches to spread the warning and assess needs, helping our friends at Diakonos by moving the kids to safety...and so on!

Please pray for the entire area over the next few days. There are still 300,000 people in tents that cannot withstand the winds. The projected rainfall is supposed to be anywhere from 8-20 inches. 1-2 inches is all that it usually takes to pretty much shut the city down.

And you know the rest. Haiti just isn't a place that needs any more destruction. 

On top of the situation is the fact that they really don't usually know when this type of storm is coming, so they do nothing to prepare. Little will be boarded up or tied down. Virtually NO one in the greater population will set up sand bags in anticipation of flooding or tape windows or buy extra food and water. The communication infrastructure just isn't in place for that.

Keep our Haitian co-worker, Ron in your prayers, as he travels back on Friday from the US, and for me, Rebecca, here in Florida at the moment, not much help but also watching the storm tracker for Monday.

http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

Finally - a car that fits our "motto"...

...always room for one more!

One of the things we do the most in Haiti is sit in the car. Port Au Prince is traffic ridden, and we are constantly visiting one of our 12 church partners spread from one end of the city to another.

With the interns here over the summer, it became clear that our sweet little CRV was not going to do it. We were regularly carrying 1-2 people in the back cargo area, and often leaving someone at home, due to space in the car. We began praying that God would provide the perfect vehicle and a way to pay the difference between our current car and the new one. In HIS everlasting faithfulness, He did!

We found out about a 9 passenger (we have figured it to hold 11 if there are kids in the back seats!) Nissan Safari that was for sale by a family that had moved back to the US. One of the major concerns about a larger car in Haiti is the mileage & increased cost of gas. This wonderful "beast" gets the same mpg as our compact SUV - 25-26 mpg AND it is diesel, which is actually cheaper here!

The family agreed to let us put a down payment and to pay the rest off whenever we sell our current car. (only in Haiti!!) Ted was able to pick it up yesterday and says that it is the PERFECT answer to our prayers!

Free Time!! (day 2 - Wahoo Bay)

What is the single best way to wear out a pack of kids? In my opinion it's SWIMMING!

Not really knowing how to swim much sure didn't slow down this crowd! They splashed around like little fish all day long and then crashed into bed on the way home.

It was a gorgeous day at Wahoo Bay - we were all blessed to be treated to such an adventure by Pastor J and Seth Keyser via Haiti's Hope!!

Wahoo Bay Beach Resort

on the Cote de Arcadins

Mammi Martine posted this video recently of our time together as well:

Click here