Rock Me Like a Hurricane

Actually, please don't.

Two postings in one day, I know! But I've been getting questions and comments about the hurricane heading our way, so I thought I would write. Yes, as of now Tomas is headed straight for us and is due to hit Friday, from what I understand. Although it has been downgraded to a tropical storm, last I heard it was likely that it could strengthen into hurricane status again by the time it reaches Haiti.

I'm not sure that I can appropriately convey just how much Haiti doesn't need this right now. I, personally, will be fine. I went to the posh expat grocery store today and stocked up on my canned foods, alcohol, and lighters. I might die of boredom if the electricity goes off for a while, but I'll be fine. I wish I could say the same for the people in the camps. Where are they supposed to go? Yes, there are some hurricane shelters that some people will be evacuated to which will help to keep them physically safe, but then what? These people already lost everything in the quake, and now what little they've managed to find for themselves over the last ten months could very possibly all be swept away again in this hurricane. Even if it's not a full blown hurricane, all it would take is some flooding and high winds to destroy most of what people in the camps have: their cobbled together shelters (usually consisting of some combination of actual tents, tarps, pieces of wood, and metal sheeting), buckets for bathing and washing clothes/dishes, some clothes, blankets, maybe some donated items like mosquito nets or mattresses, and the random refrigerator, freezer, or tv (often used to generate income). Keep in mind that many of these materials used to build makeshift shelters become deadly projectiles in high winds. I just don't know how much more the Haitian population can be asked to take. I think they've already shouldered more than their fair share of hardship this year alone.

And to add insult to injury, any amount of flooding will most definitely make the cholera situation worse. This BBC article does a good job describing the potential consequences. If the NGO community and the Haitian MOH did a good job preventing the cholera from spreading to the camps in PaP, Tomas could quite easily undo all of that in less than a day. It's really a huge concern and I am just bracing for impact.

So please, whatever you do (pray, cross your fingers, anti-hurricane dances), please do it a lot for Haiti in the next 36 hours. Haiti could really use a break right about now. And please continue to donate to the charity of your choice, as after the potential damage from Tomas, most will probably be able to use it.

Thanks for reading.