Haiti Hurricane Matthew relief effort bolstered by team of Albertans
Marc Honorat, born in Haiti, co-founded organization with wife Lisa and has been operating in Haiti since 2003
A group of men and women from Airdrie will head to Haiti this Friday to provide emergency relief for those whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by Hurricane Matthew.
At least 1,000 people are dead, and many more are in need of emergency food and shelter after the tropical storm lashed the western shores of the country with howling 233 km/h winds last week, knocking down trees and tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, while inundating neighbourhoods in floodwaters and mud.
"They lost their homes, rooftop blown away," said Marc Honorat, who was born and raised in Haiti, and whose family still lives there.
Honorat and his wife Lisa are the co-founders of Haiti Arise Ministries, which has provided healthcare, elementary and technical skills education, drilled wells, built homes, and spearheaded other community projects in Haiti since 2003.
"For us, it's really important to work with the grassroots and local organizations that are making a difference long term, not just doing the immediate disaster relief, which is necessary, but also for the rehabilitation and development long term," Lisa told CBC's The Homestretch.
Clean water a priority
Haiti Arise will first send a small assessment team to Grand Goâve, a community at the heart of where the devastation hit, approximately 60 kilometres southwest of Port-au-Prince.
Roughly 600 homes in the area have been destroyed, with another 1,750 damaged, according to the organization.
Much of the livestock and vegetation in the area have been destroyed and heavy flooding has contaminated water sources, resulting in an outbreak of cholera.
Clean water will be one of the first priorities for the three volunteer teams that will head down beginning Oct. 21, Lisa said.
They will bring water filtration systems and will inspect all 85 wells that the organization has built in the area since 2010 to make sure they have not been contaminated.
The group is still looking for people who may be interested in donating their time to the immediate relief effort, particularly "if they know how to run a chainsaw to help clear debris," Lisa said.
Other individuals with specific skills in healthcare, construction, carpentry and electrical wiring would also be greatly appreciated.