The Disaster Relief Action Committee received a detailed report prepared by Randy today on the status of Disaster Relief efforts in general and more specifically on the relief work of the Adoration team.

Randy and his team are doing well both physically and spiritually. They are very busy during the day. Every evening Randy holds devotions outside of the gate. Some lights were put up around the property and the neighbourhood people really like that. The local people are hurting and they are afraid. Tremors keep on coming. Everyone has experienced or knows someone who has lost loved ones. They all wonder what the future will hold for them. It is a blessing that each evening people from the neighbourhood can come together to open God’s Word and that together they can go to Him in song and prayer.

In general things are still relatively quiet, at least for now, in the area Randy is working. This coming week, however, could be a turning point. The reason for this is that, in general, people are running out of food and money. Randy has made several trips to the UN to ask for specific food items and tents. The UN promised 2 big trucks along with soldiers but they did not show nor did they receive a courtesy call to let them know that plans had changed. This is disappointing. It is apparent that it may yet take another week for steady food lines to be in place.

From the surveys Randy has taken to date, pretty well 100% of the families of students have been displaced. Some have moved to the country while others have moved into the streets or other neighbourhoods. Most likely it will not be possible to track down every student. Expectations are that a list of students who have been located will be issued next week so that those participating in the sponsorship program can be notified.

Since water supply lines are still not in place, Randy and his team purchase two truck loads of water daily which gets dumped into a cistern in the community. The local residents who have been trained then purify their own water with the tablets that Randy has sourced from another agency. Today, another week’s supply of tablets has been received. This is a huge blessing.

Food is becoming more and more an issue in our target areas. This problem is huge as it will be impossible to feed a whole community. Randy is doing what he can by purchasing limited food supplies privately from the Dominican Republic and then distributing to families of students. Again, please pray that the food supply lines may be in place shortly.

One of the next major issues is shelter. At the moment it is dry season, but in a few months time the rains will come. Our Adoration team is contacting public agencies to get access to tents. Although limited number of tents have been received and distributed, many, many more are required. Randy is sourcing some tarps privately so that those families within our school community with the greatest need can receive some protection from the sun and weather. Perhaps some of the tents that are currently being collected in Canada and that will be transported by the Canadian Army will reach our target areas as well.

Getting funds to Haiti has been a challenge for most organizations. Late this week, some banks have opened again, but the line ups have been huge. Thankfully, Randy has been able to receive funds through various private means. This problem will be minimized in the future as Word and Deed, who are providing Disaster Relief leadership to CDIA, have many more avenues to move funds.

As mentioned before, Disaster Relief consists of three phases – First Response, a period of ongoing Disaster Relief and then Restoration and Rebuilding. Currently we are still in phase one where First Response is still necessary to save lives by getting basic and immediate needs out to the communities. This phase will not end until water and food lines and medical relief agencies are in place. During the second phase, a new normalcy and economy sets in. During this time, ongoing food and water as well as medical relief will be required. The length of this phase is unpredictable. There will be many concerns during this phase including the efficiency of food distribution, access to ongoing medical relief, government leadership, provision of more permanent shelters, onset of disease, security and economic stability. It is in the latter part of the second phase where one can begin to think about Restoration and Rebuilding. Therefore, future plans and the location of a new Adoration Christian Center can not be determined for some months yet.

You will have heard on the news that the heart of Port au Prince has been hit very hard. Many government people lost their lives and many government buildings have been destroyed. This will have a huge impact on the country and its economy as many government records have been buried in the rubble and may be difficult if not impossible to retrieve. As the Prime Minister of Haiti stated “in 30 seconds Haiti lost 60% of its economy”. Please pray that the Haitian government may soon function again and that with the help of other nations there may be strong and good leadership in place.

Many supporters have expressed concern for the health and the well being of relief workers. Rotation and intermittent breaks for relief workers are imperative. This matter has the attention of the CDIA organization as well.