Missionary sees hurricane destruction in Haiti

Samaritan Air helps get food to remote villages in Haiti when other transportation can’t get in.

When Stuart Kelly of rural Hamilton left in August on one of his regular mission trips to Haiti, he expected to work building a new home, or improving the Christianville church or orphanage.

Instead he found the country reeling from summer hurricanes, with the primitive transportation system made even harder because of destroyed bridges and roads. He was returning home just as Hurricane Ike hit Sept. 13.

“Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike, all four hit Haiti in some form with a combination of wind damage and flooding,” Kelly said. “I had to change plans as soon as I got there.”

The focus was getting food.

“Food everywhere is the greatest need. High winds stripped fruit off the trees, flattened banana trees and gardens. Even if people from the villages could get to a larger location, they don't have food when they get there,” Kelly said. “Because of deforestation and erosion in the past, the water comes up fast when it rains and just sweeps everything with it.” When he arrived key bridges were washed out.

The government of Haiti, considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, does not have the facilities to handle such an emergency, Kelly said. Even with relief arriving in the area, it is difficult to deliver where it is needed. A mission called Samaritan Air was working to get helicopters to the area to provide aid.

Typically getting to Christianville from Port Au Prince involved a two hour drive, crossing a river by boat, and another walk of about 30 minutes.

“A helicopter can do that in 20 minutes,” Kelly said.

They needed a place to park the helicopter, store the food, and fuel to take the food on to more remote areas. Christianville, which did not have as much damage, has become a base for this kind of operation, Kelly said. He is accepting donations for two causes.

One is to raise money for logistics for Samaritan Air including food relief, fuel and other expenses to get the helicopter to the area.

“The second need is for money to fill and deliver a 40-foot container with food supplies. That costs $23,000 but it will provide 312,000 meals. That's less than 15 cents a meal,” Kelly said.

Information he has received since returning home said a helicopter team had arrived.

“Samaritan Air is using Christianville as their home base since we are centrally located from the airport to refuel. They have been delivering beans, rice, oil and soap to remote areas that vehicles can't get to because of road damage from the last three hurricanes and tropical storm. I say road damage but what I really mean is lack of roads,” his friend recently wrote in an e-mail from Haiti.

“There has been so much devastation here and many mountainous areas can't get any food or supplies unless they walk to and from. The first mountain village we have been working on is Seguin. We have been told that it has taken anywhere from 4 to 5 hours to walk down the mountain just to get the much needed supplies that the people need to survive.”

Donations can be sent to Ferris Christian Church, P.O. Box 1, Ferris IL 62336. Make checks to Ferris Christian Church, Haiti Hurricane relief. Call Kelly at 217/745-2271.