Caribbean Suffers Destruction in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy


NATURAL DISASTERS


Alliance® Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World (BWA), granted an initial sum of US$20,000 for relief


to the Caribbean following the passage of Hurricane Sandy through the northern Caribbean and the United States. Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands


were the islands most affected by the late-season tropical cyclone. Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the


Dominican Republic, suffered especially hard. Ronel Mesidor of the Haiti Baptist Convention reported that areas in and around Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, were particularly affected. A number of church buildings, including those of the Duvivier, Damien, Leogane and Tigoave Baptist churches were flooded. At least one member of Tigoave Baptist Church died as a result of the hurricane. Some of the walls of a school operated by the Mussotte Baptist Church collapsed and its roof was destroyed. Mesidor also reported that Baptists lost their homes and livelihood as many lost both crops and farm animals during the hurricane. At least 52 people are reported to have died in Haiti because of Hurricane Sandy and an estimated 200,000 were displaced. In Jamaica, Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU) General Secretary Karl Johnson said, “Sandy left a trail of destruction mainly in the southeastern section of the island. Parishes such as St. Mary, Portland, St. Thomas and Kingston & St. Andrew bore the brunt of Hurricane Sandy’s wrath.” Jamaica was the first of the islands to get a direct hit from


Sandy. The JBU leader said one life was lost as a result of the


hurricane “and severe damage [was] done to properties, crops, roads and the general infrastructure in several communities.” Johnson said “preliminary reports have indicated that about 15- 20 of our (Baptist) buildings have been affected. We are looking at a conservative figure of almost $30 million (approximately US$330,000) to effect repairs.” The eastern section of Cuba, including the city of Santiago,


was hit hard by the hurricane, said Joel Dupont, president of the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba. He reported that there was


“chaos in the city (Santiago)” and that “11,000 people have lost their roofs and consequently, everything in their homes as they have no protection from the rain.”


Many Cubans were without basic services as “there is no water,


electricity, and since most homes use electric stoves, people are not able to cook even if they have food.” Dupont said electrical power was expected to be out for at least a month. Three pastors suffered personal loss to their homes, Dupont said. Dupont alleged that there was an outbreak of cholera in Maisi, in the most eastern point of Cuba. The Cuban Baptist leader, even while bemoaning the suffering caused by the hurricane, said it provided an opportunity for churches to minister and show compassion. “But I know this is a great opportunity to serve people and to minister to them and to share our faith and hope in Jesus. Churches in Cuba are arranging a feeding center to feed people in their community,” the Cuban Baptist leader told the BWA. “[Churches] are using all their funds to help families in need regardless of their faith. They have four teams in place to visit the communities that have been damaged to see how they can help. [The} situation in [Santiago] is critical and desperate.” In the Bahamas, Anthony Carroll, president of the National


Baptist Missionary and Education Convention (NBMEC) said five islands – Eleuthera, Abaco, Exuma, Cat Island and Grand Bahama – suffered the brunt of Hurricane Sandy. Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, and New Providence, the island on which it is located, suffered minimal damage. The Bahamas comprises more than 3,000 islands, cays and islets. The NBMEC was assessing the level of damage by liaising with Baptist leaders at the association level and was in touch with the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship (CBF), one of six regional fellowships of the BWA, to plan a coordinated relief effort. Everton Jackson, executive secretary/treasurer of the CBF said many people in the Caribbean “are still in shelters and are in need of basic food items and clothing.” He told the BWA that while full assessments of the damage and needs were not yet complete, “initially there is dire need for food, water, and temporary shelter in some areas. We do appreciate the support of the BWA.”


Baptists providing assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy in Santiago, Cuba


Cuba was hit hard. While bemoaning the suffering, Cuban Baptists found an opportunity to minister.


Photos courtesy of Xiomara Reboyras-Ortiz


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