“All of the communities where World Renew / CRWRC works in Haiti were affected when Tropical Storm Isaac made landfall in the very early hours of August 24, 2012,” said Willys Geffrard, International Disaster Response Project Manager for World Renew in Haiti.
The storm brought heavy rain and wind to much of the country. Some regions received 8-12 inches of rain and wind gusts of close to 70 miles an hour. In Haiti’s many mountainous regions, landslides were common. In the low-lying regions, flooding occurred. Throughout the country, homes were destroyed, crops were washed away, and families who had been rebuilding their lives after the devastating 2012 earthquake were set back once again.
“All of the communities where World Renew / CRWRC works in Haiti were affected when Tropical Storm Isaac made landfall in the very early hours of August 24, 2012,” said Willys Geffrard, International Disaster Response Project Manager for World Renew in Haiti.
The storm brought heavy rain and wind to much of the country. Some regions received 8-12 inches of rain and wind gusts of close to 70 miles an hour. In Haiti’s many mountainous regions, landslides were common. In the low-lying regions, flooding occurred. Throughout the country, homes were destroyed, crops were washed away, and families who had been rebuilding their lives after the devastating 2012 earthquake were set back once again.
In the midst of this devastation, there were also some rays of hope.
“I am very happy to report that, as far as we know, all of the houses that CRWRC – now known as World Renew – built in response to the Haiti earthquake withstood the winds very well and no damage whatsoever was reported except in cases where trees fell on a house,” said World Renew Director Disaster Response, Wayne de Jong of the more than 3,000 earthquake and hurricane resistant homes that World Renew built for earthquake survivors.
“The winds were very strong in the plains and many trees and banana plantations were damaged, however our finished houses were not affected. This is proof that the design has responded well to the high winds, thanks to the hurricane straps/clips on the roof trusses, the quality of the construction, and the solid anchorage to foundations. Our main concern for future hurricanes was whether the roofs could withstand the strong winds and not get blown off. Again, we have no reports of roofs damaged by Isaac winds on any of the finished houses. Praise God!”
Despite this success with World Renew-constructed homes, thousands of families are still in need. World Renew plans to provide assistance to 7,722 households. This will include rebuilding 500 damaged traditional homes, repairing rural roads that had been washed away, providing new seed and farming implements to families who lost their crops, restocking livestock populations, and helping farmers learn new soil prevention techniques so that hillside soil is better preserved in the case of future storms.
World Renew will receive some funding for this response through its membership in the ACT Alliance. However, additional funds and your on-going prayers are urgently requested.
“World Renew has been blessed that our previous programs have been successful and that we have a team of construction crews and other disaster response staff on the ground in Haiti already and ready to respond. We are also blessed to be working a country like Haiti where the people are resilient and hope-filled for the future,” said de Jong. “Despite these blessings, there is much need for prayer. The people of Haiti have already lived through so much. Pray that God will continue to be with them and World Renew as we now work together to respond from this latest disaster.”
Support World Renew’s response to the effects of Hurricane Isaac in Haiti.
Click the donate button at the top of the page and select “Haiti Tropical Storms 2012” from the drop down menu.
Checks marked “Haiti Tropical Storm 2012” can also be sent to:
World Renew US
2850 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560
ph: 1-800-55-CRWRC
World Renew Canada
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070 STN LCD
Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8
