Dr. Chuck Davis, executive director of Caribbean Vision Ministries, has sent an update of needs in Haiti following Hurricane Irma. His letter is included below.
I want to update you on the news from Haiti regarding damage in the Cap Haitien area from Hurricane Irma and see if you might help us in dealing with the damages. The good news is we don’t need any Teams to help but we do need a great deal of financial help. Below is what we know at this point.
The church at Bord de Mer, which was planted by one of our Grace Theological Institute graduates, Pastor Wilmain, needs all the metal roof panels replaced. The wind has basically ripped them off or made them useless. They were already facing the need of replacement. The total cost for 200 metal roof panels is $1400 plus $250 labor to replace them. TOTAL COST IS: $1650.
Also at Bord de Mer the ocean storm from Hurricane Irma has washed away most of the base that supports the church. As many of you know it is at times surrounded by water. To place a solid rock and concrete base around the church so this doesn’t happen again the cost is $2,000 for materials and labor.
At House of Hope Orphanage, Hurricane Irma has revealed that the bottom wood panels around the boys’ dorms are rotted and they need immediate replacement. This is true of all three buildings. The cost for the plywood and labor is $800.
Also at House of Hope Orphanage, Hurricane Irma caused some damage to the Kitchen building wall facing the all-purpose building. A small crack in the concrete block wall is now a rather large crack and is threatening the support integrity of the building. The estimated cost to repair this is $800.
The church at Tru de Nord, close to House of Hope Orphanage, has a graduate of Grace Theological Institute as its Pastor. Pastor Riche Jean Baptiste has planted this church and the building they had was destroyed by Hurricane Irma. It will cost $3500 to build a replacement church on the model we have been using for new churches.We really would like to help this struggling church plant.
Recap Needs: Bord de Mer – $3650
House of Hope Orphanage – $1600
True de Nord – $3500
TOTAL: $8750
We do expect to hear from the churches at Port de Paix & Tortuga soon as to the extent of their damages and needs. Neither Trinidad or the Bahamas suffered damages from Hurricane Irma. We are thankful for that. And we are thankful Haiti did not suffer more than what it did though in some areas flooding was pretty bad.
Any help that you could offer would be appreciated. This has been a tough year financially for Caribbean Vision Ministries and we are running deficits for both House of Hope Orphanage and the Haiti General Fund (which includes Grace Theological Institute). The needs listed above will add considerably to the amount of funds we need to raise to minister effectively in the lives of the Haitian people. In addition, we are still dealing with damages to churches that resulted in 2016 from Hurricane Matthew both in Haiti and the Bahamas. We don’t need Teams from the U.S. for the things listed since we do have a Haitian labor force capable of repairing or building these items.
Our friends have been a real help and blessing in the past. Many of you have been providing ongoing help for House of Hope Orphanage, Bord de Mer Church, Petit Anse Church and other projects and it is really appreciated. If you can help in any way with these real-time needs we would appreciate it. Please feel free to share this information with anyone you feel would be interested in helping the people of Haiti and the appropriate Leaders and Pastor of your local church.
You may donate on our website at caribbeanvisionministries.org or send a check to Caribbean Vision Ministries, 14458 Via Royale, Delray Beach, FL 33446 and mark it for “Haiti Hurricane Relief.” Thank you for your loving concern for the Haitian people.