Matthew brings misery to Haiti, threatens U.S.

As Hurricane Matthew continued plodding north through the Caribbean, Haiti awoke this morning to clean up from yet another devastating disaster.

The storm, which reached Category 5 at one point, assaulted Haiti with heavy rain and winds for most of Tuesday. Floods from rain and storm surges hit hardest on Haiti’s southern peninsula, knocking out communications and destroying a bridge along a major traffic artery to the area. The damage to homes in towns such as Jeremie and Les Cayes is unknown but expected to be severe. So far, only a few storm-related deaths have been reported.

“We are still working to get information as communication has been difficult for us so far,” said Tim Atchley, president of the U.S. board for Bethanie Mission of Haiti III, based in Les Cayes. On Tuesday, Bethanie pastor Ignace Augustin told Atchley he and his wife were trapped in the ministry compound by flooding and downed trees. Augustin reported building and vehicle damage in the area.

Officials and civilians in the capital city of Port-Au-Prince described conditions there as soggy but bearable. One missionary urged stateside supporters to wait a few days before donating supplies or money to recovery efforts.

“Wait to find out what the real needs are, and then find a grassroots organization that’s meeting those needs. I promise you, the big organizations are ineffective. We saw it after the earthquake. No one wants history repeated. See where God is working, and join Him,” Allison Garrett, a missionary with Living Hope Christian Mission in San Michel, Haiti, posted on Facebook. Last year, a report by ProPublica revealed hundreds of millions of relief dollars donated to the American Red Cross after the Haitian earthquake in 2010 went to salaries and debt payments or were simply never spent.

“It will take time to get the necessary information for us to know what is most needed and where,” Atchley told me.

Meanwhile, the southeastern United States is bracing for its own battle with Hurricane Matthew, which has weakened to a Category 3 but could regain strength in the coming days. Officials ordered mandatory evacuations in Brevard County, Fla., and are expected to expand them today. Gov. Rick Scott urged residents not to wait to be forced to evacuate.

“If you’re able to go early, leave now,” he said at a news conference.

Many residents in coastal South Carolina heeded early warnings. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper on Interstate 26 leaving Charleston, S.C., today. Gov. Nikki Haley said the state was dispatching 315 buses to coastal areas to assist with evacuations. At midday today, the National Hurricane Center said Matthew was 105 miles south of Long Island, Bahamas, and had maximum winds of 120 mph. It was moving northwest at 12 mph.