In lieu of our weekly External Focus blog, we wanted to provide you with updates on Mission of Hope Haiti in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. You can read all our blog posts here.

Updated October 10

In light of the ongoing impact of Hurricane Matthew, we wanted to respond to the many of you who are asking about our partners, Mission of Hope Haiti. Hundreds of deaths in Haiti have been attributed to the hurricane, while other island nations and the United States also experienced fatalities. (Ongoing updates from CNN can be found here.)

Mission of Hope is doing an excellent job updating about their status and the country's condition on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fortunately, their ministry and villages avoided the brunt of the storm, especially in the village of Titanyen. Bercy, situated on the coast, experienced somewhat more impact.

Because they were not in the hardest hit areas, Mission of Hope is able to lead the effort to help the parts of Haiti more severely impacted by the storm. This newscast from Austin shares about their great work:

The Latest from Mission of Hope

(as of October 10)

Here's content taken from Mission of Hope's email newsletter:

We have been able to deliver food and water to some of the hardest hit areas along the coast over the last few days, and we are currently working with partners to provide more aid via helicopters, barges, and a fleet of trucks. But there is still much to be done and many who have not been helped yet.

We are concerned the fatality numbers from cholera and starvation could greatly surpass the number of those killed in the storm. Here are our greatest concerns and needs right now:

Unreached Places- There are many men, women and children in unreached places that have been without food, water, and shelter for almost a week now. Because so much of the Haitian population was already malnourished prior to the storm, starvation is a great concern for those who have been without food. We are doing everything in our power and working with hundreds of partners to get help to these people, but because of blocked roads, air delivery is the only option to some of these areas. To fly food shipments into Haiti costs 3 times as much. Please pray for food, funds, air support and for those awaiting our help.

Cholera- With the water in Haiti now contaminated, cholera is starting to spread. Without treatment, cholera can be fatal in a matter of hours. We need to get clean water and food to these areas as well as medical care for those affected. We desperately need water filters and Aquatabs for these areas. We are currently working to set up multiple cholera treatment centers.

Food Supply Sustainability- Reports are showing that 90% of crops and chickens along the coast are completely destroyed. This leaves the potential for a food epidemic long-term. We are committed not only to relief from the hurricane but helping create long-term sustainability in the food supply for Haitians. Please pray for ongoing partners and donors in these efforts.

The Immediate Aftermath

(first reported October 6)

This is the original information we received about the situation and Mission of Hope's involvement in recovery efforts.

Mission of Hope is Impacting Its Country

• Through Mission of Hope's HaitiOne partnership network, they are actively communicating with hundreds of partners across the country. MOH is coordinating with local and international partners to launch a comprehensive response providing food, water, tents, and medical care to the affected regions.
• The damage in Haiti mostly occurred in the southwest peninsula, Grand Anse, and Sud regions of the island - 150+ miles from MOH. Thousands of Haitians in those affected areas have been displaced.

Mission of Hope is Doing Well

• MOH staff are safe and in good spirits, and both campuses survived the storm with minimal damage.
• While many of the local communities around MOH are wet and hungry, people seem to be doing okay. MOH is actively seeking to provide water, food and support to those communities as needed.
• MOH staff asks that you pray for the thousands of displaced men, women and children in need of food, water and shelter. MOH is committed to leveraging all its resources and emptying all of their product in country in hopes that the church would lead the effort in serving in this great hour of need, and that God would be glorified by this effort.

How Watermark is Helping - including Trips

• Watermark will continue to communicate with MOH on a daily basis to determine if there are specific needs our body can meet, both in the short-term and long-term. At this time, MOH does not see a need for U.S. boots on the ground to assist their efforts, but they will notify Watermark if such a need arises in the weeks and months ahead.
• Watermark already has a medical team of 18 people scheduled to be at MOH in early November. Two other teams are on the calendar for the Thanksgiving holiday week. They will be able to assist with any needs MOH identifies.
• Otherwise, financial assistance is the only current need. You can donate to Watermark Disaster Relief Fund, or if you donate by check, put “Haiti Relief” in the memo line.
• To learn more about joining an upcoming trip to Haiti in 2017, visit our International Trips page.

For future updates, be sure to visit the watermark.org/disasterrelief page. And you can subscribe to our weekly External Focus blog below!

Photo Credit: Mission of Hope's Facebook page