January 19, 2010

CHICAGO – Severe damage from the Jan. 12 earthquake extends beyond Port-au-Prince, Haiti. According to staff of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) Caribbean/Haiti program, the towns of Gressier, Carrefour and Leogane, west of the Haitian capital, have also been destroyed.

Between 80 and 90 percent of buildings in Leogane were destroyed, according to United Nations reports.

Getting through anywhere outside the capital takes a long time, reported Sylvia Raulo, program director, DWS Caribbean/Haiti. She said many people who have lost their homes in Port-au-Prince are moving to other towns. Providing care for these internally displaced people is one of the major challenges for the LWF program.

International aid into earthquake-ravaged areas is welcome, Raulo told Lutheran World Information, the LWF's information service. But "during the first 48 hours, it was Haitians who helped fellow Haitians, taking matters into their own hands in a spirit of solidarity," she said.

The LWF office in Port-au-Prince was not damaged in the earthquake and most of the personnel are unhurt. The offices of some of its partner organizations in the Action by Churches Together (ACT) alliance have been severely affected, and DWS is providing accommodations for ACT colleagues. The LWF employees and those from other partner organizations who have lost their homes are camping on the DWS office compound, which "can accommodate about 20 people in our backyard," reported Raulo.

The LWF is a global communion of 140 member churches in 79 countries, representing over 68.9 million Christians. ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working together in disaster response and development. ACT and the LWF are based in Geneva. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a member of both. The ELCA is supporting earthquake relief efforts through the LWF and ACT.

"Internet communication is working and most communications are by Skype," said Raulo. "Very fortunately, the water tank had been filled just before the earthquake struck, but depending on usage, lack of water could be a problem."

Raulo said long-term assistance is needed for Haiti. Aid efforts and construction programs should go beyond the provision of food, water and shelter to include the building and reconstruction of the public infrastructure, she said. Staff of DWS plans to recruit more local workers to provide adequate response to the devastation.

ACT alliance partner organizations have promised staff support. Elsa Moreno, an ACT alliance coordinator for Haiti, is scheduled to arrive Jan. 20 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Moreno reported that for days to come, ACT alliance will focus on providing assistance to residents of Port-au-Prince and areas surrounding the city devastated by the earthquake, according to ACT reports.

The Rev. Sam Dixon, deputy general secretary, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), died before he could be rescued from the rubble of a hotel destroyed by the earthquake, according to Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Dixon was part of a group of mission and relief specialists trapped by the collapse of the Hotel Montana. UMCOR is an ACT alliance member.

Financial contributions to support relief efforts in Haiti can be made at http://www.ELCA.org/haitiearthquake/. or by calling 800-638-3522.

ELCA News Service