Oct. 13 - Fedner, Ramsey Update - Chantal

Fedner and Ramsey just arrived here at Coram Deo. What they saw was horrible. Humanitarian aid is getting into Cayes and being distributed but the situation in Chantal and the surrounding areas is terrible. The roads are blocked with fallen trees and debris. Fedner and Ramsey went as far as they could by motorcycle and then walked. Fedner's family home was destroyed. People have no shelter. It is hurricane season and that means it is a season for frequent rains. Last night people were standing in the rain holding onto their children waiting for the rain to stop. People are getting discouraged and are having difficulty coping. People are starting to make their way to Port-au-Prince because the situation is too difficult. Today in the Chantal area the guys witnessed 2 funerals. A lady and her 5 children were buried together in a grave. A man and woman were found on a mattress. They were buried as well. As the water recedes more bodies are being found. The guys brought some water and water purification - Aqua Jif. they treated 5 barrels of water for the people near where they stayed. Some people in the mountains will not try to make the journey to Cayes for access to humanitarian aid. They are terrified and believe that a tsunami is imminent. Even in Port-au-Prince the last few days people are talking and worrying about tsunamis. The mountain people are hungry. The people told them that an area called Tou Caiman is completely gone. Everything is destroyed and there are no people left. It is possible that the entire village died. Areas where there is no aid is in Disix, Dibret and Bouri. We are going to try to get contact with the big organizations about somehow getting helicopter deliveries to those areas. The guys hiked into some of the communities away from the aid areas. The destruction is awful from their photos. They met a woman who was a mother of 4 children. Now she has only 1 child left as her other 3 children were killed. Please pray for the people of Chantal and especially the outlying regions where there is no assistance getting through. Roads need to be further cleared so that the aid reach can expand. Fedner's father is blind. He has a sore back caused when his home collapsed. Their home needs to be reconstructed. So many people died in the Chantal area. I don't think people may ever know the amount of people who were killed. As Fedner and Ramsey walked they waded through the river to get into other sections. They are going to go back. Fedner wants to help construct their family home again. They took a lot of photos in the areas where they went. Pray for Haiti.