Days after Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti, authorities are still trying to determine the extent of damage left behind. According to the latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 350,000 people are in need of assistance in Haiti.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has issued an appeal for help in the wake of Hurricane Matthew as the superstorm continues to spin along the eastern seaboard. More than 265 people are known to have been killed and thousands have been displaced since the storm made landfall in Haiti this week as a Category 4 hurricane.
Mientras el huracán Matthew continúa avanzando a través del Atlántico hacia la costa de los EE.UU., el Programa Presbiteriano de Asistencia en Desastres (PDA) ha estado alcanzando a sus compañeros en Haití y Cuba
Through the eyes and ears of her friends on the scene, Cindy Corell shares about Hurricane Matthew’s unwelcome assault upon Haiti and the resolve of the amazingly resilient people she’s been sent to serve. At the time of this posting, Hurricane Matthew had reportedly killed at least 25 people, most in Haiti.
As Hurricane Matthew continues to churn across the Atlantic toward the U.S. coast, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been reaching out to its partners in Haiti and Cuba.
Between October 15 and November 8, 2013, the Philippines received a one-two punch of natural disasters. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Bohol and then weeks later Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall on the islands of Samar and Leyte. By the time it was over, more than 6,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless.
The flooding the weekend of August 13–14 dumped nearly 22 inches of rain in parts of Louisiana and other Gulf states, according to the National Weather Service. The American Red Cross and other agencies said it was the worst natural disaster to strike the United States since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and some said the damage was more widespread than in Hurricane Katrina.
Cleanup continues in the aftermath of devastating flooding in the Gulf Region, two weeks ago. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is on the ground providing assistance to the Presbytery of South Louisiana, working together with local and national partners, to meet immediate and long terms needs.
new calling
In the nearly four years since Hurricane Sandy struck the United States, volunteer work teams from across the country have traveled to the hard-hit regions, particularly New Jersey and New York, to help people recover and return to their homes. But after months of hosting recovery teams, one church believes the time has come to close the doors on its Sandy relief efforts.
The Justice Department’s recent decision to end the use of private prisons is welcome news to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which has argued against the use of these facilities for more than a dozen years. The department made the announcement after concluding private prisons were not as safe or effective as those run by the government.