Damage & Aftermath

On Oct. 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew slammed into the southern peninsula of Haiti as a Category 4 hurricane. Piton, a tiny village situated atop a mountain with no coverage, was devastated. All roofs at the school complex were completely removed. The new school roof, rebuilt by Aid to Infrastructure in 2014, lost about a third of coverage. A majority of school materials were lost, and the kitchen building sustained severe damage, as did other buildings. Samuel, the principal of the school and community leader, lost the entirety of his home. They fled his home to find cover elsewhere mid-storm, just minutes before the storm overtook their small home.

Recovery

Immediately following the storm, Samuel and others began surveying the damage and sending pictures to us here in the States. We kept you updated on social media and you responded so generously to help our friends rebuild and recover from such a setback. Purchases included tarps to cover the damaged roof of the school, replacement school materials, and cement to fix damaged walls. Trees and debris were removed from the buildings. Pretty quickly, the roofs for the kitchen and latrines were replaced. The tarp covered the school, allowing school to operate, until December when our team went down. Tom, Jonathan (from the original team that rebuilt in 2014), and a team of locals repaired the damaged school roof.

By the end of 2016, the main school building, kitchen building, and latrine structures were all repaired and reroofed and school supplies had been replaced.

THANK YOU to the Savannah Church of Christ, Jonathan Blount, Malory Berry, Leah Fleming and our Dr. Tom for traveling down during the busy Christmas season to keep a commitment to this community. Is there a better way to honor the spirit of the season?
THANK YOU to our generous donors for your support!

Photos of the Rebuild of the Clinic and Depot Roof