Prepositioned disaster relief material in the Canadian Red Cross warehouse in Jacmel.
Stories from the field
Haiti Diary: Sophie Chavanel
Hurricane season
August 28, 2010
The hurricane season in Haiti began in June and lasts until the end of November. Haiti is located in an area that is struck annually by hurricanes and tropical storms, and this year is no exception. It is anticipated that between 8-12 hurricanes will form in the Atlantic this year and that 4-6 of them will be major hurricanes. So far, we have been lucky.
A couple days ago, I got a taste of what I might expect if a hurricane strikes the island. I was on the road to Port-au-Prince, returning from Léogane when the rain started to fall as if it had never rained before. Within minutes, the rain had accumulated in the streets and large streams of water began to flow along the roads. Strong gusts of wind carried away portions of tin roofs as if they were sheets of paper. A tree has been literally torn from the ground and fell on cars parked along the sidewalk. Two power poles fell across the road just ahead. And that was not even a tropical storm!
The Red Cross has long been preparing for the possibility of hurricanes. There are pre-positioned emergency relief supplies at various locations (tarpaulins, shelter tools, mosquito nets, hygiene items, etc.) which will be distributed if needed.
Am I afraid? A little bit, but I am mostly concerned for the people who still live in camps. But ironically, because of the earthquake, Haiti now has the largest emergency team ever assembled in the country to respond if a hurricane hits.
“On January 12, 2010, the earth shook violently Haiti. I sat in the newsroom of Radio-Canada in Montreal when I heard the news. The days and weeks that followed were full of extremely strong emotions when I saw, like you, the images of a country of rubble. I then made a decision. I didn’t just want to report the events, I wanted to be there. I then started a new journey as a delegate of the Red Cross.” – Sophie Chavanel, Canadian Red Cross delegate, Haiti.
Sophie Chavanel is the senior communications coordinator for the Canadian Red Cross in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sophie is a former journalist and joined the Red Cross team in Haiti in August 2010, where she will remain for 12 months. Follow her activities through her field diary below or on twitter at http://twitter.com/SophieChavanel.
