Tearfund assists Haiti after Isaac

Tearfund is working with local partners in Haiti to help people affected by tropical storm Isaac.

They are continuing to assess the situation but the general picture is of damage to homes, gardens and trees, as well as agriculture and cattle.

Many places have been hit by flooding, particularly in the lowlands, and some cattle were washed away by the flood waters.

The flooding has made many places difficult to access and some areas have been cut off after the phone lines came down in the storm.

Jean Claude Cerin, Tearfund’s country representative in Haiti, has been in touch with partner organisations around the country to assess the need.

He reports that many houses in the southeast have lost roofs and some have fallen down. There has also been signicant crop damage.

In Leogane, where Tearfund's disaster management team has been based since the 2010 earthquake, there has been little major damage but the river is at bursting point and the rains are continuing.

Flooding will make some communities hard to access as the main road runs alongside the river.

Cerin reported: "In some areas the telephone system is down and there is no electricity. I am using a generator in my own home as there is no mains supply.

"Around our capital city, Port-au-Prince, there is flooding and branches all around. The rain continues, and so we expect more flooding over the next few days. You can’t have this much rain in Port-au-Prince without flooding."

He concluded by asking Christians in Britain to pray for Haiti as it comes through this latest challenge.

He said: "To those of you who have prayed for our country, we thank you and ask that you will continue to remember us in your prayers."