It was great to pick up the team in PAP yesterday and even better to drive into the compound with everyone safe and sound and to see them receive a warm welcome.

The team members chose their mosquito sleeping tents on the second level last night and placed their belongings in them. Before time for bed we heard rain. Ran to check and found Don’s tent and three others were getting wet and had to be taken down. Don slept in living room downstairs and three ladies from Springdale moved into a bedroom upstairs.

This morning we had lots of sunshine and hoped for no more rain. This afternoon it started to rain with very little warning – and I mean rain – a Haitian torrential downpour. Then what I would call a freak wind storm hit. It felt like hurricane wind but acted more like tornado wind. It swept over our school compound and this main compound blowing everything in its path. It tore the roof completely off the school kitchen, took two trees down in the school yard, blew most everything off the second level of this place and soaked everything that flew down and also what stayed up. The sleeping tents upstairs flew down and around. One, complete with heavy mattress, pillow, and personal belongings of Robyn, i.e. camera, keys, glasses, etc flew unto the next person’s land (one with the rice mill) and landed in a lot of mud and water. Holy Toledo.

Team seeing school before freak storm hit

Trees went down and completely blocked the entrance unto our the canal road from the bridge a well as blocked the road over the bridge. A small building at the corner of our road by the bridge, that had four people in it, was smashed flat. Thank God they were okay. Traffic was backed up on both sides of the bridge for a long time – while the rain poured. I was in the rain for a long time trying to assess what was going on and of course to get some photos. Luckner drove as far as he could in vehicle and then walked through the rain to join us. Too, he wanted to see if his help was needed on the bridge. Mariah joined me and then the others came outside to see what was going on.

Corner to turn unto canal road to go to HATS

Karen & Mariah – two drowned kittens

People in the vehicles at the bridge started to get impatient as they could not get through and soon tempers flared and arguing started. Some people were working tirelessly cutting branches off the downed trees to open part of the road so people could start getting through. At one point someone got out of a truck and aimed a gun at one of the men cutting the tree. Shots were fired in the air. This action did nothing to help the tense situation.

Traffic backed up – road blocked as a result of the horrendous wind

Trying to clear road

There was no wind at Luckner’s place – just rain. This hurricane type wind here came out of nowhere – cleaned what was in its path – and it was over. Many small homes went down, and many people lost their belongings due to the water.

Luckner and I inspected the school compound and moved everything from the roofless school kitchen into the grade seven classroom. Needless to say there will be no school tomorrow. Then Luckner came here to help with damage to water pipes on the level where the tents had been. Pipes up there for future kitchen and bathroom were snapped off and warm water was gushing out.

roof torn completely off school kitchen and damaged on prescolaire 3

Transfering everything from school kitchen to a classroom

Trees down in school yard

Luckner repairing snapped off water pipes on level 2

Earlier today, before the storm hit wood needed for the church roof, before the tin can be nailed on, was purchased and delivered to the church site. Hopefully the tin can go on soon, as it is needed against this weather.

28 more 1 x 6s needed for church roof

Tonight we have Don in Ti Luc’s bed, Ti Luc in his mama’s, three ladies in Mariah’s room upstairs, three in the other room upstairs, and four on my living room floor. Will we actually get to have a night sleeping in the tents upstairs?? That remains to be seen.

Certainly a lot of excitement for the first day for the team. How will we top this?? Hopefully it won’t happen. Never a dull moment at HATS.

Blessings everyone. Another blog tomorrow by some of the other team members.

~Karen