On Thursday, we requested your prayers for Haiti as Hurricane Tomas approached. We just received this update from Phil Hudson, our relief director.

The official Tomas Report from Haiti said, “Hurricane Tomas caused 21 deaths and destroyed 1,004 homes, reports the Civil Protection (DPC).  The DPC reports the Centre, Northwest, North and Nippes departments have experienced severe losses in the agricultural sector.”

In Leogane, the epicenter of the January earthquake, there was major flooding. CURE has four spiritual life counselors (psychosocial workers) in Leogane. They are all OK and are counseling hurricane victims.

Gonaives is the place that saw major loss of life in 2008 from floods and is a center of the present cholera outbreak. It was flooded with about a foot of water over the entire city. CURE has two groups of four counselors there (eight total) who are all OK. They are all active in counseling flood victims at this time.

The CURE office and the Adventist hospital were spared much wind or rain.

Most people in Haiti believe that God heard their prayers and moved Tomas to the west, preventing a major catastrophe.

Cholera is still active with about 550 deaths and almost 9,000 hospitalizations thus far. But the rate of increase has stabilized and seems, for now, to possibly be declining. (Note: A cholera case has been confirmed in Port-au-Prince, so please continue to pray for this.)

Prayer Requests:

Pray for the CURE trauma counselors. It is emotionally grueling for them to hear about and participate in the losses so many are sharing both from the earthquake and now from Tomas.

Also, the elections are November 28. Pray for non-violence leading up to the elections and renewed vigor for the leaders who do get elected, that they will have a strong commitment to good governance.

Many of the aid workers are feeling burned out. Pray for renewed energy and spiritual and emotional stability for all of us.

Thanks again for your prayers.  Please also keep the Dominican Republic in your prayers as it was hit by Tomas as well.  We will post an update from the D.R. once we get more information.