The tent cities of Haiti were a mass of confusion as people tried to evacuate the area before tropical storm Tomas arrived.

For many of the 1.3 million who are taking refuge in the flimsy tent cities following the January quake, there’s nowhere to go. The storm is expected to unleash a combination of torrential rains and storm surge, which will complicate quake relief and worsen the cholera epidemic.

Dr. Marlene Adrien, Food for the Hungry Health Promoter in Haiti, says, “We may have floods, we may have land sliding. These are the kinds of situations that will make things more complicated, because the situations of the population is very difficult. People don’t have the resources to store water and food.”

It’s an environmental situation that really can’t be predicted. However, aid groups have tried to prepare people for the worst. So far, the cholera epidemic has claimed 442 lives, with a total of 6,742 cases.

Food for the Hungry was one of the first groups aware of the disease and immediately responded by training all staff in cholera prevention and treatment.

“We had a presentation about cholera, how it is presented, how it is transmitted, how we can take care of people who are sick. We also provided direction on how to prepare critical water oral rehydration.”

From there, Food for the Hungry took the news to the churches “to provide people with the information that is being shared about how to prevent cholera and how to refer people if they get sick.”

Staff is also training mothers in communities to bring this information to neighbors and relatives to prevent additional cases and deaths. FH is also looking into receiving and stocking oral rehydration salts to help infected patients.

In preparation for Tomas, FH sent teams out into the field with a refresher course on cholera prevention. They’ve been preparing people in the rural areas to reduce unnecessary exposure.

FH Haiti Director Walter Turnbull says there’s a long road ahead of the coming weekend. “Pray for strength. Pray for wisdom in giving very clear, very simple, understandable directions.”

In spite of the chaos surrounding the crisis teams, Turnbull says they have never forgotten their purpose. Food for the Hungry embraces an intensely personal and biblical response to God’s call to end physical and spiritual hunger. That is revealed by having “devoted Christians on staff who are able to clearly present the Message in all that we do.”

http://www.mnnonline.org/article/14934