Following quake, Delaware Haitians turn to religion

Churches plan to send support

By Craig Anderson
Posted 8/20/21

LAUREL — As plans develop to help their native Haiti, Pastor Moise Domond and his congregation are relying on faith.

Members of Sanctified Haitian Church of God are still shaken by Saturday’s earthquake, which killed more than 2,100 people in Haiti, the Laurel pastor said.

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Following quake, Delaware Haitians turn to religion

Churches plan to send support

Posted

LAUREL — As plans develop to help their native Haiti, Pastor Moise Domond and his congregation are relying on faith.

Members of Sanctified Haitian Church of God are still shaken by Saturday’s earthquake, which killed more than 2,100 people in Haiti, the Laurel pastor said.

“We’re having a lot of prayers right now and meeting with other church leaders to see what we can do,” Pastor Domond said. “The Haitian community locally will work together to assist our country.”

In Seaford, Pastor Livingstone Marcelin of Blades-First Haitian Church of God said he was reaching out to pastors nationally and that “we are still working to coordinate efforts and bring everyone together to (send supplies as one delivery).”

The church had already received some monetary donations, he said.

Pastor Marcelin has a cousin who was uninjured but lost his home in the quake, he said. He added that “by the grace of God,” most people were at the market at the time, as is tradition in Haiti on Saturdays, and many were able to escape death and injury.

“If you’re living in (that southwest) area, your house was very likely destroyed,” he said. “Nobody was expecting it.”

According to The Associated Press, Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency late Wednesday raised the number of deaths from the earthquake to 2,189 and reported 12,268 people injured. Dozens are still missing.

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake destroyed more than 7,000 homes and damaged more than 12,000, leaving about 30,000 families homeless, according to official estimates. Schools, offices and churches also were demolished or badly damaged.

A drenching rain from Tropical Storm Grace followed the earthquake Monday.

Aid has trickled in, but distributing food and getting urgent medical care to those in need is another matter amid the deep poverty, insecurity and lack of basic infrastructure that characterized Haiti even before the back-to-back disasters.

Tragedy is nothing new to Haiti, Pastor Moise said, and each incident takes a physical and emotional toll.

“It’s very painful,” Pastor Domond added. “Haiti has been through a lot. Our president (Jovenel Moise) was assassinated (July 7), and it was a big crime with the persons associated with it.

“Haiti has been hit by several hurricanes before. In 2010, there was an earthquake. Haiti is a poor country, and it will take a long time to recover from this. It’s my hope that the international community will step up and assist the country.”

In a statement Saturday, President Joe Biden said, “In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning. We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed. I have authorized an immediate US response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior US official to coordinate this effort.

“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild. The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”

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