Hurricane Matthew

While I’m greatful that it appears this hurricane is gonna stay off the east coast of Florida, I can’t help but think about the devastation that will occur in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. Many of these nations have some of the poorest people living in shanty towns. 

Below is a picture I found with a Google Images search: 

Haiti still hasn’t recovered from the 2010 earthquake that killed over 200 thousand and then 10 thousand due to cholera outbreak. The rains will be massive and because some of the land is mountainous and people live in the valleys, the rains, the storm surge, and mudslides are sure to cause casualties. 

The infrastructure in these countries is nothing like the United States so there may not be billions of dollars in damage, but there is sure to be lives lost. The largest cities in Haiti and Jamaica are on the coast. While money can never bring a person back, if you’re able you may consider donating money to an international relief agency to support those impacted.  As with any donation, please do a little work to make sure it’s a valid agency. In times of disaster too often fraudulent groups appear and take money unknowingly from good hearted people. 

Although we can’t stop the hurricane, we can provide compassion and support to those in the country and most notably the family here in the United States. If you know someone affected, even if it’s a family memeber here in the United States, know they are going through a hard time just with the unknown. 

Florida has a large Cuban population not only in Miami, but also in Tampa so if you’re reading this you may know someone or someone’s family that is affected. 

Below is the current path of Matthew according to the National Hurricane Center.