The DaVinci Storm

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Since the day after hurricane Matthew, we have been scrambling to respond to many pleas for help, mostly from friends.

One of those pleas has been a pretty continuous call from Fr David Fontaine, a brother priest who was begging for help for three cut off and isolated areas: D'Asile, Grand Boucan and Baraderes.

While traveling to Abricot (Jeremy)  and Dame Marie in the days right after Matthew to reach our staffs there, (even cutting our way through the fallen trees to get there), I was on the email constantly trying to get a helicopter to reach Fr David and his flock in these three places. 

Three days ago, after one aborted try to get to D'Asile by land, we were finally able to get there with food and water- after two blown truck tires and getting stuck in the mud in two different river crossings.

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An Update on Hurricane Matthew from Fr. Rick

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It was windy, dark and rainy, and Raphael was already waiting for me 1 kilometer away at the Haitian side of the border. The border was closed, and we were the only vehicles on the road and I the only person to cross the closed border- thanks to the help of Susi and Kieran on the DR side and Rapho’s contacts on the Haiti side.

It seems no one wants to drive into a hurricane.

I didn’t either, but it was my place to be back with everyone else and shoulder whatever was coming together.

I crossed the kilometer of barren land between the two borders on a small motorcycle, drenched in rain, holding a big umbrella, my luggage on my knees. It was the only way.

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