Months after hurricane, 240 Haitians alive in cave

Despite their dire conditions and empty stomachs, about 240 people living inside a cave in the rugged mountains in Haiti’s southern peninsula were singing joyful hymns. And their voices led a team from Food For The Poor right to them.

Now the starving parents and children are receiving food and other essential items from the charity, based in Coconut Creek.

The group, which include 84 women and 62 children, have been living in the cave near Fonds Rouge Dahere since they sought shelter from Hurricane Matthew when it pummeled the island in October. They were discovered by the charity’s agricultural director on Wednesday.

Trucks from the charity’s warehouse in Port-au-Prince delivered goods to the families on Thursday. Initial relief included food, blankets, hygiene kits, kerosene stoves and tarps.

Food For The Poor also launched a

campaign to build homes for these destitute families.

“They have no food, they have no water, they have no shelter. They are sleeping on the ground in a cave. It really is a crime against humanity,” said Robin Mahfood, President and CEO of Food For The Poor. “We are working on the next steps to bring them out of these horrible conditions.”

Because of a terrible food shortage in the Grand’Anse region of southwest Haiti, Food For The Poor staff have seen starving families turn in desperation to fruits and plants known to be poisonous in an attempt to quell their hunger. Last week, the charity announced it was sending an additional 100 containers of food a month for the next four months to keep people from starving in the area.

At least 13 people have died over the span of 10 days, including seven in Pestel, four in Cahouane and two in Castaches, the charity said. More than 400,000 people are said to be at risk due to the effects of Hurricane Matthew. Stock animals were killed and crops were destroyed once by the storm, and again later by drought after having been replanted.

After the storm, the charity set out to increase their help in building and repairing homes, installing water filtration units and repairing schools and community centers in Haiti.

“With so much happening in the world today it’s easy to forget about the crisis in Haiti. Closing our eyes to the situation will not make the problem go away,” Mahfood said. “The people displaced by Hurricane Matthew are in desperate need of assistance and they need housing.”

FOOD FOR THE POOR/ COURTESY Food For The Poor teams have discovered 240 people in a cave in rugged mountains, where they have been since Hurricane Matthew hit in October.

FOOD FOR THE POOR/COURTESY The 240 people in the cave included 84 women and 62 children. The charity Food For The Poor is helping them.