Amid the violence and chaos in Haiti, an already desperate situation deepens.
Those on the ground in the Caribbean nation, along with those worried about loved ones, fear there is a lack of essentials and food in cities outside of Port-au-Prince.
Meschac St. Amour, founder and president of Habitat for Children Ministries in Port St. Lucie, landed in Haiti on Tuesday.
“We pretty much traveled with about 1,500 pounds that included other things, plus food,” St. Amour said.
It’s the most he could bring with him. Now, the work turns to how to gather and deliver more resources.
“I want to be here to get a sense of what’s going on and also organize a team with how we are going to proceed with that situation and also moving forward after I leave here,” he said. “I know where I can direct stuff from the states coming down.”
St. Amour is in a smaller city called Pignon, which is hours away from Port-au-Prince where gang violence has escalated.
He said goods are limited since the roads to Port-au-Prince are blocked.
St. Amour recalled a recent conversation he had with a stranger on the street.
“I pulled the window down and I said, ‘How are you doing, what are you doing here?'” St. Amour said. “She said to me, straight to my face, ‘I’m looking for people to ask for food or for a way to survive.'”
He said it’s a long road and, for now, temporary solutions can be expensive.
“Looking to see which store in the area is the closest,” St. Amour said. “We can get local to buy, but we have to have the means, which takes finances to do that.”