I saw in another diary this morning that some people were wondering about sending aid to Cuba and Haiti. Well, right after that, a friend emailed me a few pictures from Holguin Province in Cuba, so I thought I'd collect a few more of Haiti as well so you can see the extent of the damage Ike caused in those places.
I also looked up a few good organizations where those of you who are so inclined can send your donations for the relief efforts.
All I can say is that while Cuba was hard hit and had major damage, as well as 4 deaths, Haiti is experiencing a total calamity, which everyone here should be aware of.
Photos and more details below the fold.
Cuba
According to CNN 4 people died and 900,000 were evacuated from their homes. The storm hit the eastern part of the island first and is now closing in on Havana.
I'll start with photos my friend Ramon sent me from the province of Holguin, Cuba, which were taken this morning. Ike first hit there.
Just so you can orient yourselves, here's a map of Cuba.
First if you want to see some truly frightening waves, go to this
video from the BBC website.
Here are a couple of still shots of the waves from here.
Gibara. The photos were taken this morning.
Not the same angle, but here's a "before" shot of that statue (it's Camilo Cienfuegos)
Here's a "before" picture of entrance to the town:
Haiti
Hurricane season has shown no mercy on Haiti this year. Here's a good summary from the Time Magazine website
When Faye and Gustav hit Haiti last month, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere began searching for a humanitarian lifeline. Then came Hanna, dumping more than nine feet of water on Gonaives, the resource-starved country's second largest city. Last week, Ike delivered the knockout blow, swallowing the bridges and roads that provided humanitarian access to the worst-hit areas. Eight of the country's 10 geographic departments have been flooded, hundreds of Haitians are dead, tens of thousands are homeless, and hundreds of thousands are cut off from humanitarian aid.
Because of a bridge collapse, Gonaives is now cut off from even aid organizations.
From the BBC:
Below the pictures I'll list aid organizations. This country really needs help now.
These two are from the BBC website
Gonaives aerial
Patrick Farrell of the Miami Heraldtook these photos of Gonaives after hurricane Hanna. Now it's just worse.
Aid Organizations
If you're ever unsure where to donate, or want more information on disasters, Relief Web
is a great resource.
Here are a few organizations appealing for funds:
Partners in Health (Haiti only - highly recommended)
The Red Cross
Oxfam
Shelter Box (Haiti only)
Doctors Without Borders
Pan American Development Foundation
Operation USA (running an appeal for Cuba)
update:
Thanks to rklmerov for the tip on the Lambi Fund (Haiti)