By MORGAN ADDERLEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
madderley@tribunemedia.net
IN the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, prominent members of the Haitian community have formed the United Haitian Community Front to assist with relief efforts in the wake of the catastrophic storm.
UHCF was formed last week and is chaired by League of Haitian Pastors President Dr Jean Paul Charles, activist Louby Georges confirmed during a UHCF press conference held Friday.
Mr Georges added seven organizations are represented by UHCF, including Rights Bahamas.
Robertson Dieudonne, of Queen of Peace Roman Catholic Church, explained that UHCF was created to assist with the “massive work” of assisting the victims of Hurricane Dorian. The Category 5 storm made landfall on Abaco and Grand Bahama on September 1 and 2. It particularly decimated Mudd and Pigeon Peas shantytowns of Abaco.
Regarding concerns surrounding deportation, Mr Georges underscored this is not currently a “priority” area for UHCF, adding the focus is more recovery and relief.
“The only thing we would have done in that area is to advise persons that that can’t be a priority for them…compared to their health issues or getting immediate aid or helping us with recovery,” Mr Georges said. “The fear of registering…because it may bring you into the system, I think that’s minute compared to the fact that you might get aid that you deserve and need or assist in getting missing persons (removed off) the missing persons list or getting a person put on the list of persons who are not missing, but actually dead.”
UHCF was also asked about the number of persons who are missing from the Haitian community. On Thursday, the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the number of missing people is now at 1,300.
Rights Bahamas President Stephanie St Fleur said the organization has reported the names of 309 missing people, the majority of whom are from Abaco. However, she could not confirm whether all of these individuals are of Haitian descent. Ms St Fleur also could not speak about the demographics of the death toll.
Berea Seventh-Day Adventist Church Pastor Edward St Fleur also spoke to how UCHF is assisting with mental health recovery. “Many, especially the children, they have been traumatized,” Mr St Fleur said. “We have an organization that’s ready to assist us in providing counseling, either one-to-one or group counseling so that we can help them to debrief, to get into the proper mind frame to continue their education, that’s for the children, and, of course, (to assist) the parents.”
Comments
joeblow 5 years, 1 month ago
I wonder how many of these Haitian activists, masquerading as human rights activists will share some of the responsibility for the large amount of deaths that occurred in communities they encouraged to break Bahamian laws?
Enforcing the law may be unpleasant to some, but it saves lives!
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
Well there you have it my fellow Bahamians ...... born out of the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian .......the birth of the United Haitian Community Front ..... better known as the UHCF ..... the very first Haitian dominated de facto political party in the Bahamas. Yes, history was indeed made this past week in the Bahamas under a different national flag ....... a true proclamation of the Bahamas as a satellite state of Haiti.
stillwaters 5 years, 1 month ago
Calm down. They just want to go on the record as helping.......they are offering.....counselling.....yes......that seems to be it.......counselling.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
They come here illegally, breed uncontrollably, are responsible for the collapse of our education, healthcare and social welfare systems, send every spare dollar they earn to their many family members back in Haiti, pose an unacceptable high risk of serious infectious diseases, are in general a huge unaffordable burden on struggling honest and hardworking Bahamians, etc., etc. .....and you're telling me to calm down. Right, go figure!
Chucky 5 years, 1 month ago
“ in general a huge unaffordable burden on struggling honest and hardworking Bahamians, etc.”
Don’t worry, both those struggling honest and hard working Bahamians will survive....... lol
TalRussell 5 years, 1 month ago
Ma comrades, there's long history going back to the days my boyhood when I observed the death by drowning Haitian corpses of adult and children Haitians washed up on shores Montagu Beach and up at Yamacraw Beach - even back then, the Haitian government took a pass when it came showing the slightest compassion, concern, respect for their own dead by drowning nationals, yes, no .... Let us pray our own central government, hasn't left our own drowned by Hurricane Dorian's flood waters left undiscovered longer than necessary to rot by being ignored .... we know central government sent 400 body bags collectively to the Abaco's and Grand Bahamaland - how many body bags sit, unused....
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
Many of us suspect you likely have a very good reason for not wishing to elaborate on who you consider to be "our own drowned by Hurricane Dorian's flood waters".
TalRussell 5 years, 1 month ago
Ma Comrade, according Hurricane Katrina Statistic, 40% of the 1,200 people who died, their deaths were caused by drowning, yes, no ....Reason why the slim window to reach them alive grows even slimmer by the seconds, minutes, hours and days of delay that passes to come rescue them ....
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
The vast majority of Bahamians are about to reap the way of life that has been sown for them by successive corrupt PLP and equally corrupt FNM governments since the late 1970's. Hurricane Dorian has caused all of our most closely guarded secrets to be loudly announced to the rest of the world including the fact that our country, as a result of decades of unchecked illegal immigration encouraged by our corrupt politicians, now has so much Haitian blood coursing through its veins, that we have become a de facto satellite state of Haiti. Most docile indigenous Bahamians are going to be paying a dear price going forward in too many ways to wrap one's mind around.
The vacation and shopping days once enjoyed by many black Bahamians in the U.S. may be coming to an end. We certainly are not in the position to blame the U.S. if they now decide to impose on us, with all of our Haitian ancestry, the very same rigorous U.S. entry requirements that Customs and Boarder Patrol Officers impose on Haitian nationals living in Haiti. Oh well, as they say, welcome to the new normal.
President Trump has already sent a clear message to PM Minnis by effectively saying the U.S. is happy to have help Bahamians in life threatening situations in the aftermath of Dorian, but they must not now think they can restart their lives in the U.S. That simply ain't gonna be allowed to happen and with good reason from a security risk standpoint.
The_Oracle 5 years, 1 month ago
If so Called lawless Haitians were dropped into Taiwan, Do you think they'd get away with breaking the law? Hmm. Perhaps because we Bahamians have such a bent for Disregarding, Bending and breaking the law Haitians are just following our example.......
themessenger 5 years, 1 month ago
Heinrich Well_mudda_take_sic Himmler as he presents his final solution to the Haitian Problem. Round em all up and let God sort em out.Next he'll be clamoring for gas chambers and ovens.....................
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