September 29, 2007

Flooding of the Road at Savane Ronde

Prior travelers to Bayonnais may remember the road at Savane Ronde, coming east from the highway, twisting over the small mountain ridge and then down into the river valley at the market place. That is the one that was almost destroyed several Friday nights ago by a storm. Very rocky, and with steep slopes on the downhill side.

Actionnel described the storm in an e-mail on September 2: "In late Friday the 31st of August 2007, Bayonnais got flooded and devastated by a type of rain. Hurricane Jeanne that killed over 3,000 people in Gonaïves did not do so much damage in Bayonnais in September 2004. Our road through Savane Ronde to the school and Church is no longer possible to drive through."

OFCB has encouraged anyone and everyone to help get the road open again. Work has been organized for today. Many students, parents and others are working on that road. Actionnel left on foot at 6:10. He said many others left earlier. The OFCB truck is in Gonaives, having taken the high school teachers there at 5:30 yesterday. The short bus has been out of use with something broken in the front suspension, somewhere in Bayonnais for two days.

Actionnel, and the others from around Cathor, have about a 5 mile walk to the work area. He told me yesterday that they would maybe cut the road further into the mountain at one or more places. He is taking the camera so we can see what is done and expects to be back in the late afternoon.

The road is very important to lots of people in Bayonnais, since it goes west over to L'Estere on Highway 1. This is the location of a much, much larger market than the one in Bayonnais, which is at the T of the Savane Ronde road and the road that comes up the Bayonnais River Valley from the north. The local market operates Monday & Thursday, the L'Estere market on Tuesday and Friday. There is a lot of foot and donkey traffic to L'Estere on market days, starting in the dark and ending in the dark.

There is no help available from any government unit, so the people have to do whatever they can do with pickaxes and other hand tools.

David Nichols, at OFCB in Cathor-Bayonnais