Haitian Native Living in Newington Fears Hurricane Matthew's Effects on His Home Country

Hurricane Matthew is expected to hit Haiti late Monday night, bringing the potential for 130 mph winds and 15 to 25 inches of rain.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for Haiti on Monday, as well as Jamaica, several Cuban provinces and the southeastern Bahamas.

Marc Regis, a native of Haiti who now lives in Newington, said he feels for his country. He has two sisters and several nephews who still live in Port-Au-Prince. He said they are in survival mode now.

"They tried to buy some supplies, but they can't go anywhere. They have to stay and pray and give it to God," said Marc Regis of Newington.

Regis said living in Haiti is difficult because adequate housing, water and electricity are hard to come by.

He travels back to Haiti twice a year and offers a week-long summer camp for children. Regis said he is worried for the more than 400 campers who will deal with the devastation in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

"I feel sad because I know their house, I know where they live, and a little bit of wind can blow everything away," said Regis.

Haiti is no stranger to natural disasters. One of the most catastrophic was when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck in 2010.

Regis said the people have no choice but to be resilient and hopefully survive.

“Ask people to pray for Haiti because that's the only thing we can do now," said Regis.

Contact Us