Lack of fuel is the first domino that fell leading to the current calamity. The Haitian government controls the price of fuel sold in Haiti. Unfortunately, there has not been fuel available at gas pumps for four months. The result is what little fuel there is for purchase is only available on the black market, at astronomical prices, upwards of $30-$40/gallon. This is causing transportation prices to rise sharply.

Many hospitals and clinics throughout Haiti were forced to limit services or shutter their doors altogether because of lack of fuel for diesel generators. Fuel shortages in 2018 caused us to pursue solar power at the RHFH clinic and rescue center. Thanks to many of you, our dependence on diesel fuel to power our generator has diminished greatly with the installation of our solar system/ inverters/ batteries. We still require fuel for our vehicles and heavy equipment, but our generator use has decreased by 75%, allowing us to save thousands of dollars in fuel expenses per year and redirect those funds to patient care.

One element of the solar system powering our facilities are 48 6v batteries. These batteries are charged by solar during the day to store power, so when the sun goes down, an inverter converts the DC power of the batteries into AC power to provide an uninterrupted supply of electricity through the night. We squeezed everything we could out of the 48 batteries currently in use, and they are at the end of their life cycle. Though we have electricity during the day, the stored power usually runs out by 9pm. Rechargeable lights help us see to care for the children and we are doing without fans and electronics at night. Freezers and fridges aren’t opened often to conserve the cold temperatures for the food. Changing to lithium batteries would ensure 24/7 power needs would be met.

Unfortunately, cell phone service throughout the country has been nearly non-existent since late August. Due to lack of an electrical grid, individual cell towers run off of diesel generators. With no fuel in country, most have run out of fuel and are not functional. We do have a satellite internet provider at the clinic that runs off of our solar system. However, it is extremely slow and does not allow us to update you easily. We are thankful to have this form of communication, though limited, whenever the electricity is working.