I just thought I should give you an idea of where I am in relation to Port-au-Prince. I'm in the community of Haut-Limbe, about 25 kms west of Cap Haitien in the north. I believe we're about a 250 km drive from Port-au-Prince.
Check out this map. http://maps.google.ca/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ADBF_enCA259CA262&q=Cap%20Haitien&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The day after the day after
It's probably more frustrating being in the country right now rather than back in Canada. Digicel phones are still not working so there is no communication. We haven't had any EDH (electricity) so we are relying on generators and batteries. Diesel prices are already rising and will continue to rise as resources dwindle (it all comes from Port).
The 3 clinic staff who went to Port right after the quake have returned with the person they were looking for. I'm not sure if he was injured or not. Dr. Manno left for Port this morning to find another person from the community that they were unable to find.
As far as we know, the airport in Cap Haitien is operational and the team of 4 Americans that were supposed to leave on Monday will be flying back to Florida this morning. Dr. Steve and Nancy are also scheduled to return from the States this morning.
The past day and a half have been surreal. At 5 on Tuesday, I had just started my Creole class with my tutor. The building started to shake and my first though was that a big truck or train was going by. That's what it sounded like anyways. Then I remembered where I was and that there were no big trucks or trains to go by and that it was an earthquake. The desks in the classroom didn't move, but we just kind of rocked back and forth for about 10 or 15 seconds. It ended and we resumed our class. A few minutes later, someone told us that it was worse in Port au Prince, but we had no idea of how bad.
I finished my class, went home to eat supper. Surprisingly, the EDH came on so I decided to watch a movie on my laptop because I did not want to go out in the rain again. That last for about an hour, then the power went out so I shut off my computer and tried to go to sleep. Around 9, Dr. Manno came up and told me that Port au Prince was destroyed. He said to "sleep" with the doors open so that I could get out quickly. He then said he was going over to the University to watch the news. I decided to go with him. Once there, I was able to call my family on a satellite phone to reassure them that I was okay. The cellphone network was down.
We watched the news for awhile - there were only a few images coming in cause it happened so close sundown. We returned home and decided not to sleep in the main house under the concrete roof. Instead, we all (about 12 of us) moved mattresses to a room in the house that is being built behind the main house that has a corrugated metal roof. It was like a big slumber party - girls on one side, guys on the other - only I couldn't understand all the Creole chatter.
I slept on and off through the night with my MP3 player going to drown out the sound of the rain on the metal roof. We woke up around 7, moved everything inside and started our day. There had been several aftershocks during the night.
As soon as I had showered (a very cold shower) and eaten breakfast I headed over to the James' to get online and check emails, Facebook and just try to get some news coverage. There were tons of messages to reply to and I was able to Skype with friends and family at home.
I pulled myself away from the computer later in the afternoon in order to do my Creole homework and go to class. After supper, we went to watch the news again. I'm kind of glad that I don't have access to CNN all day. I think the reporters would drive me crazy. It's amazing how ignorant people are of the realities of Haiti, pre-earthquake. I just wonder how long the attention will last on this country - probably not long enough, I fear. After the recovery effort is finished, reconstruction is going to take years.
It was a weird day here. Life just kind of went on for most people. Most people don't have a radio so they haven't heard any news. They definitely haven't seen any of the pictures and they haven't been able to communicate by phone. Everyone is sad, but I don't know if anyone can really comprehend just how bad it really is. I think it will take several days, weeks even to know what this all means.
The 3 clinic staff who went to Port right after the quake have returned with the person they were looking for. I'm not sure if he was injured or not. Dr. Manno left for Port this morning to find another person from the community that they were unable to find.
As far as we know, the airport in Cap Haitien is operational and the team of 4 Americans that were supposed to leave on Monday will be flying back to Florida this morning. Dr. Steve and Nancy are also scheduled to return from the States this morning.
The past day and a half have been surreal. At 5 on Tuesday, I had just started my Creole class with my tutor. The building started to shake and my first though was that a big truck or train was going by. That's what it sounded like anyways. Then I remembered where I was and that there were no big trucks or trains to go by and that it was an earthquake. The desks in the classroom didn't move, but we just kind of rocked back and forth for about 10 or 15 seconds. It ended and we resumed our class. A few minutes later, someone told us that it was worse in Port au Prince, but we had no idea of how bad.
I finished my class, went home to eat supper. Surprisingly, the EDH came on so I decided to watch a movie on my laptop because I did not want to go out in the rain again. That last for about an hour, then the power went out so I shut off my computer and tried to go to sleep. Around 9, Dr. Manno came up and told me that Port au Prince was destroyed. He said to "sleep" with the doors open so that I could get out quickly. He then said he was going over to the University to watch the news. I decided to go with him. Once there, I was able to call my family on a satellite phone to reassure them that I was okay. The cellphone network was down.
We watched the news for awhile - there were only a few images coming in cause it happened so close sundown. We returned home and decided not to sleep in the main house under the concrete roof. Instead, we all (about 12 of us) moved mattresses to a room in the house that is being built behind the main house that has a corrugated metal roof. It was like a big slumber party - girls on one side, guys on the other - only I couldn't understand all the Creole chatter.
I slept on and off through the night with my MP3 player going to drown out the sound of the rain on the metal roof. We woke up around 7, moved everything inside and started our day. There had been several aftershocks during the night.
As soon as I had showered (a very cold shower) and eaten breakfast I headed over to the James' to get online and check emails, Facebook and just try to get some news coverage. There were tons of messages to reply to and I was able to Skype with friends and family at home.
I pulled myself away from the computer later in the afternoon in order to do my Creole homework and go to class. After supper, we went to watch the news again. I'm kind of glad that I don't have access to CNN all day. I think the reporters would drive me crazy. It's amazing how ignorant people are of the realities of Haiti, pre-earthquake. I just wonder how long the attention will last on this country - probably not long enough, I fear. After the recovery effort is finished, reconstruction is going to take years.
It was a weird day here. Life just kind of went on for most people. Most people don't have a radio so they haven't heard any news. They definitely haven't seen any of the pictures and they haven't been able to communicate by phone. Everyone is sad, but I don't know if anyone can really comprehend just how bad it really is. I think it will take several days, weeks even to know what this all means.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
How to help
When things are "good" in Haiti, life involves a lot of waiting. So when things are not so good, it involves even more waiting. I've spent the day over at the James' glued to the internet checking email, facebook, news sites trying to get a grasp of what is going on. I can't get much info from within the country. I do know that 3 of the clinic staff are driving down to Port Au Prince right now to find one of their sons - he is studying there and the house he was staying in collapsed. As far as we know, he is okay.
I don't feel of much help here right now, but if you want to help, many organizations are receiving donations for their relief efforts. Check out World Relief Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, or if you are in the States, Covenant World Relief.
The Evangelical Covenant Church website has also posted a story about CWR's response.
I don't feel of much help here right now, but if you want to help, many organizations are receiving donations for their relief efforts. Check out World Relief Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, or if you are in the States, Covenant World Relief.
The Evangelical Covenant Church website has also posted a story about CWR's response.
Covenant World Relief Aiding Haiti Earthquake Victims
CHICAGO, IL (January 13, 2010) – Covenant World Relief (CWR) funds already are at work in Haiti providing assistance following Tuesday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated large areas within the country and claimed thousands of lives.
The earthquake destroyed most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, Haitian authorities told CNN News this morning. The Red Cross estimates some three million people - one-third of Haiti's population - were affected by the quake. “Rescue crews were racing Wednesday morning to fully assess the damage in the teeming hillside city, where toppled buildings killed and injured an untold number of people and trapped others in the rubble,” the CNN report states.
The CWR emergency funds, which are being used to provide emergency relief kits, come from a "first responder" disaster fund established by the Covenant with World Relief International, which is distributing the kits.
“The immediate task is to get emergency kits together and dispersed,” says Husby. “The kits will include food, water, and blankets.”
Click here to make an online donation to the Covenant Haiti Relief Fund.
World Relief International is doing its best to gather information about the severity of the situation, that effort complicated by the destruction of much of the country’s communications infrastructure, says CWR Director David Husby. Not all of World Relief International’s staff in Haiti has been accounted for. A disaster response team will be traveling Thursday to either Port-au-Prince, if the airport is open, or to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to better assess the needs.
The damaging effects of the earthquake are even more significant due to poor construction of buildings in Haiti, which is considered to be the poorest country in the western Hemisphere.
Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince, leaving thousands of people feared dead and large portions of the population left homeless. Major government buildings also were demolished or heavily damaged.
Tammi Biggs, a short-term Covenant missionary who serves as Area Director for the Caribbean with Covenant Merge Ministries, lives in the neighboring Dominican Republic. In a Twitter update, she reports she is safe, although her area has felt several aftershocks.
Sandy Doyle, who directs the Haiti mission work of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Lafayette in Lafayette, Indiana, says she has not heard directly from people in the village of LaMare, a village that the Indiana church supports. However, a missionary with another organization, speaking to CNN via Skype, said people in the Central Plateau, where LaMare is located, are safe. Click here to read a previously published story about the Indiana church's Haiti mission work.
And yet another Covenanter from Faith Covenant Church in Winnipeg, MB, emailed family and friends from Haiti to report that she, too, is safe. “Just writing you a quick note to let you know that I am okay,” writes Janelle Peterson. “We felt the quake here and have felt several aftershocks since. As far as I know there is no real damage in this area. We are just now starting to learn the full extent of the damage and the effects of the quake in Port au Prince. Communication is down, so people are having a hard time finding out if family and friends are okay in Port au Prince. Please pray for everyone here as we start figure out what our next steps are here and for those beginning relief efforts.” Peterson also is posting updates to her blog.
For additional information, visit the CWR Facebook page, the Merge Ministries Twitter account, or the World Relief Twitter page. Information is also available on the U.S. State Department’s website.
Copyright © 2010 The Evangelical Covenant Church.
update
Just writing you a quick note to let you know that I am okay. We felt the quake here and have felt several aftershocks since. As far as I know there is no real damage in this area. We are just now starting to learn the full extent of the damage and the effects of the quake in Port au Prince. Communication is down so people are having a hard time finding out if family and friends are okay in Port au Prince. Please pray for everyone here as we start figure out what our next steps are here and for those beginning relief efforts here.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Good News!
Two items of good news today. It stopped raining and... the contents of the container were released!!! Very exciting. It took 2 days and 4 truckloads and all (I hope) of the contents are safely locked in the hospital. Only downside... customs had to rip every box open for inspection and of course they didn't neatly tape them up again, so we have a bit of a mess. But at least we can deal with that mess here.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Still Raining
It stopped for about 5 hours the other day when the sun came out, but it's been cloudy and rainy ever since. Argh!
In other news. I drove for the first time here yesterday... only a little ways, on the "good" road. I decided that driving through swimming pools in CapHaitien would not be a good first experience. It went fairly well. The reason that I have held off so long is that I'm not super comfortable driving a standard (that's all they have here) and there are so many things to pay attention to here - cars, trucks, tap taps, buses, semi's, motorcycles, people, potholes, goats, cows, chickens - all going wherever they please on the road. Once I can just focus on watching the road, and not worrying about shifting, things will go a lot better!
The container is still in Cap Haitien... we are hoping to hear the final amount ($) that it will take to get the contents released any day now. Oh happy day when that is over. Then the work of transporting and organizing begins!
In other news. I drove for the first time here yesterday... only a little ways, on the "good" road. I decided that driving through swimming pools in CapHaitien would not be a good first experience. It went fairly well. The reason that I have held off so long is that I'm not super comfortable driving a standard (that's all they have here) and there are so many things to pay attention to here - cars, trucks, tap taps, buses, semi's, motorcycles, people, potholes, goats, cows, chickens - all going wherever they please on the road. Once I can just focus on watching the road, and not worrying about shifting, things will go a lot better!
The container is still in Cap Haitien... we are hoping to hear the final amount ($) that it will take to get the contents released any day now. Oh happy day when that is over. Then the work of transporting and organizing begins!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)