Thank you to all who have e-mailed and to all who have been trying to get through by telephone due to the horrific devastation you are hearing and seeing about Haiti. You have been asking how we are, what we experienced, and what repairs we might be needing to do here.
Since the arrival of the workteam a blog has been done daily. It is a different address than the HATS regular blogspot. It is now reporting what we know, and have seen and heard about the quake. Check it out at: http://www.haititeam2010.blogspot.com
We will be trying in the next day or so to get the same information posted on both blogs so that it will be easier for you to follow how we are.
On January 5th a 14 person workteam arrived here from Canada (13 from NS and 1 from BC) to work on construction of housing for support missionaries. I have been in need of help for a long time. The construction work has been progressing beautifully with three other smaller projects also happening at the same time.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 12th, we drove one of the team members to PaP to return home to NS as he was not feeling well. We took him downtown PaP and showed him the Palace before dropping him at the airport. I am thanking God that our being in that area was in the morning and not late afternoon. I saw that our friend checked in at the airport with Air Canada to return home and we returned to the mission site.
Late afternoon most of the group were relaxing in the living room after a hot and tiring day of work. The Haitian workers were doing a little finishing work before they quit. I had gone to shower when my bathroom started to shake and sway. Lots of things were falling on the cement floor including a fan. Glass was breaking as photos were falling off my bedroom walls. I thought that due to the weight of the four 1000 gallon water tanks on top of the building which is also my house, that it was no longer structurally sound and my house was falling down. As I was frantically trying to dress I ran into the living room yelling for everyone to get outside, only to find my house already empty. They had quickly vacated and were standing in the yard. The Haitian workers were lying or sitting on the ground. They had quickly run down the stairs to the yard from the second level where they had been still working. I joined the group from Canada and we watched the top level of this building swaying back and forth like big waves upon the sea. Too, the high cement block fence with razor wire on top, which makes the enclosure for our compound, was swaying about 2 feet back and forth. We are amazed and extremely thankful that everything is still standing.
The damage, and the loss of life, in this country is horrific. I cannot write about it without crying. I will instead try to answer some of your questions about how we are faring.
The group, myself and my 4-yr-old son, Alex (Ti Luc) stayed outside in the yard last night. None of us felt we could take a chance on sleeping inside. Most of the team had been sleeping in mosquito tents on the unfinished second level. Tim, Heidi and children had been sleeping upstairs also, but inside. The mosquito tents were moved down to the yard, some doubling up was done, and we spent the night that way. Very little sleeping was done.
tents on lawn
Some students turned up for school this morning and most of them sat in the middle of the school yard until a meal could be prepared for them. Then they were sent back home. They were told to return on Monday to see if we were ready for school to reopen. Today we did a thorough check of the property – everything on the school compound and also on this compound. Lots of damage repairs necessary. The front wall of the secondary school needs to come down and be redone. Gerry has the taking down already started and necessary supplies are being ordered.
The Children’s Home that had been used for storage was emptied out by the group yesterday to prepare it for our orphan boys. This house has a lot of cracks in walls and ceilings. It is going to need some major work now before it will be ready for habitation. The Children’s Home that is in use seems to have done okay. This building, which has my house and two offices on the ground floor, needs work before I will be comfortable having anyone sleep in it again. We have seen a lot of cracks. There are some big ones on the support pillars on level three that hold up those four water tanks. The pillars need repair work and cement block walls need to be done on level two and perhaps also on level three. Having the walls done will give extra support for the weight that is above us.
Gerry Rhyno from Yarmouth, NS, leader of the workteam, and also the Chairman of the Canadian HATS Board of Directors gave me an estimate of $10,000 to do the necessary repairs here. It may sound like a lot of money, but money is nothing compared to the loss of life and devastation around us. I believe that God will provide the funds for the repairs to be done so the mission can continue to be a light in this area of Haiti.
Throughout this day and as I am writing this I continue to receive word of many deaths of people from our area. Most of the families throughout the Artibonite Valley have loved ones living in Port au Prince, many of them students. A lot have received word that family members died in the quake or cannot be found. Many seriously injured have been brought back to this area and are presently in the hospital here in Deschapelles. Too, many who died in the quake were brought back to families around us today. People in our area have been seen today walking around with dead loved ones in their arms crying uncontrolably as they don’t know what to do now or where to turn. The level of grief and pain of the people around us is unimaginable. I know that a lot of the poor people in this area who have to bury loved ones, pay hospital bills, or fix a home that has been damaged will come to the compound and ask to see me. Funds to repair the damage to the HATS property is necessary but I know that I am also going to need funds to use in the HATS Mercy Ministry, as I call it. Someone has already come to ask for financial help at the request of a young man from this area who attends school in PaP. He was brought home to the hospital here today with a ‘smashed’ leg as they put it and he has no money to pay for x-rays or meds, or for food. I have been receiving donations for schooling for this young man for a few years. A lot of requests will be made of me for help in the near future.
Aftershocks are continuing. When things start to tremble we all quickly evacuate the buildings. The Haitian radio stations are announcing that we should be prepared for the possibility of another quake to hit on Friday. Please pray this does not happen.
People are walking around. People are trying to keep going. But I can honestly say that both inside our compound and outside in the community we are all feeling dead inside.
Some of you have offered to send funds and some have asked about sending items. Financial help is what is needed at this time. Donations should be sent to the address in Yarmouth given at the bottom of this letter. Please remember to make cheques payable to Hands Across The Sea Association.
Thank you again for all the help last year and now for the help for the people of Haiti due to this disaster.
Thank you, once again, for EVERYTHING from all of us.
~Karen
P.S. – Photos will follow as soon as we can get them up
