Bad news from Haitii
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Bad news from Haitii
| Tue, 01-12-2010 - 9:33pm |
Our youngest DS says that the earthquake there is reported to have hit very close to the school, church and friends they have been working with for the last few years. I know he's worried. Anyone have contacts there that can get through?
Jacquie

I'm sure they must be worried sick about their friends in Haiti...the reports I've seen on CNN sound just horrible.
My girlfriend's daughter and her DH live on the other side of the island in the Dominican Republic but from what I can tell not too much damage is being reported from the DR. They must have some damage I would think tho.
I went through the 6.7 earthquake in Los Angeles in 1973 and rode it out in my bedroom closet with things falling off my walls and crashing to the floor around me. I can't imagine being in a cardboard hut on the side of a mountain in an earthquake much larger than the one I went through.
My prayers go out to your DS, his friends and to the poor people of Haiti. This is devastating news.
Thanks to Facebook, we've been able to get a handle on the facts. One friend of DS is a high level ham radio operator and he has been relaying reports. Word is there was a lot of swaying, but no severe damage. This means DS will not need to be on an airplane tomorrow. He's scheduled to go with the mission in Feb.
Jacquie
DS is busy gathering supplies, but commercial air flights will be strictly limited due to damage at their airport. His group already had most of their annual supplies gathered, now they need to either stay on schedule for mid-Feb or try to find a way to get their earlier.
Jacquie
DSs last project was to build a kitchen so that the school children could have 1 good meal a day. They learned that some of the kids walked 30 miles on an empty stomach to get to school, studied all day, then walked home to a single meal of beans & rice. DS is coordinating supply collection and will head a group going there as soon as travel is allowed. His group will be posting which organizations it is safe to send $ to and I will pass on the news here.
If you have any local group collecting supplies, one of the things they will need badly is personal supplies - Kotex, body wipes, soap, power food bars, hair & tooth brushes, tooth paste. Good time to head to the $ stores & put together a box.
Thanks for all your concern,
Jacquie
Jacquie, I'm so glad your DS was able to contact someone there.
I think the big humanitarian orgs are going to be the ones to do the most good in the near future. DH is postponing his scheduled Feb trip in order to be able to continue to work on the school. He will collect cash before his goes and then use it to pay the local workers who do most of the building. This way they have some income and a vested interest in protecting the school when the volunteers are away.
If memory serves, DS told me they walk 1.5 hours EACH way. Guess they'd have to run if it was 30.
Jacquie