The morning of January 12Th, 2010 started out like any other day for me.  For the people of Haiti however, life would never be the same.  After going through my usual routine that fateful morning; orange juice, vitamins and a pot of tea I sat down at my computer to check my email and read the headlines on my Yahoo news page.  As soon as I saw "7.0 quake hits Haiti; serious loss of life expected" I somehow knew I would end up in Port-Au-Prince to help in the relief effort.

 

Watching those indelible images on TV of the death and destruction over the next couple of days haunted me weeks after the tragedy.  Hearing Anderson Cooper on CNN close his report with the comment: "More stupid deaths in Haiti today because there were not enough people on the ground to help" stirred me to take action.

 

I inquired through various contacts to find out if Pastor Jay Threadgill, a missionary in Haiti for 22 years, was okay and if he needed help.  Pastor Jay's first email after the earthquake was horrifying,  Thirty of his people had died in a single incident.  A classroom collapsed on an early morning bible study group.  He thought that dozens, if not hundreds more of his people may have been killed. As it turned out Pastor Jay would officiate at more funerals over the next two weeks than he had in the past 20 years. His email ended with a plea for 3-5 men to help him deal with the tragedy.

 

On Tuesday, January 19Th, five of us answered the call and made our way to Miami to rendezvous for our flight to Port-Au-Prince.  Ray, an EMT form Kansas City, Pastor Eddie Mitchell from Alabama, Shawn, a professionally trained security for hire expert, Don, a pastor and ex-fireman from Florida and or course me, Richard Everett, Executive Director of the Greater New Haven Help Alliance.

Each of us would play key roles in attempting to restore order and organize the relief effort for Pastor Jay's ministry; Fishers of Men Ministries International. (fomhaiti.org)

 

After unloading the private jet donated by Gorton's Seafood that flew us from Miami to Haiti we shot through the terminal.  No customs, no security, no immigrations, just  broken glass and debris everywhere.

Outside we witnessed pushing, shoving and shouting by thousands of Haitians as they desperately tried to make their way into the airport to get out of the country. Despair and hopelessness could be seen on the faces of the unruly mob.  We found our ride , loaded our luggage and supplies and made our way to the compound that would be home for the next 10 days.

 

The landscape was awful.  Thousands of people standing around with no place to live and no place to go.  Tens of thousands of Haitians cohabiting in make shift tent cities made with bedspreads, sheets and curtains.  The site of collapsed buildings was unforgettable. The extreme poverty that existed long before the earthquake could be seen everywhere.

 

Once we arrived at the compound we experienced our first miracle.  All of us were prepared and equipped for the worst,  no water, no food, no living quarters.  To our jubilant surprise most of the buildings were still standing....we had a place to sleep!  We were thrilled with the news of part-time running water, three days worth of food, and electricity thanks to a working generator.  In spite of being told there would be no turn down service or truffles on our pillows each night (lol) a couple of high fives were in order.  After unpacking and settling in to our new digs we had dinner and planned tomorrows work day.

 

At 6:03 the next morning we were rudely awakened by a 6.0 earthquake.  I never ran so fast in my entire life. Experiencing an earthquake for the first time is weird.  It's kind of like trying to bbalance yourself on a surfboard while on a giant beach ball bobbing up and down in the ocean, an impossible task.  Fortunately I only broke a nail in all of the confusion.  The good news for Haiti is that there was nothing left to destroy after the first earthquake.  After a one minute ice cold shower it was time to report for duty.

Almost out of our drinking water, our assignment was to go to the airport and try to commandeer as much bottled water as possible.  Jay's ministry feeds 3-4 thousand people a day and there was no water to give away.  We were able to drive two of his trucks right on to the airfield in Port-Au-Prince with no questions asked.

 

The scene was impressive.  Fortunately the airport was controlled by the U.S. Military.  Things were well organized and ran like a well oiled machine.  Air Force cargo planes would land periodically.  The Army unloaded the food, water and supplies off to the side of the runway.  U.S. Military helicopters would land every few minutes and be loaded with supplies and take off again to various parts of Haiti.  Convoys would line up, load up and head out to various distribution points throughout Port-Au-Prince.  The out pouring of human compassion for those suffering was deeply touching.

I saw injured people airlifted to hospital ships and aircraft carriers as well as doctors and medical professionals being airlifted in by U.S. Military helicopters. In spite of all of its flaws I still do love America.  I am proud of America for stepping up to the plate to help the people of Haiti.  After spending hours trying to locate the person in charge of the relief effort, and much prayer, two of us were given vouchers for a pallet of bottled water.  While loading up, a number of soldiers came over to help and bless us with a third pallet of water!  Miracle number two and mission accomplished.

 

The next morning at breakfast Pastor Jay mentioned we were almost out of food.  Many of us emailed and sent  text messages back home asking for prayer and  help from our Senators, the U.N. and Congressmen. We needed supplies and food to continue to help the Haitian people.  No more than an hour or two after unleashing our prayer request I bumped into a man looking for Pastor Jay.  As it turned out he was with a Muslim relief organization.  They had eight trailers of food, water and supplies  were looking for an established Haitian organization to donate and distribute the 40 tons of aid through.  Miracle #3.

 

Ray our EMT and I spent the day setting up a make shift clinic in a classroom with a dozen or so 55 gallon drums of donated medical supplies.  It was apparent that we would need to start treating the thousand or so people now living in a tent city just behind our facility.  Broken bones, infections and burns were just a few of the medical issues these refugees faced.  We officially opened for business in the late afternoon treating dozens of patients.

The next day our clinic opened for a 10 hour shift.  Ray was our only medical professional in our make shift clinic. I do what I can to help.  At the end of the day we are exhausted.  Ray treated nearly 50 people.  As we prepared to close up shop for the day a mother brought her baby to us with burns over most of his body.  He had not been treated since the earthquake.  To say he was in bad shape would be an understatement.  I emailed my pastor asking our congregation to pray for this little guy.  We needed to find a field hospital with real doctors to treat our new found friend.  Ray finally gets a hospital to take him in at 2 PM.  They told us he had a good  chance of recovering with proper care.  Prayers answered.

 

The next day I committed my first act of kidnapping. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The case load on our medical clinic was overwhelming.  We still did not have any doctors to help.  By "chance" I saw a surgeon walking toward a field next to our compound where helicopters took off and landed all day long.  I  intercepted him and told him I could not let him get on the helicopter until he diagnoses and treats some of the patients desperately needing more advanced care.  I firmly take him by the arm and walk him to our clinic.  He stays for awhile advising Ray and treating the worst of the worst.  When he leaves I ask him to get the word out that we need doctors, he promises to do so.  I also text my pastor asking for prayer for the medical help we so desperately needed.  At 10:00 AM the next morning our prayers are answered.  Five medical professionals arrive from Heaven via helicopter and stay for a week.  Miracle #4

 

Over the course of the next few days our clinic with its beefed up staff treat over 500 Haitians.  In one day alone we treated 97 patients.  One of the doctors made a tongue in cheek remark at the end of a busy day, saying  'Just think, if we were back home they would all still be in the waiting room.'

During the week I learn how to give shots, set broken limbs and hold down screaming patients as they are having body parts amputated.

 

Day #5  We attempt to open the gates and feed thousands of people without rioting.  Things do get tense for awhile, lots of pushing, screaming and yelling.  Jay gets things calmed down somewhat since he speaks the native language.  After hours we close the gates and take a much needed rest.  We are notified that the hot water heater is now working.  We race to the showers and meet up again for dinner....hamburgers, fries and iced tea.  Things are looking up!!

 

Indeed they are.  We are greeted at dinner by teams from Hope for Haiti and Trinity Broadcasting Network.  Help is on its way.  The Calvary has arrived and ships full of supplies are on the way.  A sigh of relief and a desire for a piece of chocolate cake are the only thoughts I can muster.  The realization that the first wave of help will be able to go home soon started to sink in.

 

I began to reflect on my stay in Haiti.  It is a  beautiful island with mountains and beaches and it blessed with a tropical climate, yet it is one of the poorest places on the planet.

It  lacks many things.  Because of the lack of strong leadership and a vision of what Haiti could be, the people continue to suffer and struggle.  The earthquake destroyed most of Port-Au-Prince and killed somewhere around 150,000 people. It will take 5-10 years to rebuild Haiti but only if the people have the will and determination to do so.  Otherwise it will continue to be what it has always been - a mess.

 

On the lighter side......
 

A sense of humor can come in handy even in a disaster.

 

One morning I caught myself putting on a 'Life is good ' tee shirt on my way to our medical clinic. Not appropriate attire to say the least.

 

A Haitian man was seen wearing a baby on board tee shirt with an arrow pointing to his belly. he obviously did not speak or read English.

 

A French Canadian reporter with a silly Pepe Le Pew accent grabbed Shawn, our special forces security person by the shirt and spits in his face. The reporter has not been seen since the incident. You can't fix stupid.

 

Each morning I would get an email from Omaha steaks advertising free shipping. We all wondered if they would really deliver to Haiti. A steak sure sounded good.

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

AT&T for waving my all of the charges on my phone bill while i was in Haiti.

 

Lowe's, for discounting the supplies I brought to Haiti