Samaritans Purse has been working with the first eMi team in Leogane with Water Missions Intl and water issues. They have become hard pressed and asked us to drop everything and get to Petit Goave ASAP to assist them. John and I are sitting in the UN camp downtown waiting for our ride early tomorrow to go out. We will assist them in Water and Sanitation installations in the IDP camps there as well as community water (Including WMI water treatment systems, 10 of which have been installed, 37 more are on their way).
I have been surprised that we have landed in places with internet but I actually think this place only has Samaritans Purse's portable satelite uplink so the updates may stop. We will be working with SP in the Petit Goave/Leogane area until our departure Monday or Tues for the states. I hope to be back in Reno Tues or Wed.
5 more days...and counting...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Lets walk instead...
Traffic here has been a major problem. Yesterday it took us 2 hours to go less than 5 miles. We had to travel to the UN again today to deliver some plans and join a meeting. There are 3 main ways to get there. One way is about 6 miles through the country where you go way around to the East. A second way is 5 miles through the city to the West. The third is a semi-direct route, only about 3-4 miles, but winding through a maze of dirt roads and hills in a poor area of Port au Prince.
We thought it would be faster to just walk to the UN instead of fighting traffic. Unfortunately the printer was having problems and the plans were delayed. We were just going to email them but internet was down. We needed to get to the meeting, the driver was gone and it was getting late but we figured we would just "walk fast".
Even though we had the GPS, the way turned out to be curvier and hillier that anticipated and was taking too long. Darkness came quickly. Josh was only wearing flip flops and his feet were hurting. We reached half way and were in the thick of nowhere.
It was now dark and we were in the middle of the poor section of the city with no lights other than the screen of the GPS. We started to jog but Josh hurt his foot and said he couldn't realistically walk the rest of the way (he could have but just really didn't want to). I recognized where we were. The GPS told us that the church I had done a food distribution only a couple days prior for was only a few feet away (about 50-70 feet to be more precise)
We had passed other church services among the rubble on our walk, and this church was no different. Many people were there for the night for service and then to sleep together under one giant tarp made of many tarps roped together. The pastor was there and his neighbor was willing to drive us the rest of the way (3km) to the UN.
We had figured that we would just "Find a ride" back to the house after the meeting, but we would have to be quick because the UN has a 9pm curfew. Immediately God led us to a retired police officer from Alaska who now was one of the heads of the UN police for Haiti and happened to be caravaning right past where we needed to go. We rode in his personal "UN" SUV (the typical white ones with UN in black on the side but with special "Police" badging in red.
God cares for us. how coincidental that in the middle of nowhere, when it was getting too dark and at just the location where one of us got hurt, God provided a Christian brother connection with someone John and I had already met and ministered with. And then provided a UN ride back to our doorstep.
I guess this is not just a "thank you" to God but a "Thank You" to all of you who have been praying for us as we work here in Haiti.
From the bottom of my heart,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! I couldn't do this without you!
We thought it would be faster to just walk to the UN instead of fighting traffic. Unfortunately the printer was having problems and the plans were delayed. We were just going to email them but internet was down. We needed to get to the meeting, the driver was gone and it was getting late but we figured we would just "walk fast".
Even though we had the GPS, the way turned out to be curvier and hillier that anticipated and was taking too long. Darkness came quickly. Josh was only wearing flip flops and his feet were hurting. We reached half way and were in the thick of nowhere.
It was now dark and we were in the middle of the poor section of the city with no lights other than the screen of the GPS. We started to jog but Josh hurt his foot and said he couldn't realistically walk the rest of the way (he could have but just really didn't want to). I recognized where we were. The GPS told us that the church I had done a food distribution only a couple days prior for was only a few feet away (about 50-70 feet to be more precise)
We had passed other church services among the rubble on our walk, and this church was no different. Many people were there for the night for service and then to sleep together under one giant tarp made of many tarps roped together. The pastor was there and his neighbor was willing to drive us the rest of the way (3km) to the UN.
We had figured that we would just "Find a ride" back to the house after the meeting, but we would have to be quick because the UN has a 9pm curfew. Immediately God led us to a retired police officer from Alaska who now was one of the heads of the UN police for Haiti and happened to be caravaning right past where we needed to go. We rode in his personal "UN" SUV (the typical white ones with UN in black on the side but with special "Police" badging in red.
God cares for us. how coincidental that in the middle of nowhere, when it was getting too dark and at just the location where one of us got hurt, God provided a Christian brother connection with someone John and I had already met and ministered with. And then provided a UN ride back to our doorstep.
I guess this is not just a "thank you" to God but a "Thank You" to all of you who have been praying for us as we work here in Haiti.
From the bottom of my heart,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! I couldn't do this without you!
Day 7?...no 8...I think?
the days are blurring together as I only get a couple hours of sleep each night. I just finished the layouts of 2 Internally Displaced People IDP camps, one for 4,000 and one for 20,000. unfortunately they will try to over occupy the sites. I have been wrestling with how to discourage those tenancies and keep the sites as humane as possible. I am trying my best but ultimately it is in the hands of the decision makers who are building them. One of the sites has already begun construction and I believe initial occupation. One of the guys I have been working with wrote a blog I have included below.
The last few days were spent master planning and designing a site layout for the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps. Most people think of these as refugee camps and they all get a bad rap. However, if you could see the current living conditions of those that have lost their homes to the earthquake or are too afraid to reenter their cracked and damaged homes, you'd understand that a well planned out and engineered campsite with sanitary latrines, safe sources of drinking water, irrigation and drainage for rainwater runoff, and safe spacing of living areas so as to prevent as much disease transmition as possible is an extreme upgrade. Yes, these IDP camps tend to become long-term slums, but the immediate need is to save lives and improve the lives of those living in the streets and the deplorable conditions of spontaneous and sprawling tent cities. Working in conjunction with the UN, World Food Programme, International Organization of Migration, and other NGOs, we've been able to identify 9 sites and have completed site planning of 2 of those sites. They began digging latrines on the first site yesterday and will begin placing tents there today. Once we complete these designs, we'll begin hosting training seminars with local Haitians to teach them how to identify and understand, in general terms, which structures are safe to enter and which are not. Then, we will be teaching them the proper techniques of controlled demolition of the damaged structures so that they can begin to take down unsafe structures and begin reusing the concrete and rebar they can scavage from these sites to begin rebuilding their homes. This is one of the only long-term solutions to the Haitians' problem of shelter. We must prepare these people for the psychological tolls that will begin to take hold as they move from this 2 week point forward. There's been a social psychologist here with Food For the Hungry who is very experienced in working with victims of disasters like these and in speaking with him, he outlined the typical process that the Haitian people have/will go through. I've outlined the process below:
1. Heroic Phase - Time of Impact to 1 Week Post-Impact
- Perform heroic acts to save lives and property
- A sense of sharing with others
- Sense of "family" - immediate support of family members, agencies, governement disaster personnel, strong media support of the plight of victims and needs of the community, pain and losses may not be recognized
2. Honeymoon Phase - Immediately after impact to 2-3 months Post
- Development of a strong sense of a shared danger or experience
- May experience physical symptoms such as digestive problems, changes in appetite, difficulty sleeping, migraines
- Anger, suspicion, apathy, social withdrawal, heightened anxiety about the future
- Shelters become source of support
- Involvement with cleaning out debris, sorting things out, anticipating the help they will recieve to restore their lives
- "Super Volunteers" (haitians) who are not ready to deal with their own losses, work from dawn till dark helping friends and neighbors get back on their feet
- Unrealistic expectations towards help from governmental agencies
3. Disillusionment Phase - 1 Month to 1-2 Yrs
- Diminishing of media attention, feel that they are objects of the media, isolated and let down by the media who has moved on to other news
- Questions as to whether or not the disaster could have been avoided
- Survivor's Guilt - feeling guilty for being spared or not having as much damaged as others
- Relationships begin to be neglected, estrangement of family members begins
- Domestic violence begins or is aggravated
- Children are emotionally at risk as they react to signs of stress in parents
- Survivors may have to move from their old neighborhood and lose their social support
- Overwhelming amount of paperwork
- Long lines for assistance
- Anger and frustration increase rapidly
- Victims begin to file law sites
- Depression, moodiness, and crying increase
- Physical health begins to suffer
- Relief efforts by government agencies decrease
- Increase in use of alcohol
- No financial security
- Job losses
4. Reconstruction Phase (happening even now)
- Survivors come to realize that the rebuilding of their homes and businesses and community is primarily their responsibility
- May take several years or the rest of their lives depending on amount of damage
- If rebuilding is delayed, recovery is delayed
The last few days were spent master planning and designing a site layout for the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps. Most people think of these as refugee camps and they all get a bad rap. However, if you could see the current living conditions of those that have lost their homes to the earthquake or are too afraid to reenter their cracked and damaged homes, you'd understand that a well planned out and engineered campsite with sanitary latrines, safe sources of drinking water, irrigation and drainage for rainwater runoff, and safe spacing of living areas so as to prevent as much disease transmition as possible is an extreme upgrade. Yes, these IDP camps tend to become long-term slums, but the immediate need is to save lives and improve the lives of those living in the streets and the deplorable conditions of spontaneous and sprawling tent cities. Working in conjunction with the UN, World Food Programme, International Organization of Migration, and other NGOs, we've been able to identify 9 sites and have completed site planning of 2 of those sites. They began digging latrines on the first site yesterday and will begin placing tents there today. Once we complete these designs, we'll begin hosting training seminars with local Haitians to teach them how to identify and understand, in general terms, which structures are safe to enter and which are not. Then, we will be teaching them the proper techniques of controlled demolition of the damaged structures so that they can begin to take down unsafe structures and begin reusing the concrete and rebar they can scavage from these sites to begin rebuilding their homes. This is one of the only long-term solutions to the Haitians' problem of shelter. We must prepare these people for the psychological tolls that will begin to take hold as they move from this 2 week point forward. There's been a social psychologist here with Food For the Hungry who is very experienced in working with victims of disasters like these and in speaking with him, he outlined the typical process that the Haitian people have/will go through. I've outlined the process below:
1. Heroic Phase - Time of Impact to 1 Week Post-Impact
- Perform heroic acts to save lives and property
- A sense of sharing with others
- Sense of "family" - immediate support of family members, agencies, governement disaster personnel, strong media support of the plight of victims and needs of the community, pain and losses may not be recognized
2. Honeymoon Phase - Immediately after impact to 2-3 months Post
- Development of a strong sense of a shared danger or experience
- May experience physical symptoms such as digestive problems, changes in appetite, difficulty sleeping, migraines
- Anger, suspicion, apathy, social withdrawal, heightened anxiety about the future
- Shelters become source of support
- Involvement with cleaning out debris, sorting things out, anticipating the help they will recieve to restore their lives
- "Super Volunteers" (haitians) who are not ready to deal with their own losses, work from dawn till dark helping friends and neighbors get back on their feet
- Unrealistic expectations towards help from governmental agencies
3. Disillusionment Phase - 1 Month to 1-2 Yrs
- Diminishing of media attention, feel that they are objects of the media, isolated and let down by the media who has moved on to other news
- Questions as to whether or not the disaster could have been avoided
- Survivor's Guilt - feeling guilty for being spared or not having as much damaged as others
- Relationships begin to be neglected, estrangement of family members begins
- Domestic violence begins or is aggravated
- Children are emotionally at risk as they react to signs of stress in parents
- Survivors may have to move from their old neighborhood and lose their social support
- Overwhelming amount of paperwork
- Long lines for assistance
- Anger and frustration increase rapidly
- Victims begin to file law sites
- Depression, moodiness, and crying increase
- Physical health begins to suffer
- Relief efforts by government agencies decrease
- Increase in use of alcohol
- No financial security
- Job losses
4. Reconstruction Phase (happening even now)
- Survivors come to realize that the rebuilding of their homes and businesses and community is primarily their responsibility
- May take several years or the rest of their lives depending on amount of damage
- If rebuilding is delayed, recovery is delayed
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Day 5...Plugging in
Heading out right now for Leogane...
We spent today with the French. They have "Shelter Box" units for displaced families which contain a tent for 8-10, and household items like pots and pans. In order to setup these IDP camps the UN first required them to have each site assessed by qualified engineers in land development. Josh, John and I spent the whole day in Leogane at the epicenter of the quake taking information on 8 sites for over 7000 people. Where we were probably only 1 in 10 structures was still standing and only one in 20 without significant damage we could see from the street driving by. We went with Acted (The French) with a UN security detail. We did boundary surveys, and will master plan the sites in zones and layout where everything will go. We will determine water and sanitation systems and setup. The Canadian military have the heavy machinery and will probably get the sites ready on Monday for "Shelter Box" distributions.
We are dealing also with grading, drainage, water and sanitation for each site, a couple of which will probably have Water Missions treatment plant.
We still have to research the Sphere minimum standards for disaster response, layout and size everything. Its very late and we have a lot of designing to do.
We spent today with the French. They have "Shelter Box" units for displaced families which contain a tent for 8-10, and household items like pots and pans. In order to setup these IDP camps the UN first required them to have each site assessed by qualified engineers in land development. Josh, John and I spent the whole day in Leogane at the epicenter of the quake taking information on 8 sites for over 7000 people. Where we were probably only 1 in 10 structures was still standing and only one in 20 without significant damage we could see from the street driving by. We went with Acted (The French) with a UN security detail. We did boundary surveys, and will master plan the sites in zones and layout where everything will go. We will determine water and sanitation systems and setup. The Canadian military have the heavy machinery and will probably get the sites ready on Monday for "Shelter Box" distributions.
We are dealing also with grading, drainage, water and sanitation for each site, a couple of which will probably have Water Missions treatment plant.
We still have to research the Sphere minimum standards for disaster response, layout and size everything. Its very late and we have a lot of designing to do.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Day 4...
We spent the night outside in the gazebo at the FH headquarters. Josh from eMi and I went to the shelter cluster meeting at the UN compound. We arrived late and the meeting was in full swing. It was in one of many large tents which were packed with reps from aid organizations. Most people were sitting on the floor around someone in a chair debriefing them. They mentioned the IDP camp efforts but that no one could proceed until engineers had been found and none were available. Immediately, Josh raised his hand and interrupted the meeting briefly explaining who he was. That was the last we heard of the meeting. Many people came over to us and were getting our information. It looks like we will not have any trouble keeping busy. From the meeting we had a hard time getting all back together to leave and traffic was slow in us meeting up with the rest of our team who had been doing structural certifications. We met up with them at the Compassion International Headquarters and continued to the largest and most modern hospital in Haiti. Hospital operations had moved outside under tents. We looked at the building but tomorrow we will be receiving the blueprints to know that the building functioned as designed. It has sustained damage but it may be able to be used in certain areas and other areas may be able to open with quick shoring and repairs. We will make that determination tomorrow.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Day 3...
Still no water but we were able to help with structural assessment and food distribution. We joined up with Food for the Hungry and World Concern. We met downtown to join for a FH distribution with World Concern and we were able to distribute 15 Sawyer water filters. From there we met up with a truck from the DR that went to the middle of the slums in very hilly terrain. On the way we passed by a group of a few families under a tarp about 150m away up the hill beyond several houses. One of the men stood up waving his arms and yelling “HELP!”…we had to press on. The destination was a church where several hundred people had gathered. We brought out 15 water filters and explained their use, maintenance and limitations. They were all very calm, attentive and appreciative. The truck with the food arrived but was unable to climb the final hill. We took the pickup and shuttled the food the 80m up the hill to the church. We transferred the food to the truck, the truck would go up the hill and then offload to the church where it was stored in the back. There were already a lot of people and this was a very visual display of food so more and more people starting gathering and becoming increasingly anxious. People were yelling and grabbing and it was getting worse. We hurried to finish before it became violent. One of the DR workers began tossing out some supplies into the crowd but it was only the strong and violent that would get anything. This disabled the weak and encouraged people to become more violent. Quickly we closed the truck with a little remaining in the truck and drove it a little distance away. Once the food was in the church it calmed down a lot and we moved on.
The truck needed to continue to another location and we needed to move the remaining supplies into the back of the pickup. We drove to a location in the city were not many people were so we could discretely move the remaining supplies. While we were moving it a small group gathered and asked if there was going to be a distribution. We were quiet as long as we could be and finally explained that it was for another location. The people became angry and began quickly grabbing things from the truck, one here, one there but it was quickly getting out of control. We let people take a few cases of water located about 8ft from the truck to distract them from the truck. We all jumped on. At first I fell off but then was pulled back on and we all pounded on the truck, “GO!” we yelled and barreled away before the crowd got any bigger. We arrived at the FH house tired and dirty. I enjoyed sharing the day with the lead FH worker named Lionel from Guatemala. Productive day but still no systems for us to install (the other eMi team has 5 systems they are siting and installing in Leogane) and we are not sure what tomorrow holds for our schedule but tomorrow is quickly arriving and we will just wait and see.
The truck needed to continue to another location and we needed to move the remaining supplies into the back of the pickup. We drove to a location in the city were not many people were so we could discretely move the remaining supplies. While we were moving it a small group gathered and asked if there was going to be a distribution. We were quiet as long as we could be and finally explained that it was for another location. The people became angry and began quickly grabbing things from the truck, one here, one there but it was quickly getting out of control. We let people take a few cases of water located about 8ft from the truck to distract them from the truck. We all jumped on. At first I fell off but then was pulled back on and we all pounded on the truck, “GO!” we yelled and barreled away before the crowd got any bigger. We arrived at the FH house tired and dirty. I enjoyed sharing the day with the lead FH worker named Lionel from Guatemala. Productive day but still no systems for us to install (the other eMi team has 5 systems they are siting and installing in Leogane) and we are not sure what tomorrow holds for our schedule but tomorrow is quickly arriving and we will just wait and see.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Day 2...Mayhem
We all woke up with a rumble. The 6.1 earthquake was the biggest shake since the initial quake. I guess I am to accustomed to earthquakes from growing up near San Francisco and living in Guatemala at the base of an active volcano because I laid there in bed watching everyone jump out. I was waiting for a large THUD before would run outside. After a few seconds it died down and I remained in bed. The owner of the house told me, "If the house shakes, Run! The house could have come down!"
We attended a "Cluster meeting" for the Water and Sanitation aid community. cars and people from everywhere showed up and buzzed around the crowded courtyard. The meeting was in french so we waited outside to be debriefed. We met up with Scott and the other team. We all needed to switch around vehicles which were here, there and everywhere. Not much was really accomplished today. Transportation is slow and most all communication is down. Local Cell phones dont really even work.
Many more structures fell this morning. Structures that were just hanging in the air finally colapsed. More people died.
We assessed one of the hospitals for structural damage and traveled around looking for places. All while I was travelling I kept seeing the signs, "Need food and water, please help" Scott and his team departed with Samaratains Purse for Leogan and we are meeting with Food for the Hungry tomorrow for more Hospital evaluations. There are many doctors and surgeons here that cannot work because the UN requires them to work in certified structures so we hope to get a few more Operating Rooms functional tomorrow and hand out small water filtration systems. The doctors that are working are overloaded with the most common surgury being amputations. In the local hospitals wher UN restrictions don't apply and were in use as we assessed, many of the people are dead and covered. As they are removed, additional people arrive.
There are only 5 water treatment plants in country so far and Scott has them for installation in Leogan. Water missions is trying to send up to 50 more units down. I am not sure exactly what we have in store for us but I have realized that although the people don't seem so chaotic, it really is Chaotic here.
During our devotions we focused our prayers on our strength of character to trust God in the delays and serve the best we can. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive.
We attended a "Cluster meeting" for the Water and Sanitation aid community. cars and people from everywhere showed up and buzzed around the crowded courtyard. The meeting was in french so we waited outside to be debriefed. We met up with Scott and the other team. We all needed to switch around vehicles which were here, there and everywhere. Not much was really accomplished today. Transportation is slow and most all communication is down. Local Cell phones dont really even work.
Many more structures fell this morning. Structures that were just hanging in the air finally colapsed. More people died.
We assessed one of the hospitals for structural damage and traveled around looking for places. All while I was travelling I kept seeing the signs, "Need food and water, please help" Scott and his team departed with Samaratains Purse for Leogan and we are meeting with Food for the Hungry tomorrow for more Hospital evaluations. There are many doctors and surgeons here that cannot work because the UN requires them to work in certified structures so we hope to get a few more Operating Rooms functional tomorrow and hand out small water filtration systems. The doctors that are working are overloaded with the most common surgury being amputations. In the local hospitals wher UN restrictions don't apply and were in use as we assessed, many of the people are dead and covered. As they are removed, additional people arrive.
There are only 5 water treatment plants in country so far and Scott has them for installation in Leogan. Water missions is trying to send up to 50 more units down. I am not sure exactly what we have in store for us but I have realized that although the people don't seem so chaotic, it really is Chaotic here.
During our devotions we focused our prayers on our strength of character to trust God in the delays and serve the best we can. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive.
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