Over the Road

On Thursday we visited the sites of 5 more churches. To the west of Port-au-Prince on the southern peninsula and a two-hour drive away lies the town of Leogane, the population center closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. This city with a pre-quake population of 150,000 is estimated to have lost 25,000 of its inhabitants. In addition to the loss of life, a very large number of amputations were required. Here as in every place we visited many had lost their homes. In this society and economy the loss of home equates to a total loss since there is no such thing as insurance or savings accounts. Reports say that 90% of the city was destroyed, but as we drove through the streets (those that had been cleared) several of us wondered where the other 10% were. An interesting observation about the city is that it had been the center of voodoo worship for the country; the focal point building for voodoo worship had been damaged but not destroyed; the people will likely have to raze the building. The Wesleyan church was severely damaged and the school, in which 800 students were enrolled in grades K - Primary, was completely destroyed.

Another hour drive west and a skillful driver who guided the van away from the several fissures in the road surface brought us to Fond Doux. The church was built by Haitians more than 40 years ago; the damage can be repaired at the cost of significant replacement and reinforcement of reinforced posts and tie beams. Church attendance is 200, and the school enrollment is 500. Two of the Pastor's daughters were in school in Port-au-Prince and died in the earthquake. One was 18; the other was 21 and had just graduated and was ready to face life. The Pastor said "God loved them more than I did, and I loved them a lot. I miss them, but I cannot argue with God."

Retracing our path to the east, the next stop was Petit Goave. This is another large church with a school enrollment of 1000 in grades K-12. This site will require extensive rebuilding. Also in this location is a campground that was the site of a clinic used by first responders. As we were leaving Petit Goave, we stop for a funeral to pass by.

At Carrefour Dufort and again at Papaette we saw damage that requires a demolition and rebuild. In both instances the church attendance has increased since the earthquake, and school enrollment is over 450.

Today we traveled to La Gonave, an island in the middle of the gulf between the northern and southern peninsulas. There is a hospital in the town of Anse-a-Galet that has cared for the 125,000 inhabitants of the island for over 50 years. In the days following the earthquake, people from Port-au-Prince sought refuge in Anse-a-Galet, and the population of the city swelled from about 20,000 to 40,000. The hospital building is old and has sustained some damage. The patients are fearful of sleeping inside for fear of aftershocks bringing down more of the concrete roof. There are now several army tents and other tents set up in the courtyard to house the patients. Providentially, plans were already in the works for a rebuilding of the hospital.

Our short tour of selected impacted sites has come to a close. It is clear that: the need is enormous; the resources are limited; we cannot meet all the needs; and there are many humanitarian organizations involved in Haitian relief. The task now is to determine what responses from us are appropriate, feasible and meaningful. A quote from Edward Everett Hale seems germane. “I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”