Dr. Bob’s Update from Port-au-Prince
11 Feb, 2010
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Gentlefolk: Two days ago marked the fourth week since the earthquake that devastated this city of three million. Last night we had our first hard rain, tumbling down thousands of makeshift shelters composed of bed sheets and various pieces of tarp or plastic sheeting, leaving their occupants cursing and screaming in the night. Over and over we hear the plea “why doesn’t somebody help us?” as they trek dejectedly through the mud and filth of their surroundings. The only good news is: we have felt not one hint of a tremor since our arrival eleven days ago. As for the indomitable human spirit, alive and well in the Haitian populace, a huge clean-up is already underway as another pall of dust covers the city from the blows of hand-operated sledge hammers, picks, shovels and wheelbarrows.
Life goes on, as thousands of vendors of everything from toothbrushes to a bowl of hot fish and rice are sold all along the roads. Traffic has resumed its frenetic pace, but gunshots still ring out throughout the night as thieves try to break into food storage sheds such as ours. MOL has purchased rice, beans and oil and we begin distribution right next door to where we sleep. Nothing like gunshots about 30ft. feet away to get your adrenalin flowing at 4 AM! We distributed a third of a 25 kg. bag of rice to 330 families yesterday and beans and oil will follow today. We intend to feed, shelter and provide medical care to a targeted group of 600 displaced families (approx. 3000 persons) by distributions every 5 days until the larger relief organizations can take over.
To their credit, the World Feeding Program (overlooked by the UN) is finally beginning to move food and water out into the city at fourteen points. They SAY they will have it all distributed in another two weeks, but I would have to see that to believe it. Meanwhile, the sick and wounded continue to pour into general hospital downtown where most of our crew continues to work under the most horrendous conditions: no soap or water provided to wash wounds with, no fans much of the time in tents where our ICU nurses are working in temperatures near 120 degrees, no cups to give medicine with, no chucks to place beneath patients laying on bare cots without sheets, etc.
Many patients are still dying daily in spite of heroic interventions by our staff and many other volunteer groups from all over the world. Staff exhaustion is a huge factor, and many have to be relieved to simply pass out for a few hours. Our general hospital team members will all fly out tomorrow on UN helicopters to Santo Domingo to make their connections to the US on Saturday. Brooke Turpin will remain until she can brief the new ICU team relieving her on Monday. David Bevil brings a team of one doctor and six nurses in on Sunday. I continue to work at the busy clinic at Angel Missions on Delmas 24 in cooperation with a longtime friend of MOL, Pastor Roro Eustache. Betty, Nancy and Retha are busy with their free clinic in the courtyard of Mme. Pierre-Alexis, wife of the ex-prime minister, who also overlooks our food distribution. Retha and I will fly out in the wee morning hours, Saturday, courtesy of the US Army on one of their transport planes. She has to return to her nursing duty in Palm Bay, while I must coordinate shipment of 500 tents into Haiti by the fastest means. Betty and Nancy will remain behind until the 22nd to coordinate the next group. Hopefully, American Airlines will have resumed normal operations by then.
I’m also coordinating additional volunteer medical groups, which will be needed for many weeks to come. The need is shifting from surgeons and OR nurses to ER personnel and primary care doctors and nurses. Anyone wanting to volunteer should contact Jessica Overstreet at 270-298-3242 during normal business hours. Anyone wanting to donate tents (6man pop-up type tents with built in floors) please coordinate with Joe Judge at jjudge@dmms.com.
Thanks again to all who have contributed so generously thus far. Your dollars will be spent as wisely and frugally as possible and every cent will go to earthquake related costs to the mission, including food purchase, shipping and other related costs. Many of your supplies have already been used or are in use in use; others are still on their way for future teams.
More later. God bless all! Dr Bob