1400s

On January 12, sixteen miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a devastating earthquake struck that ultimately affected some three million people.  Local officials estimated 230,000 died, 300,000 injured and one million became homeless due to the earthquake and its aftershocks.

Tammy Pagel, an emergency room nurse, volunteered to travel to Haiti to assist in recovery efforts through Cure International. Their group departed on February 25 for a 9-day stay.  The 1400’s heard of her plans and put into motion plans to pay her roundtrip airfare and enable her to concentrate on the task at hand: providing crucial medical care for the people of Haiti.

Immediately after hearing about the horrible devastation in Haiti as a  result of the earthquake of January 12th, a friend and I began  researching how we could get involved with a medical relief team.   Being ER nurses, we felt we could use our skills in a variety of ways  to help out with the disaster and overwhelming medical need being  experienced by the people of Haiti. We both checked with several  organizations, reviewed websites and spoke with several people until,  finally, my friend/co-worker heard of a group from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin  area. Our group consisted of ten people: 2 doctors, 5  nurses, an anesthesiologist, an EMT and a group leader.  We  immediately began planning our trip but really did not know what to  expect when we flew into Port-au-Prince.

The devastation we found in Haiti was mind boggling.  As you may know,  the earthquake resulted in the greatest tragedy (as measured by loss  of life and economic loss) in modern times with 200,000-300,000 dead,  thousands of orphans, hundreds of thousands of people seriously  injured, over a million people homeless and 60% of the central city  destroyed. Buildings have been reduced to piles of concrete and  rubble spills into the streets blocking the already narrow roads.  There are garbage piles every few hundred yards. Any former open or  green space is now occupied by tent communities that are a combination  of tents and makeshift temporary housing constructed from boards,  plastic tarps, sticks, rope or any other materials that can be found  amongst the rubble.  Food is available at small street stands and  people are continuously searching for clean drinking water. Dogs,  pigs, goats, and chickens wander the streets in search of food. Nearly  everything looks chaotic, broken and distressed.

Our group went to help out at a hospital on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.  Over the week we were there, we saw a wide variety of patients  including those who had injuries sustained during the quake, others  who suffered a variety of more recent trauma, and many who suffered  from illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and related diseases.  We  worked hard and did whatever we could to try to alleviate the pain and  suffering these people were experiencing. The day before we left we  went to an orphanage and were able to offer medical assistance in the  way of vaccinations.  We were able give many children a bit of comfort  as we handed out dolls, stuffed toys and a variety of other items.

The people of Haiti are an amazing people.  They have encountered many  tragedies over the years and are a resilient people.  It is amazing to  look around and see that in the midst of this devastation they are  moving about, cooking, cleaning, tearing apart the destroyed  buildings, and yes, some are rebuilding.  They are smiling, singing,  interacting with one another and caring for one another.

Although we were only in Haiti for a short time, we were able to help  alleviate some of the pain and suffering and offer a bit of hope.  We  were told time and time again by the people of Haiti how grateful they  were for the help and care we were able to offer.  One cannot witness  this type of pain and devastation and not become a changed person.

Thanks to  the 1400’s for all you did to assist in this  endeavor to give help and hope to the people of Haiti, and all you do  to help others in need.  God bless you!