Bret McEvoy

We awoke at the airport...
Bret McEvoy
01/16/10

AmeriCares relief worker Bret McEvoy is on the ground in Haiti.

Bret is coordinating the distribution of AmeriCares medical aid for earthquake survivors.

Read his latest dispatches from Port-au-Prince and throughout earthquake-affected areas of Haiti.

We awoke at the airport this morning to the roar of air force engines; the hum of generators; the pitter patter of reporters and cameramen trying to head out onto the streets before daybreak.

We started our day at sunrise, and despite a 7 a.m. reservation for a rental car we didn’t get a vehicle with a full tank of gasoline until three hours later. Gas is gold here. The few filling stations that have gas are swarmed with cars and people. Out on the street, it’s selling for $12 a gallon.  Our rental car company was one of the only places that had its own, private stock of gas. 

As we drove out of the airport, the first sight was a street lined with droves of people walking; some wandering aimlessly. They have no homes to return to and nowhere to go.

We soon collided with the views of crumbled buildings, homes and towers. There were houses propped up by plastic chairs. We came across a collapsed home and its frightful owner watching as a community of men scoured the debris in search of her husband; his fate tied to so many others here in Haiti. 

Everyone we’ve spoken to seems to have lost a husband, or a cousin, or countless friends.  Emotion is hesitant, or unknowing, or just overwhelming.  It’s all too much to take in. 

But as seems to happen in moments of horror, there have emerged occasions to celebrate.  Driving through the streets of Petionville we found a baby girl fresh from her recent rescue.  She was buried alive for three days without food and water, and relief workers from a partner organization were nursing her back to health.

Everywhere we looked – from the national hospital on down to make-shift camps and clinics – we saw survivors in desperate need of medical care. In only a few short hours we’ll have more than $5 million worth of bandages, pain relievers, antibiotics and other basic medical supplies ready to distribute, but coordinating with the other relief workers has been a challenge. Communication is still extremely limited with the phone lines down and no electricity. Information we could ordinarily relay with a simple phone call is taking us hours to transmit as it requires a face-to-face meeting.

After a long day of meetings with other relief workers coordinating the aid distribution, we headed back to the airport to review our warehouse and trucking options one more time. As we drove, we took in the numerous encampments that have sprouted up in various parks and open spaces around the city.  Small areas sheltering thousands will soon double in size as the sun goes down and people return from their wanderings. Luckily, though, we’ve seen various markets with available food for their customers, so hopefully some of these people are returning with something to eat.

Now, back in the home of the family that is so graciously hosting our team, I am typing this message by candlelight, my mind filled with images of destruction and cries of despair.  But there’s hope in this calamity. And I’d like to believe that we’re a part of that.