There is a great need to help rebuild here in Haiti for sure. There are a few details that I would need to know to help with any decisions regarding help here in Haiti. What size of team are you talking about; do you speak either Kreyol or French? What timeframe are you thinking?
The situation here in PAP right now is unsafe. In our own ministry we cannot find reliable sources of water and we have not been able to buy food since the quake. Businesses are closed – so you cannot buy fuel, food, nor construction materials. We have looting already and we may be facing a period of unrest and violence.
How long it will take to go through this period, I do not know. I would expect that at a minimum it could be several weeks or even months. I would not suggest that a team to rebuild comes in this period. The greatest need right now is medical. We are working on a team coming next week, and I am finding out that medical supplies are also scarce – so even medical which is urgently needed is facing the same hurdles.
In my opinion, there is not the same urgency associated with rebuilding as there is with medical and I would think that construction teams should wait until peace and stability are restored.
2 comments:
Thank you Bob, for updating everyone. I imagine its difficult to find time and energy to do so right now. We are praying for you, the Charbonneaus and the Haitian people daily. Our foster daughter, Solene Ambrande is from PAP. Praying and hoping she is alive. The Canadian government is matching dollar for dollar every donation a private citizen makes to a registered charity (I think up to $50 million).
- Kathie from Ottawa
John and I are glad to hear you are safe from the earthquake. The supplies are slow to get through the bottleneck at the airport and the port is heavily damaged so only helicopters can bring supplies off the ships. With so many planes leaving the airport it is hard for supplies to land and with roads damaged goods are slow to move from the airport.
Water purification systems are up and running but more are on the way. High protein bars are being distributed, but crowd control is a problem and then the trucks have to leave. Medical teams and surgical teams are on the ground but there are not enough at this time but more are on the way. They are trying to open up the ports so that cruise ships can get in for shelter. Other areas of Haiti are badly hit with Jacmel 90% destroyed. We wish we could bring a family to London. We know you are doing great work and if there is anything we can do let us know.
Post a Comment