I have been diligently searching, in all my spare time – lol – for some information on the earthquake and what is happening here. I wanted info from people who live in Haiti as it would be more accurate. I’ve spoken with people from Port au Prince and people in our area. This morning I heard from my friend in PaP and she gave some data. I am taking some of hers and what I’ve been able to gather from others and pass it on to you.
It is estimated that 50% of the population of Port au Prince have been displaced by the earthquake, or roughly 1.5 million people. The death toll is estimated at 120,000 people; but that is expected to rise a lot as many bodies are still under rubble. At this time there are more than 500 settlement sites (some call them tent villages) throughout PAP holding about 500,000 persons–some think this swells to much more at night for sleeping.
Already approximately 130,000, that are known, have taken up the Haitian Government on its offer for free transport to the provinces. Thousands, however, have gone without going through the government. Two doctors I spoke with think the number leaving PaP to resettle elsewhere is much higher. This means that the outlying settlements like ours are going to overflow with people in need.
According to my friend Judith, too, roughly half of the people in temporary settlements in PaP were receiving water supplies as of yesterday (those at the most densely populated camps) and more than 100,000 have received other non food aid, such as plastic sheets, cooking utensils, etc. Five-people (family) tents are on the way, and there are plans to build six longer term settlements around PAP. More than 1 million food rations have been distributed and 100 metric tons of ready to eat food are expected on Wednesday.
PAP airport is now receiving flights 24 hours per day, and about 130 planes land daily. Soon the land convoy system will be completed between airports in the Dominican Republic, which will take the strain off of PAP airport. These convoys run twice daily and are not meeting with untoward delays at the border. About 1/3 of the port of PAP is now operational and about 300 containers per day will soon be able to be offloaded. YEAH! This is our main resource for food and fuel importation. Although the UN clusters (the coordinating bodies of the crisis) are estimating that there is about three weeks’ worth or fuel in the country, the prices have skyrocketed, as they have for food.
Another piece of perspective… Although the overall loss of life may still be higher from the tsunami of 2004, there has rarely been such a extensive loss of life in such a concentrated area before in all of history. Thus the PAP earthquake will set precedents in what to do and not to do in anything of this magnitude. It’s setting the baseline that future crises will be measured against. Given the horrendous, unprecedented, unpredictable crisis that befell Haïti, I believe that the response has been as prompt as possible.
Aftershocks are continuing and some of them quite strong. I feel a need to get repairs done before more structural damage occurs.
Gangs of theives have been formed in the Port au Prince area. I was told that voilence and stealing would happen like this as there were 6000 criminals who escaped when the jails collapsed in the quake. It is now a problem. The precious people do not need to fear something else now – armed gangs.
Please pray for strength, wisdom and mercy for those who are working with the injured and with those who have been displaced. The fatigue and stress that everyone is trying to handle is starting to show. I see it in myself and in others around me. I saw it at the hospital this morning while there with Serlande. The nurses and doctors are very tired. They have done and are continuing to do a good job. I am impressed. But the fatigue is showing. People were being yelled at this morning.
My friend, Judith, put it this way – Just as our earth has weakened spots that tend to crack under enough pressure (ergo, earthquakes), human weak spots tend to show up much more clearly under these circumstances. And what she said is the reality here. Us humans can crack too. Sometimes I think I might crack but God’s grace and mercy keeps me going. Last night I cried out to the Lord for some real sleep. I got it and I see the results of that today. Lack of sleep, being overtired, too much stress, and not eating regularly does take its toll. I am trying to do what I can to take care of myself. Please continue to pray for me.
~Karen
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