Thousands feared dead in Haiti; families pray for hope
The devastation caused by an earthquake measuring seven point zero on the Richter scale, that rocked the island of Hispaniola on Monday continues to unfold. The picture that is emerging is one of massive destruction in Haiti. Its President Rene Preval said earlier today said that he feared that as many as one hundred thousand persons lost their lives and the damage to infrastructure is huge. Far away from their homeland, the Haitians residing in Belize have been unable to establish communication with their loved ones on the island. News Five Jose Sanchez followed this story on the local front.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The tectonic plates that shifted passed under Haiti and neighboring Dominican Republic but the core area of impact occurred near Haiti’s capital city Port-Au-Prince. Like many Haitians living abroad, the two hundred fifty plus living in Belize have been unable to contact their parents, spouses and children. Eltho Eliassaint, a security guard at Belize Medical Associates, has no news about his family’s whereabouts in Haiti.
Eltho Eliassaint, Unable to Contact Family in Haiti
“I got my mom, my dad, my sisters and my wife and my kid.”
Jose Sanchez
“Have you been able to reach them not eh phone?”
Etho Eliassaint
“I tries on the phone yesterday but I couldn’t get through.”
Jose Sanchez
“What have you heard about the damage that Haiti has suffered?”
Etho Eliassaint
“I hear that it happened in the capital city but my Belizeans are not close to the capital city but I think my family is affected too.”
Jose Sanchez
“Do you know if anyone from your community has tried to contact the Belizean government to see if they can aid at least in communication?”
Etho Eliassaint
“I don’t have any information about that. But I hope the Belizean government can help us communicate with our family.”
Jean Smith Choune, Unable to Contact Family in Haiti
“I got lot ah my family in Haiti; I got my wife and two pickni. When yesterday I hear the news, I got lot ah family weh done get lot ah problem. Exactly I can’t get communication on the phone and I don’t know if my pickni dead. But I try get the answer. I hear ten million people right now dead. And den I got lot ah government House, the white house, the Church catholic; everything bruk down.”
The Haitians in Belize are not alone. The Belize Red Cross has answered their calls by joining the international relief effort.
Lily Bowman, Director General, Belize Red Cross
“Today we have launched officially a financial appeal and we’re asking everybody to contribute towards this appeal, which will then be sent to the international federation to be a part of their appeal for assistance to people who have been affected by the earthquake in Haiti. In addition to that, we have also opened accounts in every bank in all districts and we are contacting individual businesses and corporations. We intend to go to schools and ask them to do their contributions through different little initiatives like maybe a dollar day or maybe a casual day and pay a dollar. We’ll be touching base with other organizations who maybe have been asking their staff to contribute. All this we’re doing in a consorted effort to make it as standardized and less scattered as possible.”
Arturo Vasquez, Belize Red Cross
“There is about three million people affected. The main hospital is down, the capital has significant destruction. Some of the outskirts are also affected and the high areas obviously crumbled. The information is that they had almost twenty aftershocks, which can give you an idea of really what affect it would make. The airport is closed I understand because there is no personnel to operate the airport. The main hospital is out. There’s another one but that’s full to capacity and this one has been closed.”
The Red Cross has liaised with the head of the Belizean Haitian Association, Doctor Ducas Dorsainvil. He has also lost contact with his family in Haiti but is glad that Belizeans are trying to help.
Doctor Ducas Dorsainvil, Leader, Belizean- Haitian Association
“I am very thankful to the Channel Five to come over here in a touching to talk to us about the dire situation now in Haiti. They give us the privilege to call to some international organizations in Belize to call for support for those Haitians over there who are suffering in that situation.”
Jose Sanchez
“Can your international counterparts, Can the Red Cross help the Haitian Belizeans to liaise to attempt contact with their families on the island?”
Lily Bowman
“Yes, of course. That’s one of our activities as well. The Red Cross restores family links and we do that through our Panama Office of the international federation. So if that is necessary here in Belize, I’m sure that they should know that they can come to the Red Cross and we’ll try our utmost best to get in touch with their families.”
The only access roads to Haiti, is through Santo Domingo, the capitol of the Dominican Republic. If necessary, the Belize Red Cross says that it would send volunteers to Hispaniola, to help with the recovery efforts. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez
