Belizean Haitians survive earthquake

Marie Michelle Jeoboam

In mid January after a seven point O earthquake devastated Haiti, leaving hundreds of thousands dead, a student came to our studios trying to contact a Haitian family that took up residence in Belize but had returned to the island to visit. Two weeks ago, that family returned to Belize and Marie Michelle Jeoboam paid us a visit to let her friends know that she and her daughters are doing well. Jeoboam also relived the experience she and her daughters had on the day of the massive quake which she says many of her family members did not survive.

Marie Michelle Jeoboam, Belizean Haitian

“When that happened, I was in a three storey house. So the bottom of the house sink and everybody died. But we mi deh upstairs. God protect me and my two kids; Rachelle Estiverne and Nerlande Estiverne. God protect us the day; the Tuesday we spend a bad day the Tuesday night. We sleep pan street and cry whole night and pray, pray whole night because this is terrible. This is first time I si dat. So you know why I came. I here for two weeks but I noh feel well; I sick. All my friends, every time they see me they cry. They don’t know if I am alive. Some of them I feel know I am alive but not all so that’s why I came.”

Delahnie Bain

“While you were there did you ever think that you wouldn’t make it out?”

Marie Michelle Jeoboam

“Oh I’m telling you, you don’t know,. But you know I am a child believe in God, so the day I know God will let me make it. We come down, but when we lay down pan di floor we think this floor is open because it shakes every minute. Every minute it shakes and my daughter is crying. She says mom I don’t know if we’ll make it. I say done! Get a good faith in God. If God let us come out from that three storey house, ih noh wah let we die. We’ll get back to Belize City.”

Delahnie Bain

“Do you have any other family or so in Haiti?”

Marie Michelle Jeoboam

“Oh yes, all my beautiful nieces, nephews, they died in the school. Weh so sad, we noh even see the bodies. If we see the bodies and buy the bodies we’d be satisfied but we noh see them.”