Howard à Ayiti - Jour 8

Rick, Kim, Deb V., Arne, and Debbie C. all went to Citi Solei. No Army escorts, but everything went well. It has to be one of the most dismal and depressing places on earth, I’m told. They saw 260 patients in a private school compound and came back feeling good.

Bruce, Sarah, Tammie, Nick and I all went with Omenes to our church convention grounds in Cabaret. We visited the town’s government clinic. One doctor, 70 patients per day, minimal support from the government, no medicines, and 2 surgical instruments in his whole clinic. I took him 3 large boxes of supplies…much appreciated. Got a shopping list from him and filled three more boxes tonight which I will send out tomorrow with Dan. Tammie and Sarah gave out some toys to the kids at the grounds. I don’t think they had ever played baseball…this is not the Dominican.

Then Nick, Bruce and I helped pour the floor on one of our friends homes. It was partially completed when the quake knocked most of it down. They cleaned up all the old blocks and started over. I helped fill the cement mixer with sand and gravel, Nick and Bruce drove wheelbarrows of cement. They did the complete floor in about 5 hours. This is the 4th house they have done in the past few weeks.

Cabaret was hit less hard than PauP or Leoganes. Only about 1 in 10 concrete buildings are down. I think it might be because many in that area have metal roofs with wooden rafters. Concrete roofs are too heavy for the pillars.

We noticed on the way home that the streets in many areas of the city are much cleaner…all the rubble and garbage swept. Collected and piled at the end of the street to be picked up with a front-end loader. Omenes left his van here tonight and we will drive it to Sunday morning fellowship meeting in the morning. He has to pay to keep it in a protected place every night, so this saved him a few dollars.

Tonight we had another delivery. This one the baby came OK, but the placenta didn’t. Had to eventually sedate her and then attempt to remove the placenta manually. I think she had placenta acreta, and we sent her to Dr. Agenor’s hospital to get a D and C.

All for now................Howard

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