Update and pictures from Howard

Day #1

Long day. Fourteen hours of flights and then a day of mostly waiting at the airport for baggage, flights and rides to the Petionville J/P HRO compound. Dan was a reliable breath of fresh air when he interrupted his busy day to meet us and make sure our arrival was smooth. We were able to make arrangements for Bruce and Nick to do their real jobs at the UM hospital. Sarah and I were invited also. Several of the group were able to spend some time in the clinic seeing tent city folks. Just walking down the street we see pathology that would never be seen in the states…the result of untreated parasites, trauma, etc. Many, many supplies have arrived here and it is a huge job cataloging, sorting, and storing all of them. J/P HRO won’t need much that I brought, so will be able to donate to Cabaret and Leoganes. The rains have started and this camp would have been a terrible muddy mess except J/P was able to obtain a 50X100 tent out of the Dominican Republic with a plywood pallet floor. Nearly dry. Even here in their country we have it sooo much better than them. The rest of the team arrives tomorrow. Dan will pick us up at 8 for Sunday morning fellowship meeting in Port-au-Prince followed by lunch with friends.

http://picasaweb.google.com/howardleibrand/HaitiDay1#

Day #2

Up the steepest, narrowest staircase to the top of the rock. Little earthquake damage because it’s on the rock. Small meeting in a hot little room, but very touching to be with those we’ve come to know through pictures and emails. Dan told the “Where I was when the earth shook” stories of several. He was in the lower floor of the convention building and physically couldn’t run out because the ground was moving too much. The roof fell in on one lady and her two young kids. She was trapped but they crawled out to get help. All were in the meeting. Another family lived upstairs and rented out the basement. The top floor stayed intact and the bottom floor was crushed. They just last week dug the bodies out. Several of the friends family are staying at the at the batch, including some orphans from extended families. They have also been cooking for other families living in tents. We went there for lunch. Bruce examined Caridad’s foot and the graft isn’t doing well. He put on a special dressing and will follow it up.

Came back to camp and saw some patients including a baby with diarrhea and dehydration. Not even moving until the Army medic got an IV in him and Vickie cuddled him and fed him Pedialyte with a syringe for 4 hours. He’s now asking for a drink. Didn’t have scheduled clinic…Sunday is a day of rest in Haiti. Raining again tonight. Tomorrow we help run the German clinic in the tent camp…their doctors left yesterday and the new crew comes in Tuesday.

http://picasaweb.google.com/howardleibrand/HaitiDay2#

Day #3

Spent the day in the clinics. Bruce and Nick originally went down to the Miami Hospital and worked for the morning but the hospital is now fully staffed so they came back. Rick and Nick and Kim worked in the German clinic in the tent camp. Alex worked mainly triage sorting those who really needed to be seen. Everybody else worked in the main clinic/hospital seeing the usual vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and healing wounds. Rick delivered a baby tonight!! Everything seems to be coming together better. They even gave me the Internet password tonight!