January 15, 2010 - Haiti Action Summary

Haiti Update January 15, 2010
...written and distributed by PDG Dick McCombe


A great day!

PDG Amos and family are safe! Ted Lazarre has been found and is ok!

A very productive day as well! Supplies and money came in in great quantities from everywhere. Our District, as always, did the extraordinary.

-- One club raised over $39,000 at their meeting
-- Another one matched it!!!!!!

Supplies and funds in every region under the regional coordinators are coming in quickly and in great quantities. Great work clubs and Rotarians!

I am sorry that I cannot give you exact figures, but the funds are going to a number of regional accounts. I am not sure of everything and would not want to mislead you.

On the lighter side, we had one flight leave from Nassau to Haiti with medical supplies, a Doctor Ageebe, and a Nurse Fountain. Not everything went as planned, but we made progress. The plane got there with the supplies which were picked up, but we lost the Doctor and Nurse. OOPS!

We finally found them, but the old challenge of communication was interesting. I got a mixed message that they had been dropped in Port de Paix. I could picture them standing on a vacant dark lonely runway looking for someone they may be comfortable staying with until they were found. But,in fact, they had been left in Cap Haitien at a hotel whose name they did not know, and no phone contact for.

The good news is that, in texting them on their Bahamian cell, we were able to ascertain where they were, and it was the same hotel we had stayed at when we visited the Cap Haitien club. So we were able to use the satellite phone and communicate with Rotarians on the ground in Haiti. By tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., they will be on their way to Pignon to help the wounded at Dr. Guy Theodore’s Hospital.

The challenges remain that the Port is closed, the airport in PaP is over-taxed and on occasion has to turn flights away. The communication systems are restrictive. We are working around those.

We are working with D-4060 (Charles Adams) on a plan to ship by sea to the DR and tranship over land from the DR to Haiti. We need to overcome the availability of trucks, the border, and the inland challenges, but with their help I am sure we can.

In speaking to Shelter Boxes, they expect to have 2900 on the ground over the next few weeks. There are 900 there now, and 1000 are on the way, with the balance to follow.

We have a container of medical supplies in Atlanta that is going to be transferred to a DC-3 tomorrow and will be enroute to Haiti by Sunday. A number of relief flights from other countries have gone in as well.

Our Jamaican Rotarians, in concert with the Jamaican Government and Coast Guard, have sent in an army of supplies and people, and are continuing to build their relief efforts.

We have 4 flights (Twin engine) leaving Nassau tomorrow for Haiti, followed by a DC-3 on Sunday. The 3 Beechcraft from North Carolina to Haiti are due early next week, and we will have 4 planes on the ground in Nassau for the remaining 2 weeks available to us, and all we need to cover are the fuel costs.

The DAF is set up, and we have full exposure on the international Web Sites.

Tomorrow is another day! Successes to follow!!!!

PDG Dick