Photographs and some thoughts

Appeal for food and water


10,000 gallons of purified water a day using table salt to chlorinate from the good people at Edge Outreach


Destruction on the Street; the car was (and still is) occupied

















The bad

The destruction of humanity that this earthquake caused. Physical pain, psychic pain, the fear of another earthquake. Fractured families that will never be reunited.
The sounds especially at night.
Dust all of the time. Concrete dust is like a fog much of the time. Any breeze stirs up billowing dust.
The odors that are never far away and at times are overpowering.
The sadness in the eyes of the victims and the exhausted relief workers.
The despicable pettiness that is so endemic in the NGO community.
The profiteers of whom I met a couple. I think profiteering from this thing should be an immediate capital offense.

The good

The indomitable spirit of the Haitian people
Children, children children. Smiles at a simple 'Ca va?' Kids kicking a ball around trying to have a normal afternoon pickup soccer game amongst the broken concrete, trash blowing in the dust, noise and heat and constant reminders of death all around you wherever you stand.
The way the whole world responded. Dozens of nations represented by hundreds and thousands of volunteers and professionals.
Medical people working in inhuman conditions to save lives and constantly doing just that.
Aid workers screaming at each other as they try to figure out one more way to get desperately need supplies to desperate people; voices raised in passion because each wants so much to prevent that next death from thirst or that next infection from killing.
The people I met and hope to remain in contact with.
Thousands of Haitians asking 'what can I do to help?'

I told Andree that I will go back. I will as soon as I am needed to do something that I can do well. The temptation is to just go; I know that well. Going to Haiti right now requires that you carry your own sustenance. Anybody who goes to help and does not take care of their own food and water is taking those out of the mouths of the population and that is as bad as profiteering.

Some photos.