Don't forget Haiti: a voice from the disaster!

Dear Friends,

I have just returned from Port au Prince town center. You see the most incredible things: crowds, thousands of people with a few personal belongings are wandering in the streets, going nowhere. There are putrefying bodies everywhere. They are now covered but part of them can still be seen in odd places just by the roadside. I saw this afternoon something unbearable: masses of putrefied bodies thrown into a rubbish dustbin, yes - a rubbish dustbin. It’s really more than we can stand. There is a strong smell of putrefaction which will certainly lead to an epidemic. People have set up camp sites in public places, some of them are sheltered, others not.

The State no longer exists, with no plans for feeding people who lost everything or for collecting dead bodies. Neither does it appear that the U.N. is active, you get the impression that the U.N. is focusing on finding survivors in its general headquarters which collapsed. The U.N. doesn’t seem to be active elsewhere. Men with picks and shovels are trying to make a way under the paving stones. They help one another, in an orderly way, but they are left to their own devices. They go back to their native province when they can. Buses which are usually overcrowded are taken by force. If 70 people are inside the bus, you’ll get the same number of people outside. All market places are closed, there will certainly be in the near future a shortage of daily necessities, food, etc … There is a lot of talk about foreign assistance, and we do expect it, but it has not come yet and it’s two days since the earthquake began. It is like the end of the world.

All State and religious symbols are shattered or fallen down. The National Palace has collapsed, the General Tax Authorities (which plays an important part here) is just a mass of rubble. The Official Court, the Home Office, the National Education Authorities, the Foreign Office, Status of Women Secretariat, the Port au Prince town hall, the Environment Authorities, together with the Law Court – all collapsed or severely damaged. The Prime Minister’s residence is still there and has become a refugee camp.

Things are no better for the Church. :

- Its Archbishop was killed when the church collapsed

- The Cathedral is totally destroyed

- So is the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Louis, King of France

- So is the Villa Manrèse well known by all its visitors in Haîti

4 people died amongst whom Mme Cecil, a French citizen who worked for the Catholic Education Programme.

- The Canadian-Haitian College St Jean l’Evangéliste, St Louis de Gonzague, located rue du Centre is totally devastated (a hundred children are buried underground).

- The Episcopalian Cathedral is in the same state as the Catholic Cathedral.

- ‘Mariani’ is in the same state, with 6 Sisters of Wisdom killed

- Also the seminary and the CIFOR are destroyed.

Tonight I helped thirty three Sisters of St Paul de Chartres de Delmas carry away their belongings as their college collapsed and they can no longer live in their provincial residence. They are afraid of looting which has already started. When you see all this, it hurts when you think time and effort needed to rebuild all this again.

Near where we live in Petion-Ville, the Brothers who suffered most are the Brothers of Christian Instruction: only two Brothers were found alive. One is still missing, the second Brother (B. Joseph) was dragged out from under the building but died soon afterwards, the third Brother is very seriously injured (crushed foot) and won’t have much chance to survive as the hospitals are not functioning. Their next door neighbours, the Sisters of the Charité de Ste Hyacinthe, are definitely homeless. We have presently given shelter to nine of them.

People seem lost and look distraught, without energy. It will be difficult to handle the situation tomorrow if anger rises. As far as I am concerned, everything I have told you is totally unbearable. We are completely taken aback. There will be a shortage of everything soon. Banks and shops are closed, the day will come when we will be short of everything. We try to share what we have for the time being. However, when we have nothing more to share, no more fuel for our generator - WHAT SHALL WE DO ? And the ground is still trembling.

We, as Brothers, are really privileged. We encountered only minor damages but we can no longer live as before. Everything is uncertain. We are completely bewildered and think only of the present catastrophy.

Don't forget HAITI –

Bernard Collignon

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