Haiti tragedy hits home

As Haiti struggles to dig out of the rubble caused by last week’s devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, Haitian families in Valley Stream are desperately trying to reach their loved ones to make sure they’re safe.

Haitian Valley Stream resident Theresa Hutchinson said her aunt still lives in Port-au-Prince and when the news of the earthquake broke, she began frantically calling relatives. “For days, we were on pins and needles,” Hutchinson said. “We were glued to the TV.”

A few days later, Hutchinson said, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach her aunt, they finally received the call they’d been waiting for. Her aunt was safe. “All of the walls in her house are cracked,” she said. “The house is still standing though, but she can’t stay in it. She’s sleeping outside in her backyard.”

Hutchinson said she was horrified when she heard an earthquake had struck Port-au-Prince. She noted that Haiti is an impoverished country that’s in dire need of global help now more than ever. “We all left Haiti because it’s in shambles,” she said. “These are people who don’t have a lot. If they didn’t migrate to the U.S., it’s because they don’t have the means. It’s a fragile country.”

Marsha Guerrier, of North Valley Stream, shared a similar sentiment. She was on a Long Island Rail Road train when she read about the disaster on her Blackberry and said she was in shock. She saw that the earthquake measured a 7.0. “Immediately you know it’s devastating,” she said, adding that this was a tragic event for a country already suffering from a high rate of poverty.

Guerrier said she lost an uncle in the earthquake. She said he was on the second floor of his home and the roof came down. Her uncle was born in Haiti and moved to the United States where he became a teacher and a citizen. Guerrier said he later returned to Haiti to open up a school.

Fortunately, she said, a great uncle survived the earthquake and has since come to the United States on a military flight. He is staying with family in this area.

For Lesly Epsert, a Haitian-American who is a board member at Bethlehem Assembly of God Church on Fairview Avenue in Valley Stream, the news of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince was devastating. He has nephews and cousins who live in Haiti’s capital, he said, but he hasn’t been able to reach all of them. Espert said he has gotten word that only some of his extended family are safe.

“My nephews are living in a partially damaged house,” he said. “One of my cousins was killed. They pulled him out of the rubble and he died on the street.”

Espert added that he is grateful that the world has responded to this tragedy with open arms. “[Haiti] has no resources to take care of its people,” he said. “It’s great that the international community has responded, and we are thankful for that.”

Bethlehem Assembly of God hosted prayer service for the victims and survivors of the Haiti earthquake last Sunday evening.

Sam Kille, director of public relations for the American Red Cross in Nassau County, said that as of Monday morning, more than $90 million had been donated for Haitian relief efforts from the American public. He urged people to donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “HAITI” to the number “90999.” The $10 is added to that month’s phone bill. “It’s the simplest thing anyone can do,” Kille said.

Kille explained that the recovery effort in Haiti will be a long-term operation, as the infrastructure needs to be rebuilt and running water restored. 

“Long after the news cameras stop rolling and showing us the images in Haiti, we have to remember that these people are still in need,” Kille said. “It’s going to be a long process.” 

Guerrier, founder of the Yva Jourdan Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization which serves to meet the basic needs of people in the New York City area, has been collecting donations through her Web site, www.tyjf.org. However, Guerrier said donations have been minimal and she realizes people want to give to a known organizations such as the Red Cross which offer tax deductions. “I understand people’s concerns,” she said.

This Saturday, Guerrier’s foundation is hosting a benefit in New York City to raise money for earthquake victims in Haiti. There will be dancing, food and group prayer, Guerrier explained.

Hutchinson said that maybe through this disaster, the world will realize that Haiti needs help and will reach out a helping hand. “It’s great to see the world come together to help this poor country,” she said. “I hope this disaster brings a new Haiti. This is one country that needs a big brother and the support of international communities.”

Impact on schools

Holy Name of Mary School Principal Rick McMahon said several children in the school have relatives in Haiti. It is unknown if any family members are missing or have been killed, and McMahon said any information is unconfirmed at this point. “We are in the process of trying to sift through what is real and what is not,” he said.

The school often does dress-down days, in which students can bring in $1 to come to school out of uniform. That money goes to a mission. Last Friday the school held a dress-down day and requested that children to bring in $2 or more. That money is going directly to the families in Haiti of Holy Name of Mary students affected by the tragedy, McMahon said.

District 24 Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale said there is one student in the district whose parents were in Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince, at the time of the earthquake. On Tuesday, a week after the quake, he learned that the student’s parents were alive and doing well.