Follow on Google News News By Tag * A Omar Muhammad * Haiti * Earthquake * Girona E Brice * James Kushner * Jean Henry Ceant * Julius Tajiddin Andrea Shiffman * More Tags... Industry News News By Place Country(s) Industry News
Follow on Google News | The Resilience of Haiti by A. Omar MuhammadThe memory of smelling the stench of dead bodies while driving through Port-Au-Prince and other areas of Haiti will only be a small part of what I took back home with me.
By: A. Omar Muhammad Once in the Port-au-Prince area, even in the dark we immediately witnessed the devastation of collapsed buildings and smelled the stench of dead bodies but as we rode up the mountain I noticed that it was less destruction than that on the lower planes. On the top of one mountain was the beautiful estate of Attorney Jean Henry Ceant and his wife. The entrance had two large side by side doors and as they opened I immediately noticed the armed guards. This home was fabulous inside and out and had not visibly been affected by the earthquake. Once inside we were shown the location of our sleeping quarters and invited downstairs to eat. The following day was Wednesday, January 20, 2010 and at 6 o'clock in the morning I was up praying when I felt myself rock backwards. I was sharing the room with Bill, who asked immediately after the first movement, if any felt the room move. We both agreed that it was real. We later found out that it was the second earthquake which registered 6.1, but the difference between the two earthquakes was the length of time that they lasted. I was told by some of the people in Haiti, that the first earthquake lasted for about 30 seconds whereas the second one only lasted about 7 seconds. As you can imagine, emotions immediately following this second earthquake were running sky high. There were tears flowing from the eyes of Mrs. Ceant and Andrea as they comforted each other outside. Mrs. Ceant cried often and when I spoke to her she explained that she felt great pain for the people of Haiti and in particular for the children and youth who lost their lives. She said that during the time of the first earthquake there were two universities that were in session and both of those buildings came tumbling down. With more tears in her eyes, she said that those university students represented the future of Haiti.. The next day we headed out to cover some more ground and this time I rode with Mr. and Mrs. Ceant who wanted us to see the other home and hospital building that they planned to purchase. Both suffered some minor damage from the earthquake. From there we went to the medical camp where more doctors had arrived and they had just finished a leg surgery. The doctors left to go to a larger hospital but one doctor remained behind. He was originally from Haiti but currently resides in Arkansas. He invited me to come along with him and Girovna E. Brice, who was a member of Aimer Haiti, to a camp set up for orphaned children. Girovna was also the Director or "Presidente" All of the meals I had the pleasure of eating since I arrived were delicious and always consisted of rice and beans. The first two nights goat was also served and on this, my final night in Haiti, it was chicken. I took the bus back to Santo Domingo and was on stand-by for the Saturday flight. I got to the airport more than two hours ahead of time. I went through the check-in and the baggage inspection and was off to the gate. Once they started boarding I approached the agent and to my pleasant surprise, I was given a seat assignment. Needless to say I was happy.Once in my seat I was reflective of my journey. I had seen first hand a country that was devastated by two earthquakes. I smelled the stench of death throughout the streets. I saw desperation in the eyes of many. I witnessed military maneuvers that appeared too radical and was not building goodwill amongst the people. I saw armed forces who, in my opinion, should have been passing out food and water but instead were riding through the streets making Haiti look like a war zone. I'd seen a malfunction in the process of distribution of goods and services. I had seen a lack of proper logistics in connecting the key agencies involved in the process. I had seen the lack of a team that would be responsible for the accountability of those receiving the aid.All hope is not lost however because I had also seen volunteers at work. I had seen doctors and nurses pouring into the country. I had seen great coverage of events from CNN and others including my own website at www.tamoca.com . I had seen unity of some organizations. I had seen hope and smiles on the faces of children. I had seen women cooking in a kettle and making enough beans and rice to feed families. Most of all, I had seen supreme resilience in a people. Yes, that's it... RESILIENCE! Email to a1partyvideo@ # # # We are available at www.tamoca.com and www.atlantamedia.org or by calling (678) 715-7559 Contact Angelo Omar Muhammad End
Account Email Address Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse
|
|