Past Haiti Updates

January 21, 2010 - email from Gillaine Warne
The last few days have been very difficult, withcases coming in that have been waiting in other hospitals for a week to be seen, or have been sent on here for difficult surgery. The same syndromes go on– crushing, fractures, several paraplegics, some with complete paralysis. The great news is that wonderful teams of surgeons – general, plastic surgeons and orthopedic, anesthetists, (with one from SC) have arrived and are working nearly around the clock. Plasters are being put on, operations and of course the inevitable amputations, which have been many but many have been saved.  Breck and Jake are a formidable stretcher team and have all the young volunteers running almost as fast as they, Breck using his first responder skills to the max. Charles has been wearing many hats, filling in wherever necessary.
Click here to read the full email from Gillaine.

January 20, 2010 - email from Jackie Williams
Dear Pere Jon, Always great to hear from you. Charles' "latrine" is actually a square collection basin that goes directly to the septic pit. Excellent for emptying bedpans and guys at least use it conventionally.  Just got word of yet another quake, a 6.1; don't yet know the epicenter.  By all means keep lists of helpers for the long run which will be years and years long. We're about out of heavy material (velvets, upholstery fabric and the like) which we're using to make bed pallets and to line the floor of the bus taking broken bone patients to Hinche for surgery.  Our surgeons must be exhausted, but nobody complains.  Today the artisans' center is in heavy sheet production.

The chaos is quietly organized. Trash a problem, but we've some strong stiff fabric and have made huge sacks. I kept noticing something amiss in the sounds.  Then it hit: there is not one rooster, hen or chick in Cange.  In somebody's pot I reckon. A couple of cats missing too.

Bishop Duracin up yesterday to visit his wife who has a broken leg. My most eager request is for news after the 30 January meeting of engineers called by Dr. Harry Morse concerning the water system.  Not panic time yet, but we are somewhat on edge.

Give our love to all, and bless you for so many messages.  Jackie Williams

January 18, 2010 - email from Jackie Williams
Oh what a lovely letter! Silver lining and all that.  Will share with Gillaine directly.... For the moment clothing and household goods can't be accepted, but you KNOW how much they'll be needed in, say, a month... Charles Warne just oversaw a dozen hardies digging a pit for sanitation purposes. One gets down to basics real fast after such a catastrophe.  Tell everyone how grateful we are for their caring. Love, Jackie Williams

January 16, 2010 - in depth update from Gillaine Warne
Precious friends all over the world,
We know you are with us and have been since the beginning of the horrendous events of the past few days, which seem like an eternity. I haven’t been able think straight or had the time to send messages, but as things seem a little bit more stable and the huge influx of wounded is slowing, know you want to hear what’s happening and where we are.
To read the entire update, please click here.

January 15, 2010 - an email from Jackie Williams, parishioner in Haiti:
With all the horrors of the situation, it is beautiful to see the medical staff coping so smoothly. And it's even better to see our patients, suffering as they are, give us a smile as we bathe them or empty their bedpans (that's Jackie's area of expertise).  Gillaine hasn't eaten since breakfast.  I left her cradling a little boy with multiple bandages.  One visiting surgeon remarked as he surveyed the wall to wall patients on the church floor, "this is a great use of the church building."  AMEN.

January 14, 2010
Cange has lost internet connections, so we do not have any updates yet today from Haiti.

January 13, 2010
We are in regular email contact with Gillaine Warne, who left Port-au-Prince moments before the earthquake on January 12.  She reports that Cange is intact, though structural damage extends to Corporant, several miles south of Cange.  We are also in contact with Jackie Williams, who is also safe.  Father Lafontant and Marie Flore are safe in Cange, and Mrs. Lafontant, who was in their Port-au-Prince residence at the time of the earthquake, has left Port-au-Prince.  At this point, we know of no other injuries to our ministry partners in Cange.