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As many of you know, a member of our own congregation, Nathalie Bigord, left the very day we held our second offering for Haiti on January 17th. Over the past week, she has stayed in touch via telephone, text, and Facebook. Some of you have very likely heard these updates, but we’ve put them together here for you so that it is all available in one place. Please note that, with the exception of the portion in quotations at the bottom, the vast majority of the following updates are taken from emails and Facebook updates. I have edited for grammar and, thus, there have been some changes from the direct statements made by the original speakers or writers. If you have any questions, please contact me or Debra Greenwood.
Yours in Trust, Compassion, and Inquiry,
Hannah
Update #1
Tuesday, January 19th 9am
Debra just spoke with Nathalie, who arrived in Santo Domingo Sunday around midnight. Her group spent the night in a hotel and then departed for Port-au-Prince at 6:00am on Monday. There was a delay at the border, in part because the passport of one of her group members was misplaced. They finally arrived in Port-au-Prince Monday night before 8pm. They are staying at the home of church officials in the Port-au-Prince area. These homes are located on the hills above Port-au-Prince and did not sustain any earthquake damage.
The church group has an office that was not damaged. However, next door, the building collapsed and they could smell the decomposing body(ies). They have not seen any bodies in the street.
Nathalie was not aware of the miraculous rescue of Jean, the woman trapped in the bank for six days, who emerged relatively unscathed. She met people at the airport who were specifically going to Haiti to help the orphanages.
Their group is planning to conduct a mobile medical unit. They will drive the streets of Port-au-Prince attending to the wounded. Although there are many rescuers in the city, the lack of coordination prevents the rescuers from maximizing their efforts.
She promised to take plenty of pictures and was really amazed at the amount of money we raised for Doctors Without Borders ($2700+) and the rapid generosity of donated items. Debra promises to call Nathalie’s mother Tuesday to make arrangements to deliver more items for the shipment that is going out this week. If it is possible to quickly get more donations we will let you know.
Apparently, toothpaste is a big need right now - not just for brushing one's teeth, but for smearing under one's nose to cut the stench of death.
Update #2
Tuesday, January 19th 10pm
Debra heard again from Nathalie today, shortly after she experienced a worrisome aftershock. She indicated that the greatest need at this time is for money. The group she is with, Christian and Missionary Vision of Haiti, will use any monies donated to purchase goods to distribute to the needy.
If you would like to make a tax deductible contribution to this group, you may do so by either of these ways:
- Send a check to Christian and Missionary Vision of Haiti, P.O. Box 7734, Delray Beach, Florida 33482
- Electronic or wire transfer to PNC Bank, Routing # 267084199; Account # 1205322083
(There was also a small window of time on January 20th when goods were able to be dropped off at Debra Greenwood’s office in Stone Mountain to be sent to Haiti. There will be more opportunities to make donations, so please don’t feel left out if you missed that date!)
Update #3
Wednesday, January 20th 1:50pm
Debra was able to only briefly speak with Nathalie just now. Yesterday Nathalie helped at a local clinic where maybe a dozen people needed care.
She also experienced the 6.1 earthquake early this morning. On Facebook, Nathalie remarked that you don’t need alarm clocks when you have earthquakes to wake you. No new apparent damage, but those buildings that were teetering after the initial shock were demolished by this latest earthquake.
Today, at the same clinic, there are 100 people, most of whom with wounds that have not been treated since the initial earthquake. Nathalie cleaned out the wound of one woman whose ankle bone was protruding from her skin. There were rocks and dirt in the wound that had to be removed.
She is keeping very busy working to make a difference.
Update #4
Thursday, January 21st at approximately 7:30am and 12:04 pm
Nathalie reports on Facebook in the morning that they’ve gone over twenty-four hours without an aftershock, and expresses her hope that Haiti has seen the last of them. Only a few hours later, she posts again to say there were two aftershocks less than ten minutes apart, but that everyone with her was okay.
Update #5
Friday, January 22nd at approximately 3pm and 5pm
Using her Blackberry, Nathalie makes another post on Facebook, this time commenting that she has seen and done so much in the past few days that she feels she ought to have her CPR and First Aid certifications renewed without having to take the classes again. Later, she reports that officials are spreading the word that a 6.4 aftershock is expected sometime between then and Sunday. The organization she is working with prepares a large tent so that everyone can sleep outside, just in case.
Update #6
Monday, January 25, 2010
Nathalie is due to return home to the States this Wednesday, and I’m sure we’re all glad to know she’s returning safely. Debra got a full report from her on Sunday, and the details are being reprinted here for those of you who haven’t heard them yet.
From Debra: “I spoke with Nathalie last night after receiving a brief text from her midweek. She is looking forward to coming home on Wednesday night and should be back with us shortly after that. She's become a "Medic" during her time in Port-au-Prince and has reconnected with some of her family members.
She learned that a 7 months pregnant woman who came to their clinic this week had not received care for her extensive foot wound sooner because of a rumor that some international team would come around and help all the pregnant women. There is no such team as far we can tell. However, because the woman is pregnant, no pain medication could be given as they did the painful job of cleaning out her wound, including cutting out dead skin (debridement). Another patient she tended was a teen girl who’s only source of support were two other teen girls. She, too, had a nasty leg wound which required extensive care. All three girls are living in the streets. If you've caught any recent CNN reports, there is a severe problem with crush wounds that frequently require amputation, and left untreated can lead to death.
Nathalie did locate her two young (7 years old) cousins. These two boys have seen far too much in their young lives. They've experienced two floods and the earthquake, which has left them homeless. They are now staying with extended family, but Nathalie is contacting the US Embassy to determine if she can bring them back to the States with her. Let us all pray, cross our fingers and/or send out good thoughts to the universe that she will be successful.
The group with which she is working operates a church, school and pharmacy in Port-au-Prince. They need medical supplies. They are running out of betadine and hydrogen peroxide. We can send these supplies to their Boynton Beach, FL office and they will get shipped to Haiti.
When Nathalie gets back, we will need some volunteers to help us conduct a massive drive for medical supplies. In the meantime, please start gathering the following for donation:
- Latex gloves (S-M-L) Mostly MEDIUM needed
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Betadine
- Rubbing alcohol
- 4 x 4s
- Medical tape
- Kerlix wrap
- Antibiotic ointment (e.g. Neosporin)
- Saline solution
- Antibacterial gel
- Baby wipes
- Sterile, long stemmed Q-tips
- Acetaminophen
- Aspirin
Stay tuned for more details. --Debra”
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