Jay Blog #2 1/22

Unfortunately, I do not have my dispatch from the first two nights so I may repeat myself.


BUT: I am thrilled to be typing tonight on a real mac with a keyboard and screen. I cobbled together a system out of parts tonight when I got back to the house.

I guess today is about truck people. The people arriving packed in cargo trucks are breaking my heart. They are shattered looking. They are dehydrated, exhausted, frightened, displaced, devoid of possessions.

My big moment yesterday was, I saw a Haitian handing bananas to people getting off the bus from PAP.

Jan and I have been struck by the fact that there is not one shred of evidence that any non-Haitians are doing much of anything. It seems to be all local missionaries and the Haitians.

I’ve not seen a blanc, but I’ve seen hundreds of Haitians helping less fortunate and my admiration for their ability to survive catastrophe has gone up yet another massive notch.

I’d like to take credit for the idea of starting a food program for the arriving refugees, but it was Smiley who said “we can do that”. You’d have to know him to appreciate that statement. It’s so typical. The eternal optimist.

Now Amoce, Smiley and Smith are busy with me, doing communications and coordination. That means driving around on a bike with little fuel til you find who your looking for since we have no phones, no nothing. Yesterday, Smith and I used rope to tie the spark plug wire on his bike to get to the airport. It worked.

So we left this whole project of feeding everyone coming off the trucks to Benot and Pezo. Pezo is a intuitive Deaf mute with a heart and smile as big as the sun and Benot is the hardest working Haitian I’ve ever met. He nearly lost his left arm years ago, in a taptap accident. He looks like he ought to be limited but he’s not at all.

For $300, Benot bought a banana, two bags of water, a loaf of bread, and a greasy deep fried ‘fritter’ about four inches across and an inch thick for each of 800 people! 38 Cents a person. !!!!

Each was tied in that classic black plastic bag bread is sold in and as these unfortunate people, exhausted, dehydrated, hungry and frightened exited the cargo trucks 100 at a time. Pezo with great enthusiasm, gave them away.

Most of the people where so concentrating on landing in a new city, keeping their family together, avoiding being roadkill at the busiest intersection in Cayes and planning the next step that they took the bag without examination.

Now Smiley planned this all to start in front of the Police station, one of the common drop off points so after one truck, we had a Haitian Policeman watching every move and that must have helped. But we never thought there was any commotion

Benot had the policeman watch all day, then at the end of the day, he told Benot, he was loaning him $400 US to pay to sent a busload of people stuck in Cayes to Jeromie and that I, as president of MIA, had to pay him back. What a predicament for Benot if you know the police in Haiti. So tonight, I gave back the $400 and tomorrow we’re giving THEM all a bag of food for the trip.

Tomorrow we are budgeted for $400, not $300.

Our first truck to PAP that we paid for arrived today way overloaded with 120 people, They were among our 800. They look simply exhausted. PTSD is the word but for Haitians, just the end of a very bad week.

It’s been seven days and we are stilling having aftershocks. Some Haitians still won’t sleep inside.

Yesterday. We got 50 12 man tents from somewhere in Florida. As Ron Wilson would say- “Thank you Jesus!” Jan N. worked that one out and today, I heard there were 50 more but I never got there to check. Once a pipeline comes in place it tends to persist unless displaced by more need and we’ve placed ourselves at the peak of need so I assume we continue to get what comes.

Today the food ran out at the Refugee Center BUT Jan N. says tomorrow the first plane arrives from Rob Rice, with 1200 to 2800 lbs of something. It will all go to the RC. But if we get more, it goes to PAP. Answer me this, How do you cook rice with no pot, no charcoal and no water. ??

We’ve been told by arrivees that “Hell has fallen to earth”. PAP is just awful.

Got an emergency call from Dr. Tenhaff today and he’s begging us to take the three FP’s up to Bon Finn. Dr. Belding has been doing 8 amputations a day and Tenhaff, 13 (he says he’s got lower standards and smiles when he says it) and Belding leaves on Friday, tomorrow.

Not sure what we do, but we heard about a Haitian Surgeon who is on strike for not being paid by the hospital for 8 months so Bill and I ponied up a month of back wages and this months wages and hope he shows tomorrow. $500 a month. Sounds underpaid.

Bill looks fresh as a daisy and is having a wonderful time. It’s his element but he’s the only hospital in Haiti, charging NOTHING! And he’s losing $100,000 a month. We need to get the word out and make that hospital whole. If we don’t get pay for the staff this week, I think we’ll shut down. They’re on the rasor’s edge of all supplies.

With all the money being wasted in PAP, surely somebody can help us. Jan N. has called everyone she can and we can’t get any org’s to kick in cash or food or fuel. It’s all been private individuals so far.

Scarey day yesterday: I came into the administrators office at our school, and Rob was shaking behind the desk. He said the men at the windows had told him to give them money or they were going to kill him!!

He fled to the BUV and said, “we’ve got to go NOW!” When I showed up he was clearly frightened.

I pulled aside the man he identified as the ring leader, and asked the crowd, while I stood with my arm around him. Is this man local? And then Why did he threaten to kill my friend? The Haitian recoiled in panic and dread. Smiley asked what happened and I explained that he had asked for money and drawn his finger across his throat like he was cutting his neck.

Smiley smiled and said that in Haitian, that means, I have no food.

I then announced that in the U.S. it means I’m going to cut your throat. The crowd crowed in laughter and Rob handed the man his water bottled in apology. The things you learn!

By today, it was happening to me a few times an hour so I’m glad I know now because it’s a frightening sight. Food is running out.

The banks are still closed. There is no money to buy food. There is NO gas.

We keep going because the mayor of the city likes what we’re doing.

Today the Mayor told John Vrooman that he is surprised he has never heard of MIA, since they are doing more than World Vision, Compassion, USAID, and one other I’ve never heard of.

That should make the MIA donors proud that we’ve done so much with the donations. I think we’ve just been blessed to be the first people to the refugee center.

Except for Tenhaaf, I’ve seen no blancs. Not one. They all left.

I’m not sure how I’ll journal for the next five days in Bon Finn. I’m going to take my USB drive and see if I can find a computer but I’m expecting to be pretty busy.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. Taking over a derelict hospital with angry staff, no services, hundreds of dying patients, no supplies, and no backup sounds ridiculous.

Jan Davis and I make a good team. She is always taking my ideas and polishing them up with great nuances I’d miss. She tempers my enthusiasm enough for realism but not to stifle and is thrilled with what we’ve done. Mustard Seed Missions has been a God send with all the money they’ve poured into the feeding and flight programs and the RC.

None of this would have been possible without our silent donor who had such faith in us. He is as always, heaven sent.

Finally, I have to think, I missed the point when God told me, last March to trust him. I thought that was about donations but now I think it brought me here to this day.

1:47 AM A phone works!!. For the last four days, the only communication is one blackberry with tiny chicklets due to poor bandwidth. John Vrooman is tech supreme and he can just send word attachments, no photos, no video and any emails. Every day, I drive the same road on a motorbike behind Smiley or Jude. Last night Jude said there were gangs on the road out and took a very oblique route home to avoid them. He will not let me go again during the dark.

The phone at John’s is the only one off the island from Cayes that we know of and I use it 20-30 minutes a day but I can’t hear Jan when I call, it has about 20% transmission and I ask her to say everything five times and piece together, then repeat and she says Yes five times or No five times till I catch it. Not too accurate.

Tonight after much work by Rick Kramer, we got the voice working on Jan Davis’s blackberry and at 12:30, I called Jan and we talked for the first time since I came, in a normal converstatoin. I miss her. Wish she was here but would be sunk without her working 20 hrs a day getting food and planes.

Tonight I learned a lot, much of it bad news:

Jan asked what my top message is and it’s easy. Cite’ Lumie hospital and the MEBSH system (Missionarie Evangeliste, Baptist South Haiti) is the only hospital system in Cayes that is giving free care. The rest are charging for amputations etc. Dr. Bill Tenhaaf told me this AM after the U.N. briefing that he is losing $100,000 a month and his staff is unpaid. Bon Finn where I take over tomorrow is 8 months in arrears on payroll and when I get there tomorrow, they may have no staff as they’ve had enough of 18 hour days with no pay. Bill says the amputations are further behind now than when he got here.

I heard that the team I was to lead into PAP before God told me to come here instead, has not been heard from since the new Quake. I pray they are OK and it’s just communication and a cell tower.

I realize now what a hair thin line of food we have going. I thought by now, someone would recognize that half of Haiti is walking west to Cayes. In a month, we will be the second biggest city in Haiti, not the fourth. Why can’t some government airdrop food into here or bring a ship up to the dock. It may be only 15 feet of draft but you can put a lot of food on a tug boat or Coast Guard cutter. Why not bring an STOL with fuel to the airport.

I understand that PAP needs help. But PAP is coming to us. The mayor is working to keep our trucks moving into PAP and bring back out 120-150 per load and then move them on to Jeremie etc. as they can find family. We need fuel. NOW.

Food is not quite the same problem. Most of the Haitians seem to have had a week of food. It’s much more expensive but the market stockpile must be decent but this last day everyone seems to be on empty. It will sour fast now.

We need the banks open. You can’t buy food if you can’t get to your money.

Jan says they’ve had great coverage in the Blade and the Messenger and on all the stations and it’s generating lots of donations but the only way to get it in is by Missionaries carrying vast amounts of $20 bills. $100’s are nearly useless. Fortunately, the people giving Benot water, Bananas, bread and muffins will sell the amount $100 pays for.

I continue to be amazed by how well the Haitians are working among themselves. If it weren’t for their own self support, we’d be sunk. I expected riots at Benot’s food program and we had not a single problem.

My own team have their own worries. Smith’s sister is trapped in Gouanave and his family took their life savings $250 US, to rent a car and drive to get her. I discouraged him but they’re so worried. Jude left today on his new motorbike to try to find a family member. He said he be back to work with Dave on Friday. He’s so excited to learn solar installation.

I heard the Canadians are doing a bang up job in Jeremie. They have boats pulled up to the beach offloading food and fuel etc. That’s what we need.

I heard from one of the Mayor’s staff that the Chinese are thinking about giving up on PAP and coming to Cayes. It might just be a rumor. Rumors are everywhere with no communication. Phone calls locally are starting to work better and today, Jan Davis thought Digicel got some international calls out so the hard part of that maybe is over. At least I can talk to my wife now and coordinate efforts.

I’m also a bit baffled why, with all these calls, we can’t find rice, beans and oil.

Found out today that the guy that gave me $100 in the airplane at Charlotte, sent a nice check today from ‘his foundation’. Bondye beni Ou (God is good all the time).

Jan N. lined up with another organization and they have one surgeon coming on Tuesday, and lots of surgical supplies. Bill Tenhaaf after quitting for the night at 11 last night, wrote up a needs list that is available from John Vrooman (command central at MEBSH). Bill said we need dressings, Bone plates and screws, bone saws, suture, antibiotics, IV’s, IV Lines, pain meds. Except for the orthopedics, My guess on what to bring, was pretty good and my 100 lbs went a long way. 10,000 lbs would be better. I brought 600 doses of rocephin.

Jan asked when I’m coming back and wasn’t happy with my answer. I’m slated for 2-2 but not sure it makes sense to come home. I don’t see my replacement in the wings and I’m staying VERY busy. Mark Wentz, my partner in Haiti kindly came in and saw patients today in my office! Jan says the staff at my office is answering phones from media and patients while packing pills from donations.

It’s 2:50, I’ve got a early start tomorrow so I’m giving it up.

Let me summarize: I need Six surgeons, any kind, experienced is best. A couple anesthesiololgist or PMR’s that are comfortable with axillary blocks, regional anesthesia, and spinal blocks (we don’t have any anesthetic machines in Haiti)

I need 12,000 lbs of rice, beans and oil per day.

I need a C5A full of fuel (mostly diesel) to keep moving patients and victims West and keep support staff moving around and pushing generators etc.

I need the banks open. I need more money for the feeding program.

My staff, all the Haitians, the local government need prayers. We are never ever going to recover from transplanting 3 million people from their homes in a country with universal starvation the day before the quake.

We need the quakes to stop.

I’ve never been the first day chief of staff of a hospital with employees going on strike with hundreds of patients waiting for care and no supplies, before. It sounds tricky. I’m betting it won’t go well.

Jay