In the wake of Tuesday’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, the overwhelming feeling among those on St. Thomas with relatives and friends there is one of hope and faith.
"You know with a 7.0 earthquake, nothing stays the same," said Choupette Braure, who was born in Haiti, but has lived in the territory for years.
Thursday evening, recounting her efforts to find family, she said, "I hope the people can survive, with the help of the whole world. I so wish them that."
Braure is one of those whose prayers have been answered somewhat. "I couldn’t reach my 97-year-old aunt Tuesday night, but my cousin called me at 4 a.m. Wednesday to say that she is OK; only the porch of her house was damaged. And all my other relatives are alive."
Voicing the concerns of many, Braure said, "It will take years and decades before the country is safe. It depends on the political situation. You have to rebuild everything. I don’t think the buildings were as safe as they should have been."
Word is coming in slowly and sporadically from the devastated country. None of the stories has a happy ending at this point, but folks are happy just to know their loved ones are alive.
Yanick Bayard and her husband, Patrick, are both from Haiti. Like everyone else, they are shocked and saddened at the news. "Just when things were starting to improve," she said.
Bayard added that there are about 40,000 Americans living there now, working in NGOs [non-governmental organizations], missions schools and save-the-children programs. Thanks to Bill Clinton’s support, she said, there’s been renewed business interest in the island nation. "Thirty percent of the population is under 25 years old. They need jobs, people need work," she said.
Bayard has become a sort of Haiti central network in the past few days, coordinating information. She recounted a couple of amazing survival stories of her own.
"I found out yesterday that my 96-year-old uncle is OK," she said. "He watched his home fall into his swimming pool, as he scurried out the front door. He’d been in the states, but he wanted to move back to his home."
Another relative of Bayard’s was resting after heart surgery, a pacemaker installed last month. "She would normally be out and about," Bayard said. "She said she heard the noise from her second-floor bedroom. She crawled from the second floor to the first, and she saw the house collapse just after she’d gotten out."
Michele Baker, a St. Thomas resident with ties to Haiti, said, "It’s very scary. I was there in a wedding at the Hotel Montana two weeks ago. It doesn’t exist now. It’s gone. I’m finally able to speak to my cousin over the Internet phone. All members of the family are accounted for."
She said, "We are better off than most people. I haven’t spoken to my parents, but I know they are OK." She said the wedding couple is helping get women and children out of the rubble, "digging for survivors."
Enrique Rodriguez, who also has ties to Haiti, says he has mixed emotions. "My family is OK," he said, "But it’s very sad for lots of people. One of my employees hasn’t heard a word. There’s 16 kids there, no word from any direction."
Rodriguez said, "It’s [communication] been really sporadic, with calls from the states, thinking we have better connections down here. There’s lots of confusion."
Vashi Dadlani, whose two-year-old nephew is missing, is one of those awaiting word. "We have been in contact with relatives," he said, "but the building where my sister lives unfortunately is collapsed. He was there with his two nannies. Nobody has been found."
Dadlani said his sister, the boy’s mother, was visiting New York City when she got the news.
"She got a flight to Kingston, Jamaica, and got on a private jet at 1 p.m. today. I’m hoping to hear from her. It’s absolutely unbelievable," Dadlani said. "Yesterday I spoke with another nephew who was going to the house. The roads are quite steep where the disaster is. It takes a whole day to go and come back. But he said the rest of the family is fine."
But, he added, "The little boy … If you saw his picture, tears would come out of your eyes. I’m asking everyone to pray."
