Caritas Internationalis

By Karel Zelenka, CRS/Caritas USA country representative for Haiti

Our main office building shows many cracks and people just sort of run in, pick up things that they need, and we do everything outside. We have tables set up outside. We pulled out electric cables. We bring computers there and so cannot ask our staff to go in until we have some assurance the building is structurally sound.

The internet is down citywide or maybe countrywide.

This is something I’ve never experienced and hope that I never see it again. It is so stressful. I can hardly sleep. And when I get to the building, our office, a little noise makes me immediately jump and I noticed everybody jump just as immediately.

We were sitting at the table yesterday under a tree and suddenly this very powerful tremor shook and … everyone ran. We are out in the open and so people are pretty much stretched. You drive up and down the streets and you see all these bodies that are just laying down there because there is no common grave and they cannot do a proper funeral.”

…And the worst part is the children–these little bodies down…. In general earthquakes as you probably know are the worst, worst disaster that can happen.