The Waiting Game

So as many of you may know (or maybe not!), Jess and I are still in Les Cayes waiting for things to play out on our ride home. They indicate we'll leave today... but please know that is only the beginning and it could take a while to travel to a safe port of exit, depending on their plans. I think logistics have been challenging, especially because the entry point for anyone into the country right now is far from where we are (PaP or Cap Hatien if flying... DR if driving). But I promise we’ll let you know when we can.

Now before I go any further: For those of you who are worried from everything you see on TV... DON'T BE. As we've been writing to friends and family, we are far away from PaP (4-5 hour drive on a normal day!). While there are people starting to come in more regularly from Port-au-Prince... there is no trouble in Les Cayes and it is probably one of the safer big towns in Haiti right now.

That said, might as well fill you in on what we know while we wait...

You probably know as much as we do about PaP as we do from CNN... but we know from our friends that supplies are still having trouble getting to hastily-erected trauma centers, and from what I see on TV, I wonder if our friends at Hope for Haiti from Les Cayes have been as successful getting supplies to their efforts in PaP than the stuff getting in on planes.

However, despite how the past several days have gone, I believe even HFH has begun flying in stuff from Florida directly to PaP as "extra" supplies from Les Cayes have mostly been sent or are now being diverted for use here to tend to the injured arriving in town.

The situation in Les Cayes is an interesting view of the struggles when most of large aid organizations' leadership is in PaP. I'm told that the first day or two here was spent in confusion or disaggregated efforts. The UN made a concerted effort to draw in all aid organizations for coordination by Thursday (if not Wed), but I think it's still been a struggle to fully prepare Les Cayes for the continued reception of displaced and injured peoples. Some of that relates to supplies and logistics (not enough medical personnel)... but some of that is what happens when certain efforts are run by committee or there are complex relationships between the government and aid organizations in Haiti (perhaps something I can discuss another time).

We helped install lighting in the tent city two days ago, but it is uncertain how many there are the originally intended residents (the injured who don't need to be at the hospital). In addition, the hospital has been swamped and there is a challenge to even triage patients because of capacity issues (yesterday was a decision to move the emergency room to a larger, if unfinished, location that could be secured with minimal-to-moderate effort). Luckily, some additional medical support and supplies are expected to arrive in Les Cayes today. More on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the general population is still in shock: trying to hear from family (a slow process for some) or mourning lost loved ones. Many people also still sleep outside for fear of aftershocks and structural damage to homes (though I only know of one building that actually collapsed here). There is a gas shortage: only 1 of 4 stations was still open yesterday as the town still waits for a shipment that may/may not come this weekend. Financial institutions are SLOWLY reopening. The cell reception is still down. And as people continue to come to the city, things become a bit more crowded, yet still safe.

At this point, all we can do is wait and keep in touch with friends and the efforts to help... and to keep you informed as well. Thanks for the all the love and continued support!