Earthquake Calendar: Day Two

This photo belongs at the bottom of the stack

to show, in order, the other half of the porch we slept on at QCS

but of course I can't get it there! With 26 kids, what a blessing to

have nearby access to toilets (although we didn't always have water).

Walls were down all along the perimeter of our property

The back wall was out so we all clung on to kids while we awaited

our transport. Katie holds Daniel-Isaiah.


Mobilizing the troops! QCS friends Cathy and Ben help

hand-carry bedding materials down to school.

Tony and Katie sport these fashionable mattresses.

Anderson grads Jaime and Katie to the rescue!

This is where we set up camp for just short of a week.

Wednesday 1/13 Rouse myself up from the dew-wet, cold ground when there’s enough daylight to necessitate activity. Feed kids another half of peanut butter sandwich, use up the last of the bread. Determine that it is critical that children are moved from field where it is becoming more crowded as neighbors move in and it is increasingly unsanitary with urine, feces, and corpses littered about. Start out for QCS with Francois in car but quickly decide that gas must be conserved. Walk to QCS with Francois. Meet Kez and G on the way; give them my last granola bars- neither have slept all night and both are on their way to see more wounded in the neighborhood. Upon arrival at school, talk to Steve (director/principle) about staying at school; he suggests talking to a pastor in the neighborhood for more permanent housing. Unsuccessful in finding; decide to move kids to QCS for the day with plans to stay that night. Mobilize several QCS friends (young teachers) to help with the cleanup of O with intention of moving kids back in the next morning. Load car up with girls and nannies; Francois drives them to school where they set up camp. Amber and Marc Williams visit the O to check on us- what a relief to find, increasingly, that friends around town were also protected from the quake! Per Reggie’s suggestion, move food supply from food pantry into school house (“in case the O falls down”). Ben and Katie arrive with Francois from QCS to help. Pray with staff and friends at O. Load up car with boys; Francois drives them to school and parks the car, where it remains. Back at O, Tony suggests that moving kids back tomorrow is unwise due to what he believes is structural damage to the O. On walk down to school with bedding supplies & clothes for kids, stop at Delmas 63 CSI Guest House to ask structural engineer about safety of O. Advised that O is unsafe to stay in. In a conundrum: QCS directors are preparing school to become a central command center for many converging relief organizations & are thus unable to accomodiate our kids there for any length of time and, with the back wall of the orphanage out, moving back there is unwise. Conversation with Rich Meers leads me to plan on relocating kids to their home the next day and buys me time with the school directors. Meanwhile, Christine, our Haitian cook, makes lunch and dinner (l’abris) at O, which we transport to school. That evening, use Jamie C’s phone to text Mom plans. Nannies severely under-staffed- Mirea, Natacha, and Mommy. Sleep with kids on porch- several wet themselves. Sleep in urine- very cold. I think I unconsciously take Ellie’s blanket from her in the night! Francois stays with us. Wake up to gun shots outside the walls. Around midnight, four American women descend upon the school- refugees who landed at the airport minutes prior to the quake- banging to be let in.