February 11, 2010 - Haiti Earthquake

For the past few weeks, CNN has asked me to participate in interviews on the Don Lemon show to specifically discuss the rebuilding phase of Haiti. I usually read the New York Times and a few other publications every morning, and I have been intrigued by the varying views on how to go about three important phases: temporary housing, short-term housing and long-term rebuilding of infrastructure. I have also read so much about the corruption in the government and the abuse of funds that have come into the country in years past.

Then, I spent a few weeks on the ground in Haiti and I got a completely different feel for the country. Everywhere I went, I saw young people, people selling things on the streets, small business and extreme poverty unlike anything I have ever seen before. And part of me said, “What good will it do if we build houses, sewage and water systems and basically just give people a place to live”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to sound cynical, but wouldn’t it be great if we could teach and educate the Haitian people to do these things. What if the investment in Haiti could also be in the people and not just in structure and infrastructure? What if schools and clinics could be built in these areas along with housing? Everywhere I went, I saw beautiful hard-working people, but people who were malnutritioned, in need of medical care and in need of learning a trade.

What if there was a huge focus on taking many of the young people in Haiti and teaching them to be doctors, nurses, engineers, architects, builders, welders and truck drivers. I think at that point, we would have not only done something good, but excellent.

The First Response Team of America does something excellent in the United States. We preserve life and jumpstart response and recovery efforts, which lead to communities knowing that they can and will prevail when all has been lost. We are doing the same thing in Haiti, but from being here, I have realized that the Haitian people are in need of an opportunity that so many Americans have been given: a good education.

Opportunity is the greatest gift I have ever been given in this life. If we are responsible with the opportunities that we have been given, they oftentimes cascade into others. The young people of Haiti must be given an opportunity in education if there is ever going to be a change. If we invest in the people of Haiti, there will be an investment that has a great return in the years to come. It will prove to result in sustainability for the future of Haiti and its people. For I believe in this country are those who will one day be the politicians, educators, doctors and engineers leading Haiti to its greatest potential.

I don’t mean to be an eternal optimist, but I can’t help but see beautiful people everywhere I go and a country that is breathtaking. I hope education and nutrition could someday bring an end to the poverty and broken government.

February 7, 2010 - Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Earthquake

Last night I found a field in which to sit with a view of the ocean and the city of Port-au-Prince in the background. There were patchy areas of the city, some with lights on, others dark and large billows of smoke rising from all over. Sometimes the wind would blow bringing smells of the destruction. From a distance, the view of the sea and mountains were beautiful, but the smells and smoke would throw me back into it all and remind me where I was and what I was seeing.

I read yesterday that the death toll could be at 200,000. I could not help but realize I was looking at a graveyard. As I was touring the city and assessing the damage, I was taken to a 7-story school. I climbed on top of the rubble, located in downtown Port-au-Prince, and I quickly realized that I was standing on top of 7 stories that had been compacted into about 12 feet. There was a crushed globe and homework tossed to the wind with little 1-inch by 1-inch photos of little boys and girls stapled to it. There were crushed desks from the classrooms, tattered clothing strewn about and the smell of all of the bodies still trapped under the rubble.

As I sat and reflected on the day, I could not make sense out of much. I could not find purpose in all of this destruction, even though we try to find and embrace the silver lining. All I could come away with is to love and cherish every moment of every day with the ones you love. There is no promise of tomorrow here. Really, I know that sounds trite, but it’s true. You just never know. Spend life investing in the things that really matter. Yes, life ebbs and flows for all of us. We have good days, bad days, and horrific days. But, if you are lucky enough to have friends, to have family to have someone to love, appreciate every moment you have with them. That, I believe, is what makes life beautiful. To be present, to feel alive, to know you are breathing. Now, that’s what matters.

February 2, 2010 – Cité Soleil, Haiti - Earthquake

Things are moving along here in Haiti, and they are much smoother than you would have expected overall. Although, there have been many things to figure out. I’m still amazed that we are here with heavy equipment and are working daily.

We have had a few scares. Yesterday, we were approached by a group of people demanding money as we were going to empty the trucks at the dumps. They were wielding machetes and screaming, but I could not understand them because of the language barrier.

After that incident, I hired someone to drive with us at all times who could interpret. What’s been happening is when we get within a mile of the dumps, people start running alongside the trucks, and they jump onto the trucks and climb up the sides, while we’re still moving. As we get closer to the dump sites, they begin to go through the rubble in the back of the trucks, looking for metal. The reason being is that they can take the metal and sell it for food and clothing.

Sometimes when you write about it a day later it’s easy to be passive about it, but I remember at the time that it was pretty scary.

Probably the most moving part of the day was at the end. The sun was going down, and I found a safe place to dump the concrete debris way in the back of the dumping area. There, I was greeted by a group of little boys. Most likely, they ranged in age from 4-7. They were barely clothed, waiting for me to dump the truck to see if there may be anything of value in the rubbish. These little black skinned boys were covered in white concrete dust looking up at me speaking loudly in French. My interpreter said, “They are telling you that this is their new home, they have no place to go, their parents and family were killed in the quake, and they are hungry.”

I stood there for a little while. We just looked at each other. I knew there was nothing I could do. I knew there were tens of thousands of boys and girls like this. I could do nothing. I would have a picture in my blog about this, but decided it was not right. How could I even capture that moment in a photo. It is a terrible thing that has happened here to these people. There are so many different views. Some religious people say that this happened because years ago the country was dedicated to Satan. Others say there is no hope for these people because the government has done them wrong for so many years due to its corruption. Then some will go as far as to say these people were poor already and they are lazy and are looking for a handout.

I say, there are a lot of hurting people here. There are a lot of hurting people all over this world. As far as I’m concerned, what I see here are victims; victims of a terrible and vicious earthquake. We can’t make everything better. All we can do is help; help one person at a time, one good deed at a time. May we all make an investment in this life that our time will have a good return. Help those victims that you may see in your own world.



I’m thankful for the opportunity that I have been given in this life. I’m thankful for good parents; I’m thankful for being born in America. I hope that you and I can be thankful and responsible with the opportunities that we have been given in this life. It’s the only one we have here. Make each day count.