Help for Haiti

“It’s really, really sad. I hope and pray all of our friends in Haiti are safe and alive tonight,” said Larson Wednesday in the wake of the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean island country this week.

“They’re survivors, they really are. Lots of strength,” the International Falls resident said of the Haitian people. But, she added, it may be a long time before that country can recover.

Larson, who works as a public health nurse for Koochiching County, has made mission trips to the impoverished nation for the past six years through her church, St. Paul Lutheran.

And while she said that she is confident that the United Nations and other groups now providing aid to the country have plans to provide relief, she said that logistic concerns of getting supplies from the ports and major cities, such as capital Port-au-Prince, to more remote areas will make an already complicated and time-consuming process more challenging due to the quake.

She explained that diesel, which fuels much of the nation, comes from the capital to areas she has visited such as Cap-Haitian. She guessed that within days that area could be without fuel. In addition, food, medicine and other supplies also come to this and other outlying areas from Port-au-Prince, which was among the hardest hit areas.

Larson expressed sympathy for those living in the country, who she noted have already been through political strife and several natural disasters, mainly hurricanes.

Among many of that population there is a “feeling like there’s no hope,” she said. “A lot of them have already been through trauma. I don’t know how people are going to be able to put their homes back together again.”

Larson has seen first hand, on her half dozen trips to the country, the efforts made by Haitian locals as well as missionary and aid groups in providing basic services to those who are in desperate need. The country has basically no enforced building codes, making for compromised structures, she said. Access to medical care is limited. There is little to no heavy equipment to clear rubble and rebuild. Trash is burned in the streets, and running water and sewer services are uncommon, she explained.

“Compared to our standards ... we have better services here in the Falls than in Port-au-Prince,” she said of the capital and referred to other areas with populations in the millions.

“The human tragedy is of unimaginable proportions,” said U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar in a statement provided to The Journal. “The abject poverty and distress prior to the earthquake ... I can imagine how horrid the situation is now.”

Oberstar lived in Haiti from May 1959 to December 1962. He was employed by an American company that provided English language services, and worked as an English language instructor for students of the Haitian Military Academy. Since that time, he has continued to follow Haitian affairs and is widely regarded as one of Congress’ leading authorities on the nation, according to information provided by Oberstar’s office.

Oberstar noted that other nations need to continue to offer support and provide multiple types of assistance so that Haiti can begin to recover.

“I think this is a very critical moment for us, for the United States, for the international community ... If government fails in this humanitarian crisis, the political turmoil will be unimaginable and will plunge the country into another decade or more of even worse distress,” Oberstar predicted. “For humanitarian reasons, it is critical for us to intervene. But for the long-term stability of Haiti, our government has to show that it can partner with the Haitian government and provide service to the people and order amidst the chaos and show signs for long-term recovery.”

Oberstar also commented on how the political climate, including an upcoming presidential election in Haiti, will be affected by the response to the disaster.

“If, as expected, (President Rene) Preval’s government sets the stage for the presidential election next year as they have been doing, and he, as is required under the constitution, does not run, then Haiti can enter an unprecedented period of political stability that will foster economic growth and investor confidence to come back to the country. But this is a critical moment. If, over these weeks following the earthquake, the international community does not shore up the government, does not provide the humanitarian assistance and restore the services of government to the people then there will be an equal political earthquake and collapse.”

And even groups from Minnesota, what may seem a world away from the Caribbean nation, have offered to assist those affected by the earthquake. Several aid groups from Minnesota that work in Haiti say their people are safe, and they are getting ready to help in the earthquake relief effort.

Coon Rapids-based Feed My Starving Children already distributes millions of prepackaged meals to children in Haiti. Spokeswoman Gwendolyn Cowle said its operations escaped damage. She expects its volunteers will be packing even more meals in the coming weeks in response.

White Bear Lake-based HealingHaiti.org runs water trucks in a slum on the outskirts of the capital. It’s appealing for donations so it can bring one of those water trucks out of mothballs to provide emergency water to victims.

St. Paul-based World Wide Village is planning a round-table for Twin Cities groups working in Haiti to coordinate their response.

For those looking to make contact with these Minnesota-based groups, they can be reached on their Web sites: Feed My Starving Children at http://www.fmsc.org; Healing Haiti at http://www.healinghaiti.org; and World Wide Village at http://www.worldwidevillage.org.

Locally, St. Paul Lutheran Church can be contacted at 283-8642. While Larson said that no immediate plans had been made Wednesday to provide aid to Haiti, she said a group had planned to travel to Haiti in February, and she was unsure if that trip would continue as scheduled. Larson said that she had planned to return to Haiti later in the year.

Larson said that even sending money now was questionable, as she was unsure at that time if access to banks was even available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Local support for Haiti

McDonald’s of International Falls and Fort Frances will donate the proceeds of hotcake sales to Haitian disaster relief efforts on Sunday and Jan. 24 throughout the morning and afternoon. Proceeds from all brewed coffee sales on Friday will start the effort. The Salvation Army will be on site in the Falls from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday to collect kettle donations. All donations will be directed to Haitian relief efforts.