Three Weeks In Haiti

On my last day in Haiti, a colorful sign at the airport for the Peace of Mind Hotel in Jacmel caught my eye. My friend Flo McGarrell died at that hotel on February 12th when the building collapsed. I felt Flo's presence. His love for Haiti filled my heart and I shed some of the few tears I allowed myself during my time in Haiti. I had no time for tears; there were too many stories that needed to be told. That night I boarded a military plane used to evacuate people and transport soldiers to Miami, still putting my camera to use, still meeting people and listening to their accounts of how their lives had been forever changed by the earthquake. Ronny Gachelin was evacuating his daughters and planned to return to Haiti the next day. “Do people in America realize there are still bodies buried in the rubble all over Port-au-Prince?” he asked.

On my first day back I had the task of preparing a summary of my trip for the morning show on Fox8 in New Orleans (click here to see it). I started off talking about the military operation, pointing out the successes: the opening of the port and the completion of a major food distribution in which there was no major disturbance or violence. I clarified that the military has not been tasked to directly help the Haitians. They are there to support the Haitian government (a government the Haitians I spoke to think is utterly useless), the UN forces (there was preexisting tension between the Brazilian UN forces and the Haitians) and the NGO's (first and foremost the World Food Program). As the military installs air-conditioners in the tents of officers, Haitians in tent cities are getting soaked by rain, the rain a reminder of the clock ticking down toward the rainy season that starts in March. The soldiers are not building temporary housing for the Haitians or directly distributing food. That is not their role. But the need for basic essentials in Haiti is extreme. If basic needs are met, security issues will diminish.

Few Haitians in the tent cities I spoke to received more than enough rice for a couple of days, if that. Even affluent Haitians don’t know where to locate tents. No one knows where to turn for help.I spoke to Col. Robin B. Akin after the food distribution surge was over. She is committed to her job, arriving in Haiti days after the earthquake with the first team. They set up the base camp, advised on the workings of the food distribution program and the reopenning of the port. Her logistics skills proved good enough to set up a way for the soldiers to watch the Super Bowl. (See a clip of the 377th TSC watching the interception the clinched the game for the Saints here) She sees the food distribution surge as a major success. (Listen to her here) The military goals were met. I wonder if, had she been a Haitian, she would have been able to to navigate a non-existing governmental system and an uncoordinated effort set up by the NGOs to secure a ticket to get a 25 pound bag of rice to feed her family.

Many small NGOs, individuals and missionaries who directly touch the lives of countless Haitians are also providing aid. I spent a day with Michael Brewer of ReachHaiti Ministries. Michael and his wife Andrea set up an orphanage six months before the earthquake. The building that housed them is ruined. They relocated the children and are now looking to buy land and erect a new building for the orphanage but are equally committed to providing aid to as many of those in need as they can. Sixteen volunteers from Tennessee have joined Michael in Haiti and are rebuilding a pastor's home and setting up health care clinics on the streets in remote parts of Cite Soliel. They go out without security and provide medical services to anyone who needs them. (Watch clip of nurse Benny Parker in action here. and here )In the course of the day Benny treated over two hundred people. That day three people left the clinic with a fighting chance to save infected limbs that would have otherwise been lost, one woman having a miscarriage was rushed to a hospital and hundreds of others got a basic check up. Many of those who wait on line for medical care are not ill, but Benny treats them all with equal respect by listening to their chests and taking their temperature just in case. Most everyone lost a family member and is suffering from mental stress and anyone staying in the areas effected by the earthquake is experiencing eye irritation and congestion due to the dust. “People need to feel special, if only for a moment, so they wait on line to receive attention," Benny explained. Those that don’t need medical attention leave with an aspirin and a hug.

Rev. Jean Frank Antoine" is in charge of eight tent cities and an orphanage. (Here is a link to a story I shot for the Guardian at one of the tent cities he set up.) He introduced me to members of the board of Riedle, a NGO he is affiliated with. They took me to a tent city on the top of a hill in Carre Fourre that has up to 8000 residents for whom they are trying to secure tents and food . People there told me the only aid they've seen was a small amount of rice early on and that they need more. The distribution surge missed them. Bernadette Desir is nine months pregnant. Her shelter doesn’t protect her from the rain. “Only God knows when things will get better,” she tells me.

Ben Constant, who opened up the National Stadium for use as a tent city for 1000 families, also runs two orphanages in Port-au-Prince with his sister Mary Jo Poux. Both structures are in need of repair. He has taken in newly orphaned kids at both places since the earthquake but has had to turn away others, as the facilities are full to capacity. To take more children in, he and his sister, based in New Orleans, need to raise more funds. She runs the Hope for Haitian Children Foundation , and will return to Port-au-Prince in mid-March with a container of supplies for the kids and others living in tent cities. Ben was in charge of the National Stadium before the earthquake, and is still in charge though no one in the government has said yay or nay to what he has done there. Professional soccer games being played again are a long way off so Ben’s commandeering of the stadium can be seen as a heroic action, though the stadium is no longer up to international standards. He has provided security for the people and clean water. There are only four toilets for 6000 people. None of those living there is not satisfied, but they are some of the lucky ones in Port-au-Prince. Everyone wondered why they are not recieving more aid. Many of them point the finger at Ben, wanting more from him since he is the only one who has helped them. When asked why he took the burden onhimself, he shrugs off the question as if what he did was what any man in his position would do. Many nights he sleeps there in his SUV, but had to leave one night as people screamed out in fear when a downpour occured. It was too much for him to bear.

Carnival, which would have begun on Feb. 14, was canceled and replaced by three days of national prayer. I joined Ben and his friend Evylen on the third day. (Watch Evylen remove a few objects from her destroyed apartment here.) Ben manned a giant truck souped up with all his sound equipment and circled the Presidential Palace, blaring songs and prayers. Though Carnival was officially canceled, the euphoria of the crowd felt like Carnival to me. (What a clip of parade here) I made my way through the packed crowd and climbed atop Ben's float where I was able to be in the center of the pulsing sprit of Haiti. I was blown away by the spirit of the Haitian people. Though they have few prospects for a bright tomorrow, they retain their faith and hope for the future.

The empty pits near Titanyen, a small city 40 minutes north of Port-au-Prince by car, tell the story of countless unidentified victims. A worker there told me there are over 200,000 are buried there already. The turn-off for the site is marked with a small sign: For the victims of January 12th 2010. Haiti is no longer a top news story, but it is still my top story. Check back in the next few days as I write up and post more stories and pictures shot over the course of three weeks in Haiti.

How you can help:
1.Donate to ReachHaiti Ministries. Listen to Michael speak about his work here -To learn more about them and give financial support go to www.ReachHaiti.com

2.Funds are needed for the orphanage Rev. Jean Frank Antoine runs which is now uninhabitable. The children are living outside, sleeping beneath blue tarps. Make out checks to the Riedle Foundation, with a notation For the Orphanages. You can can find out more about the Ridel Foundation at www.ridelhaiti.org.

3. Hope for Haitian Children Foundation, run by Mary Jo Poux, supports two orphanages in Port-au-Prince. They are in the process of filling and shipping a container of donated goods to Haiti for the orphanages. You can help then by donating needed funds for shipping.. Their website is www.hopeforhaitianchildrenfoundation.org . Contact, Shon "Sable" Gipson at 504 460-4193 or email shongipson@yahoo.com for more information

4.In Flo McGarrell's memory, I plan to continue shining a spotlight on Haiti through my work. If you want to enable me to go on with my work in Haiti, please consider buying a print or funding me directly. You can contact me via email at juliedermansky@yahoo.com or from my web site

images top to bottom: Cathedral, Prt-au-Prince/ Ruined homes in Carre Foure/Crowd in front of palace on last day of National Prayer/ Parade around the palace on Feb 14th, Carnival/Bernadette Desir in tent city/ Sign indicating mass grave site outside of Port-au-Prince/Open pit for victims of the earthquake/Benny Parker at examining a child at a roadside clinic in Cite Soliel/ Sacre Coeur in Carre Foure/ Generator for AC unit on temporary military base at airport/ Street in Carre Foure where many bodies remain under the buildings/ Berlin Exantus under blue tarp next to the orphanage that is no longer safe to live in/ Col Robin B. Akin (soon to be a general) in action

To see more video go to my Youtube page

For more images here is a link to a set of images in Flickr

and for more of my work in general www.jsdart.com

On the Ground in Haiti

We landed in Port-au-Prince just as the sun was rising . After getting our bearings and loading the gear onto a truck, we waited for transportation. Waiting is a sub-theme in most things millitary. Along the edges of the runway were pallets loaded with supplies. Civilians from different aid organizations were also waiting around. There was a sea of water bottles, everything from Aquafina to Fiji . Boarding small tourist busses from the Dominican Republic that had a tropical flair, we made our way to a camp known as APOD - Arial Point of Debarkation. Once in our tent we set up cots. I was lent a mosquito net which transformed my cot into a canopy bed of sorts.

The camp is in a state of constant flux. We had to move twice before we had a tent we could call home. Search and rescue teams made the initial set up and left the tents behind in a deal struck by the 3d Sustainment Command Expeditionary. In return for the tent loan, the 3SCE will use their logistic capability to return them. A jumbo tent ( the fusion cell) went up the first day I arrived and was made internet ready. It will serve as the logistical hub for the entire theater. Incoming troops are coming faster than available space to house them is identified, yet everyone is being accommodated.

The tents that serve as living quarters are basic. Inside them it feels like an oven in the daytime. The cots are standard army issue. Mosquitos and spiders share the space. There are Porto-Johns and portable cold water showers with outdoor sinks nearby. There is no kitchen, only MREs for grub and lots of water; the millitary is big on keeping soldiers hydrated. Considering there was nothing here before the earthquake the camp is pretty great.

I accompanied Sgt. Tomas of the 7th Sustainment Brigade to the port and another camp. His driver, Fred, lives in Port-au-Prince and gave us a mini tour enroute. The damage breathtaking; the devastation is mind boggling. I was surprised to see signs of everyday life everywhere. We drove by a bustling outdoor market and the streets were full of traffic. Tent cities all around the city are a reminder that nothing will be normal for a long time to come.

Iraqi police will be taking over the security of Iraq though many fear they are not ready

Hillary Clinton told the press during her visit to Iraq at the end of April: that the recent upsurge in sectarian violence is a major concern. It is a few terrorists making their last hurrah, as America gets ready to turn the baton of security over to the Iraqis. She is confident, she said, that all will be well. The MPs I have been talking to aren’t as confident and neither am I.

The last five days I have been at FOB (forward operating base) Shield, embedded with the 39th Louisiana National Guard MPs, checking on the progress of their mission. They were tasked as a PTT, police training transition team. While accompanying them to an Iraqi police station in Sadr City, two bombs went off in the sector. Time will tell if the Iraqis are ready to handle their own security or not.

I'm headed back to America. The first leg of my journey back starts the morning of the 9th- with a book and a film in the works on my time in Iraq. Check back for more images and a link to the final story on fox 8 in New Orleans.

Images top: Iraqi police bike with fake flowers / Sgt. Prince putting on her kevlar/MP's stop at check point in Sadr City
Bottom: CL. Jamal at his desk / Preachrd at check point/Car that had car bomb in it which only partially detonated/Al Jazaeer Police Station/Iraqi tank painted with flowers at check point/NaquinNaquin in police commander's office / MP checks for snipers as Phin Percy films on roof of police station /Fake flowers - landscaping at Iraqi police station/Smith takes down numbers of supplies in weapons room at Iraqi police station via flashlight since the station has no power/Craft cleans his nails with knife in commander's office at Iraqi police station

Outside the Wire

We went outside of the wire for the first time the other day. Leaving the wire means leaving the relative safety of the base, and venturing into unsecured territory. It was also our unit's first time off Camp Basra since moving here from the North- their first mission in Basra.
There were days of preparation for the trip and talk of the new rules of engagement. Many things have changed since January 1st when more power was turned over the Iraqis.
The night before the mission, there was a palpable tension. Everything was checked and rechecked. Some roughhousing erupted in the hallway resulting in a pile up causing one bloody nose and a lot of laughter.In the morning we gathered in the freezing cold for a briefing before hitting the road. Phin and I rode in an MRAP (Mine resistant armored plated vehicle) instead of the armored security vehicle, so we could get a better view out of the windows.

The view was of an endless horizon of sand. This part of Iraq is a vast desert. We passed a couple of camels, some Iraqi checkpoints, and few roadside stops.
Some Iraqi drivers made risky driving maneuvers while passing us and one driver veered dangerously close, but overall it was an uneventful ride.

After the business at hand was taken care when we got to Tallil, we made our way to an oasis of American fast food restaurants set up in trailers. Dinning choices were Taco Bell, Burger King and Pizza Hut served out of trailers. One could also buy an Iraqi carpet, get a haircut or shot in a large PX. Specialist Taylor scored over $200 worth of Monsters (an energy drink more potent then Rebull) while others loaded up on cigarettes, cookies and chips.
The ride back to Basra was more of the same,
We listened to the troops cover the earphones. They identify all of the approaching vehicles on the road and watched for suspicious activity and objects along side the road. Their voices mixed with music, made for a great sound track. The military has its own dialect full of expletives, slang and acronyms.

The ride was bumpy to say the least and with the extra 25-lbs. Kevlar vest on my back, and 5-lbs.Kevlar helmet on my head, the ride was uncomfortable. It was one of the more memorable road trips I have taken to date.

I got to go behind the wire for a trip to Taco Bell in the Iraqi Desert and made it back, with more dust on me than when I left. All in a day's shooting.