To Haiti...and Back!
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. Its epicentre was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 4:53 PM local time on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. By January 24th, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. The Haitian Government stated on February 10, 2010 that 230,000 people had been identified as dead and an estimated 300,000 injured had been treated. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
The earthquake caused major damage to Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi.
 At a little after 4:00 PM a group of Rotarians from District 5890 arrived at the airport in Port-au-Prince. There was some delay in getting their luggage which set back their departure from the airport and put them on the road into Port-au-Prince just when the earthquake hit. If they had not been delayed at the airport they would likely have been in the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission when the earthquake caused its collapse. In communication by phone and in coordination with other District 5890 Rotarians the group was transported to the Dominican Republic where a charter flight returned them to Houston.
This week Vernus Swisher and
Cherazard Surpris, two of the Rotarians involved in the mission to Haiti visited with us to share their experience. They described the destruction, the devistation and the suffering they saw as very sad and frightening.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and is ranked 149th of 182 countries on the Human Development Index. The Australian government's travel advisory site had previously expressed concerns that Haitian emergency services would be unable to cope in the event of a major disaster, and the country is considered "economically vulnerable" by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It is no stranger to natural disasters; in addition to earthquakes, it has been struck frequently by cyclones, which have caused flooding and widespread damage. The most recent cyclones to hit the island prior to the earthquake were Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike, all in the summer of 2008, causing nearly 800 deaths.
By the end of January the mission of those Haitians uninjured by the earthquake and the responders from other countries turned from one of rescue to one of recovery and rebuilding. Due to the poverty of Haiti outside support will be needed for the foreseeable future in order to feed and care for those who survived the quake. Learn more on the Rotary International website. |
Guests, Visitors and Other Good News
Along with Cherazard Surpris and Vernus Swisher, visiting from the Houston Club, we welcomed Candy Cromwell (Houston Skyline Rotary Club) and Jon Rostkowski (from a Rotary Club in British Columbia). President Bola and Jon exchanged club pennants.
Wayne Staton did the honors and Lai'ed Delores Delsing - the latest club member to complete the "Every Rotarian, Every Year" donation of at least $100 to the Rotary Foundation.
The club was delighted to "Welcome Home!" our world traveler, Chuni Vyas. Chuni will share some of her latest globe trotting adventures with us at a meeting in March. |
Annual Wine Tasting Dinner & Silent Auction
February 20 - Dinner and Silent Auction, 6:30 PM at the Hilton Houston Southwest
This is our big fund raising event for the year and it needs to be successful to enable the club to fulfill many of the service projects planned for the coming months. All members should try to find items for the auction...small, medium or large...just something that people would like to bid on and own. All information on the items for the auction needs to be given to Ken Burgess by our meeting on Tuesday, February 16th. Click here to download the item info form. Click here to make reservations.
Thus far we have a DVD Player with remote control ($90 value), Pass for four to play golf at Sharpstown Golf Course ($100 to $200 value), a beautiful boxed set of polished wooden puzzles ($50 value) and a rolling TV table stand ($20 value).
Less than a week left to get your donations to Jeff Novy or Ken Burgess. And at the lunch meeting on Feb 16th we will need your reservations to let the Hotel know how many will be in our group on the 20th. |
