Goshen News, Goshen, IN

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January 14, 2010

Haitian students at Goshen College hear family is OK

By Rod Rowe

Goshen College students Rayna Pierre and Laurent Hudicourt, natives of Haiti, had anxious moments this week, before they learned that their families in Port-au-Prince survived Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.

Rayna, a sophomore, and Laurent, a freshman, are cousins who grew up together in the same neighborhood of Petion-ville, uptown of the capital city.

They were very anxious for the first 24 hours after the earthquake hit, because no communication systems worked. But during the past two days the young people have had contact with their family by the Internet, using Skype, but have not had long conversations, Laurent explained.

“Now we’re waiting for every slight bit of information from friends. We feel so worthless,” said Rayna, glancing at her laptop computer in her third-floor room in the Yoder dorm.

“I asked what people are doing,” Laurent said Thursday evening. “I asked if I can go back.” But parents of both students told them to stay at Goshen and in school.

“He (his father) said he’s glad I wasn’t there for this,” and witness the devastation, Laurent said.

The pair just returned to Goshen Jan. 5 after visiting Haiti during the Christmas break. Classes began this week.

“Our families live in the same neighborhood, so we can help each other out,” Rayna explained. Now they are helping others, too.

She said two of her friends were killed in the earthquake and some of her friends are missing. Laurent said he knows of friends who lost relatives. “I wish I could go back,” he said.

Family helps

Rayna said her mother is an optometrist and is working at the local hospital. Laurent explained that their families are volunteering at that hospital, because much of the staff — except some doctors — did not get there to work.

“My dad sells water, so now he’s giving it to people who need it,” Laurent said. He drove Laurent’s mother to the hospital where she volunteered in administration, but he felt he could not work there, so he distributed water.

“Everyone there asked him if he was a doctor, but he is not,” Laurent explained.

“None of the people at the hospital normally work there, except for a few doctors. They don’t know why they didn’t come in,” Laurent said.

“During this time, you can really see how people are helping one another,” Rayna said. “It is an awkward time. No one knows anything.”

Laurent added that he has learned of friends in the United States who are struggling to get flights back to the island for funerals of their relatives.

The young people first saw the disaster on CNN and have seen pictures on Facebook, they said, but both have stopped looking at gory pictures.

“I stopped watching when I saw the bodies of dead babies in a pickup truck,” Laurent said.

Their families are sleeping in their cars near their homes, but are keeping a distance from buildings, because of the possibility the damaged structures might collapse.

Laurent said he is disappointed that the Haitian government has not sprung into action, but instead is apparently waiting for foreign aid. He said the government recently spent millions on bulldozers, but they apparently are not in the streets, clearing debris.

The students have been busy, learning about systems that may provide aid to Haiti.

Laurent said he tracked down a rumor that UPS would ship free aid packages under 50 pounds. He said he called and learned that is false.

He said the Red Cross has a system for accepting donations as well as Yele Haiti. The students also said UNICEF and CARE are helping provide aid.

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