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Petit Goave rockslide
UN working to clear rockslide along the road to Petit Goave. May 28 - Petit Goave
This trip was to the west from PaP along the seacoast. What once was probably a very pleasant ride now is a very sad trip. Damage from the earthquake goes on for miles and miles through this countryside. The quake was centered just off this coastal area, causing significant damage; estimates are in the range of 93% and I believe that to be true by what I’ve seen.
There is a great deal of damage to the road infrastructure all along the route. Large sections are under reconstruction. They are also laying up stone, wire and cement drainage ditches (remember, the rainy season is here) to protect what they have managed to rebuild and to also prevent severe washouts of the still damaged areas of road. Since most of the road bed is gone - there are HUGE potholes everywhere; brings a whole new definition to the concept of potholes. The car or truck literally drops in on one end, you drive through to the other side and then proceed to climb out. There is massive, choking dust clouds when it’s dry and then BIG and DEEP holes filled with water when it’s wet.
All along
Petit Goave rockslide 2
close up showing the huge size of these boulders loosened by the quake. the roadway, house after house after house is destroyed. These are single family homes. Some are flattened, which means the families there probably lost lives. Some are damaged and you see makeshift shelters alongside the homes. When I talk about homes, I’m sure you envision a home like we live in. However, a family home here is quite small, only a portion of the size of our homes. Most activity takes place outside, including washing clothes in pans and cooking over charcoal or wood ‘barbies’.
Whole little villages are demolished, replaced by tent ’villages’. I recall one in particular where all the visible homes were damaged. In an open field nearby, was a collection of about 30 MASH style tents clustered close together. A hand lettered sign with a name in French followed by the word Communatae. Obviously, this was a community before the quake and is still a community after the quake! May God bless them and help them to rebuild their community. Certainly their spirit is strong!
Everywhere I saw people going about the normal parts of their lives as they could. Bananas, plantains and sweet potatoes being taken to market. Small gardens planted. Larger fields of corn.
Petit Goave damage
Indictative of the damage within the city of Petit Goave. The usual pigs, goats and cattle. Roadside stands with all kinds of produce for sale. I saw a load of sugar cane being drawn by mules. I have seen sugar cane in the city with streetside vendors. They peel it, slice it into chunks about 6 inches or so and sell it in plastic bags of 4. Folks buy it and suck on it like candy. Surely must be very sweet. I also saw two teams of oxen (4 to a team) pulling large empty wagons. Have no idea what they will be used to carry. Along this road, there are large fields of corn and other agricultural crops than I have seen so far in my travels. Apparently, here the soil is rich and perhaps the weather is tempered by the sea. I even saw a tractor along the road; not a big one like we would see working fields back home, but a tractor none the less!
At one point, we discovered a bridge was out and we had to go off the road, down a small embankment, and ford the river to the other side. Fortunately, it was quite shallow, but I noted that the river bed
Petit Goave girl
She is the daughter of the School's administrator. She wanted me to take her picture, but then became very shy. was quite wide, so suspect it can be quite the raging river during a heavy storm.
Finally we reached Petit Goave. Again, damage to homes and businesses, on a scale with what I've seen in PaP. Note picture attached. We arrived at the SA Corp school. Our mission today was not to deliver mattresses and food but to check with the clinic there to assess needs. Additionally, we were to check on a Cash for Work program begun by the Salvation Army there (and in other parts of Haiti as well). The Haitian government has asked citizens to clear rubble from their areas and pile it in the streets. You will see this result when I finish my postings for PaP. Essentially, everywhere there are now piles of rubble, spilling over into streets. The government has indicated they will provide trucks to pick up the rubble and move it to dumping areas. However, that seems to be slow in happening and navigating through rubble strewn streets is difficult. The Salvation Army and other NGOs are funding these Cash for Work programs, hiring citizens to accumulate and move the rubble on their own. In the case of Petit Goave, the SA
hired taptaps to haul away the rubble as it is gathered. We believe this accomplishes several important things. It provides work and income for some people who have lost the means to provide a livelihood; clears rubble faster than it might occur otherwise; and empowers them to take responsibility to improve their conditions.
While in Petit Goave, my translator, Richard, and I visited the Corp school. I do so enjoy these visits to the schools. The children are always curious about me and gather around. They are so full of life and joy. I believe for them the return to school really does signify a return to a more 'normal' life. At least for a while they escape life on the streets, in tents or makeshift shelters, have a good meal and get to play together with friends. We caught them at recess and had a great time. There are some pictures of girls jump roping. I even got a picture of Richard jump roping with them. Created lots of laugher.
One young lad came to sit next to me. In very good English, he asked me who I was. Every time I say “my name is Myrtle”, it gets
lots of giggles. Apparently, this is not a Haitian type of name, or else it sounds very funny to them. He repeated it and several other boys came and sat down with us. The boy introduced himself and told me he was 15. He asked me many questions: where did I live? Did I have a car? Where did I go to school? I made some jokes and they all laughed and he said they all think I’m funny. By this time, two girls had joined the group. They spoke to this boy and he and Richard interpreted their questions for me. Mostly, they were interested in if I was married and if I loved my husband. I told them yes I was, touched my heart and said "I love him very much!". I flipped open my cell phone to show them the screen saver of his picture that John had loaded for me so I could look at it while I was gone. It got passed around the group amid a lot of tee-hees. One young lad said something and Richard interpreted for me. Apparently, because John has a big grin in this picture, he asked if my husband
Petit Goave Richard jump roping
Richard my translator joining in the fun, to lots of laughter! was funny like me. I said yes…but he answered back that he didn’t believe it, so I needed to bring him with me next time I came so he could see himself. So get ready John - you have to come to Haiti next time!
All the time I was at the school, it had rained heavily. We became concerned about that river crossing (remember?), so we shortened our visit and left for the long ride back to PaP.
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