On June 7, The BVI Beacon turned 40. To celebrate, it is re-publishing some of the biggest stories from its archives over the past four decades. The article below originally ran Jan. 14, 2010.
Shortly after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on Tuesday, causing a yet unknown number of deaths and damages, Virgin Islands residents began collecting donations and organising relief efforts.
The earthquake occurred about nine miles to the southwest of Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, according to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network. Tens of thousands of people may have died and nearly three million were affected, according to early news reports. Many buildings were destroyed, including hotels, homes, businesses, schools and the Haitian office of the United Nations.
Martine Mompoint, vice-president of the BVI Haitian Association, said she heard reports from Haiti of several hospitals, including a children’s hospital, collapsing.
Ms. Mompoint, who was born and raised in Haiti but now lives here, called the situation there “precarious.”
“Lots of buildings have fallen down, and the ones that are still up could fall down at any time because we are having lots of aftershocks,” she said.
In a press release, the Department of Disaster Management stated that the quake probably would not have been felt in the VI and no tsunami alert was issued locally, but “earthquake preparedness levels should remain at the highest.”
Tsunami watches were issued for the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Cuba.
The Haitian quake was of the same magnitude as an 1867 earthquake here, which caused a tsunami and extensive damage, according to the release.
Ms. Mompoint said that many of the 250 Haitians living in the VI fear for their relatives, and haven’t been able to contact them as the phone lines and other communication networks are down.
She said she received a text message from one of her family members saying they were alive, but they weren’t able to give other details.
VI residents concerned about family members affected by the earthquake should contact the BVI Red Cross, which will attempt to contact Haitians through the Red Cross office there, volunteer Eldrina Gerald said.
For Ruben Antione, whose parents live in Port-Au-Prince close to the reported epicentre of the quake, not knowing is the hardest part.
Since hearing the news, he and his relatives have tried without success to call multiple times through Skype and other means.
“We are just waiting,” he said. “It’s long and hard to wait. It’s not easy.”
Mr. Antione said that because Haiti suffered through multiple hurricanes in 2008 and is already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, foreign assistance will be crucial.
“This is a situation that they can’t deal with themselves,” he said. “They will need money, food, everything.”
Relief effort
International aid organisations and leaders of many nations have pledged assistance.
Government here is not planning a direct response, but efforts will be coordinated through the United Nations, said Linton Leonard, information and management officer at DDM.
Mr. Leonard said a response is planned, but hasn’t been fully determined yet.
The Premier’s Office asked VI residents to assist with the relief efforts and to keep Haitians in their daily prayers.
“The premier is very saddened to learn about Tuesday’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti,” Communications Director Sandra Ward said yesterday afternoon. “Government, through the Premier’s Office, will be working with local service organisations, including the Rotary Club and the BVI Red Cross, to launch a territorial appeal to aid the people of Haiti.”
At the office of the BVI Red Cross yesterday, donations were beginning to pour in.
“The community is really responding,” Ms. Gerald said.
She said the organisation is currently seeking cash donations instead of canned goods or other items.
The Rotary Club of Tortola, the BVI Haitian Association and BVI Women of Power were planning their own relief efforts yesterday.
The Rotarians have been working on a project for several months to construct a new school in Ile-a-Vache, a town on an island in western Haiti. The group has raised about half of its $100,000 goal for the project, said Rotarian Susanna Henighan-Potter.
The group, working with Michael “Beans” Gardener, who had previous contact with the community, adopted the school and has paid teachers’ salaries and funded equipment to provide clean water.
Rotarian Stephen Cooper, who heads the club’s Haitian committee, said that members received an e-mail from a Haitian Rotary Club, and are planning separate efforts for earthquake relief. But, he added, shipping goods to Haiti poses many problems for aid groups.
“What we know from our own experiences in Haiti is that the logistics of sending stuff is very difficult,” he said. “Cash is best because it can be sent and spent quickly.”
Mr. Cooper said that having local connections with organisations in Haiti will ensure that the relief funds go where they are most needed.
“They’ve accounted for every penny we’ve sent them, down to the last dime,” he said. “We can promise the money will get there; it won’t get lost along the way.”