We had two flights today from Nassau and 1 from Tortola into Haiti. The flight from Tortola had Dr Klas Buring and Dr Belkys Rhymer on board along with the orthopaedic tools and supplies necessary for the surgeries that were waiting. Our Immediate Past Assistant Governor Eves Martial received them. Thank you to the BVI team.
On a side note, the three Rotary Clubs of the BVI and their Family of Rotary had a fundraiser the day before yesterday and raised $180,000 and have pledged to get to $200,000. It's a small country but what a huge heart!!!!! Thank You!
Of the 2 flights from Nassau today one went on to Pignon, and landed on the grass strip there. It is only 25 miles further south but saves 3 or 4 hours of delivery and transport on the ground. Pignon is the home of Caleb Lucien's Hosean Ministries and DGN Guy Theodore's Hospital. In the Rotary fashion Caleb was in Cap Haitien clearing the flights in and his wife Debbie received the flight in Pignon. Thanks Debbie. Tomorrow we are taking a lay day in the air. Caleb has loaded up one of his big school busses and a truck and is making a run into Port au Prince.
The supplies will be sent to Rotarian Dr. Claude Surena in Port au Prince to allocate where needed. We will resume flights in again tomorrow. We have been receiving very specific Medical supply lists that we are continuing to fill. We have sent approximately 50,000 lbs of medical supplies so far and most of them donated. We used some of the relief funds raised to purchase the exact supplies needed and have them ready to be loaded tonight. PRID Barry has a full size Gym at the Western Medical Clinic in Nassau. We have received enough to fill it and it sits about 1/3rd filled today for those trying to imagine the quantity we have moved.
Photo: JONATHAN TORGOVNIK for CNN
As I mentioned we have spoken to our Rotarians in Jamaica and we are now in the process of shipping the big and heavy stuff from the US through Jamaica via Air Jamaica and onto Port au Prince. We have huge generators, water makers, water etc going that way. Nathan is trying to organize for the Southern Command to meet with us to plan the ground distribution to remote sites in Haiti. That will probably work hand in hand with the Shelter Box Camps. More to follow on that if it happens. We will use some of their big helicopters to do lifts out of Port au Prince and drop in sites designated and distributed by Rotarians as mentioned earlier.
St. Croix has sent 1200 cases of water and additional supplies by Barge and are intended to land in St. Marc and transhipped into Port au Prince. I am following that and will advise how that goes. We have 2 inbound flights from the States that are picking up medical supplies in Vero Beach and then on into Nassau and onto Haiti. They are staying with us for a week to do additional runs.
I think we have approximately 15 planes at our service in total right now. Rotary Rocks! And, Rotary Flies too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are trying to organize the barge and should have that completed in the next day or so. That will be a run for the heavy stuff. We are cleared into cap Haitien and should have the ground trans available to get it to Port au Prince.
We are going to need to take fuel to provide for ou=r truckers as that commodity is very low right now. Our club in Carrefour is desperate for some. Unfortunately we can not fly it so we are trying to get some to them from within Haiti.
The way forward is beginning to be more strategic as we are able to find out more information on what is happening on the ground and the international relief becomes more organized. We have been very effective in providing support where the "big guys" have not yet been able to get to yet, which has avoided wastage and duplication of effort.
I plan to go down with a small team in the next short while to assess where we are with the ground team in Haiti, but will only do so when they feel that is appropriate and will not impede what they are doing. I have been told that the quake that hit Cayman on Tuesday morning did not do much damage.Thankfully that is the case.
Keep up the great work with the fund raising and supplies collection through you local relief efforts throughout the district. This will be a very long process and every effort that you have made will eventually be put to use on the ground there when appropriate.
I'll keep you posted.
PDG Dick
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