Update from PDG Dick - January 20

Video Souce: CNN

Today (Actually yesterday, Jan 20th) I had some challenges! It was to be a lay day in the air as we had the Haiti ground team transporting supplies into Port au Prince, thanks to Caleb and Hosean Ministries large Bus and someone's truck. This got done and all the Medical Supplies were delivered to Claude Surena in PaP. Additionally a Shelter Box and supplies were also delivered to ADG Ted Lazarre who has been living in his car. Thanks Caleb for that personal rescue mission.

We had two flights today from Nassau into Les Cayes Haiti. Unfortunately we had a mix up with our flight partners and some of the stuff that went there was supposed to go to Pignon and Verrette but we dropped it never the less and will make up the balances to get Pignon and Verrette sorted out in the next day or two as we acquire what is needed and or requested by them. Les Cayes is in good shape with the exception of a few specific items which we are working on as well.

We have a team out of Florida and another out of North Carolina that are prepared to set up a surgical tent in the Hospital yard in Les Cayes. That is being organized today and I should have an update ion it in the next day or so.

St. Croix has a barge which is landing today if all is as planned in St. Marc full of 1200 cases of water and additional supplies bound for PaP. Tortola has also located an X-Ray machine and supplies and they are on the way and should be in Port de Paix Friday. We still need additional X-Ray machines. PDG Richard has located some from a St. Croix connection and we will organize them today. The Dialysis machines are also still needed.

Our Immediate Past Assistant Governor Eves Martial advised me that the team into Port de Paix was making great progress with the surgeries and they are going to be needing some supplies soon. That's on the top of the list for today.

Dr. Batsch from the Pignon hospital sent some pictures and some X-Rays to show the work they are doing as well and as soon as I can I will get them posted to the site.

St. Croix has sent 1200 cases of water and additional supplies by Barge and are intended to land in St. Marc and transhipped into PaP. I am following that and will advise how that goes.

I probably missed something but will add it to tonight's info.

I'll keep you posted.

PDG Dick

URGENTLY NEEDED in Haiti

Two men carry a child with a splinted leg on a makeshift stretcher in Port-au-Prince
Photo: JONATHAN TORGOVNIK/REPORTAGE FOR CNN

Dear all,

I need portable x-ray machines and orthopedic surgeons and surgical nurses for haiti.

Please contact me if you can help.

Thanks

PDG Dick McCombe

Photos: CNN

Update from PDG Dick - January 19

Video Source: CNN

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.

Please let me know what you have done and if there is any way I can facilitate getting it on the ground for you.

Thank you for the support.

I'll keep you posted.

PDG Dick

UPDATE from PDG DICK: JANUARY 18

An old woman whispers a prayer while sitting outside her quake damaged home in Port-au- Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. The woman was one of more than 100 old men and women living outside the home with no food or care other than an occassional bath from two orderlies who remained to help.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Another brief update.

We got 7 flights off the ground and in the air for Haiti today. Of those flights, 6 will go into Haiti directly and the 7th, the Caravan will do a second run from Inagua. We dropped in Cap Haitien, Les Cayes and Jeremie. The Methodist group was able to get 20 plus of their missionaries out on these flights

An old man lays on a bed outside his nursing home in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. More than 100 old men and women were living outside the home, that was damaged during Tuesday's earthquake, with no food. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

One flight from the BVI arrived Cap Haitien around noon full of Medical supplies. They return tomorrow with one Orthopaedic Surgeon and his tools and medical supplies and one EMT. They will be clearing and going through to Port de Paix. Our Immediate Past Assistant Governor Eves Martial will be receiving him.

Tomorrow we are looking at 3 flights into Cap Haitien. We are going to do a trial run into Pignon tomorrow to see how it works. It is closer to Port au Prince and will eliminate the ground transportation cost for that distance south. The supplies will be sent on to Claude in Port au Prince.

An old woman lays on the ground outside her earthquake damaged nursing home in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. With no food or medical care, some of the remaining 100 patients have already died of starvation(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

We have 2 very specific Medical supply lists that we are filling now for Port au Prince and Les Cayes and will have them ready to fly Wednesday morning. The balance of our donated medical supplies will be gone and we will begin to send the blankets and food as the main items. We do send in water but at $0.50 a lb it follows Meds and food on the priority chain.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

We have spoken to our Rotarians in Jamaica and we are making preparations to ship the big and heavy stuff from the US through Jamaica via Air Jamaica and onto Port au Prince. PRID Barry is working the details out on this with Dennis Chong.

Nathan is trying to get the Southern Command to agree to use some of their big helicopters to do a few lifts out of Port au Prince and drop in sites designated and distributed by Rotarians. Details to follow.

Our Team is doing well in Haiti given the situation. Pray for them as they work almost around the clock. Special blessing to PAG Caleb Lucien for his extraordinary efforts as the point person in Haiti for all these supplies.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

PDG Dick

Rotary in the News - Rotarian Claude Surena takes in over 100 earthquake victims into his home

Photo: Associated Press

Haitian doctor takes more than 100 patients into his home as refuge from devastation
By Mike Melia (CP) – 3 days ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — It wasn't long after Tuesday's earthquake levelled nearly all of the houses next to Claude Surena's that neighbours started showing up at his doorstep.

For years, the 59-year old pediatrician had treated the sick at his two-story hillside home near the centre of the Haitian capital.

Suddenly, he was running a triage centre, treating more than 100 victims on his shaded, leafy patio with food and supplies salvaged from ruined homes.

Read the full story here at The Canadian Press.

UPDATE from PDG Dick - January 17

Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times

Today's update will be brief.

We got 11 flights off the ground and in the air for Haiti today. Of those flights, 10will go into Haiti and one will go to Inagua.

The flight time from Inagua is less than an hour and much easier for the small planes so we are stockpiling there One flight has left from the BVI and is going through Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and on to Cap Haitien tomorrow. We are hoping that after clearing in Cap it can fly on to Pignon. We will know this later.

We have 3 pallets of Medical Supplies in Vero Beach and are working on the flights to get that to Nassau and on to Haiti with our Bahamas Methodist Habitat partners. Turks & Caicos has organized some more Shelter Boxes and they will be sent shortly.

Nathan has a container on the way to Miami and we will know more about the delivery method soon. We have asked for an indication from the on the ground medical team for specific medical Supplies needs and I will post for you as soon as I get it.

I believe Michael Terrelonge will be starting a blog for us.

Look for his announcment.

Thanks PDG Dick

Lionel Michaud cried after finding his 10-month-old daughter among the bodies outside the central morgue.

His wife was also killed when the building they lived in collapsed while he was at work.
Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times

UPDATE from PDG DICK- January 16

Doctors in a search-and-rescue team from Miami explained to Ajnor Amel, 55, right, and his wife, Lina Blanxfort, 53, that to save their son, Herby, 21, from the rubble they might have to amputate his foot. The team extracted him without an amputation, but it was not clear if he would have access to the medical care he needed to live.
Photo: Maggie Steber for The New York Times

A great day.

I am wrong, an EXTRA ORDINARY day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were able to communicate by phone with a couple of our Team in Haiti today, but our Satellite phones did not work. It did not matter we knew what we had to do. Claude Surena who has been one of our Primary Contacts in the Haiti disasters has been designated as the National Coordinator of the Health Commission they are putting in place.

That is a huge responsibility that he accepted at the insistence of the President Preval. Congratulations are due to him.

Our priorities Remain: Money, Medical Supplies, Blankets, Clothes, Shelter, Food, Water.

The Bahamas Clubs today collected in excess of 50,000 lbs of medical supplies, blankets and food.

We sent out 5 twin engine flights to Cap Haitien, of which 2 were scheduled to go on to Les Cayes. They were turned back to Cap due to rain.

Tomorrow we have 10 twin engine flights and 1 DC-3 leaving loaded with medical Supplies to be dropped in Cap Haitien and Les Cayes. We are working closely with the Methodist Ministries and they are bringing back departing missionaries on the return flights. We have another 6 flights schedule Monday.

The Jamaica Clubs together with their military connections are flying in supplies and returning with Jamaican nationals. Their proximity and the availability of these resources makes them extremely effective. They are coordinating the flights with inbound supplies and staffing with Claude Surina as well. Thanks Claude.

Many of the regions have raised large sums of money. As I said yesterday I have not had a chance to confirm these amounts but hope to do so for you soon.

I hope that the note below clarifies the need and importance of the fundraising by all of you across the District.

These fund raising initiatives are VERY important. While everyone wants to get or collect something to send, it becomes painfully clear very quickly that the challenge to get the stuff to where it needs to go on the ground is impossible.

The benefit to the most needy diminishes by the day. Many Rotarians can beg the supplies necessary but many more must do what they do in the fund raising department because that's what gets the job done. We will probably send $150,000 to $200,000 worth of goods down to Haiti in the next 2 days, but it will cost us close to $50,000 to do so. The $50,000 will get the goodwill on the ground where the needy will actually benefit and they will do so while the need is still there. Without it, we would have $200,000 sitting in a warehouse. A point to remember! Goods in a warehouse while they rebuild the port or arrange for shipping after commercial shipping opens will be too late for anybody.

Our container of medical supplies in Atlanta that was going to be transferred to a DC-3 tomorrow has hit a snag and further details will follow.

Our 3 Beechcraft from North Carolina are ready to go and we will coordinate that tomorrow.

PDG Dick

Vinette Zamor, who lost her entire family during the quake, awaits treatment outside the hospital.
Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Update from PDG Dick - January 15

Photo: BBC News In Pictures

January 15, 2010

A Great day!

PDG Amos and family are safe! Ted Lazarre has been found and is ok!

A very productive day as well. Supplies and money came in in great quantities from everywhere. Our District as always did the extraordinary. One club raised over $39,000 at their meeting, and another one matched it!!!!!! Supplies and funds in every region under the regional coordinators is coming in quickly and in great quantities. Great work clubs and Rotarians. I am sorry that I can not give you exact figures but the funds are going to a number of regional accounts and I am not sure of everything and would not want to mislead you.

Still using Satellite phones to communicate. Caleb, Claude, Guy and Ted. This Disaster Investment has been a life saver. Some protocols to work out yet but generally what a great thing!

Photo: BBC News In Pictures

On the lighter side, we had one flight leave from Nassau to Haiti with medical supplies and a Doctor Ageebe and a Nurse Fountain. Not everything went as planned but we made progress. The plane got there with the supplies which were picked up, but we lost the Doctor and Nurse. OOPS!

We finally found them but the old challenge of communication was interesting. I got a mixed message that they had been dropped in Port de Paix. I could picture them standing on a vacant dark lonely runway looking for someone they may be comfortable staying with until they were found, but in fact they had been left in Cap Haitien at a hotel whose name they did not know and no phone contact for.

The good news is in texting them on their Bahamian cell we were able to ascertain where they were and it was the same hotel we had stayed at when we visited the Cap Haitien club so we were able to use the satellite phone and communicate with Rotarians on the ground in Haiti and by tomorrow at 11:00 they will be on their way to Pignon to help the wounded at Dr. Guy Theodore's Hospital.

The challenges remain that the Port is closed, the airport in Port au Prince is over taxed and on occasion has to turn flights away, and the communication systems are restrictive. We are working around those. We are working with District 4060 (Charles Adams) on a plan to ship by sea to the Dominican Republic and tranship over land from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. We need to overcome the availability of trucks, the boarder and the inland challenges but with their help I am sure we can.

Photo: BBC News In Pictures

In speaking to Shelter Boxes they expect to have 2900 on the ground over the next few week. 900 are there now, and 1000 are on the way with the balance to follow.

We have a container of medical supplies in Atlanta that is going to be transferred to a DC-3 tomorrow and will be in route to Haiti by Sunday. A number of relief flights from other countries have gone in as well. Our Jamaican Rotarians in concert with the Jamaican Government and Coast Guard have sent in an army of supplies and people and are continuing to build their relief efforts.

Photo: BBC News In Pictures

We have 4 flights (Twin engine) leaving Nassau tomorrow for Haiti followed by a DC-3 on Sunday. The 3 Beechcraft from North Carolina to Haiti are due early next week and we will have 4 planes on the ground in Nassau for the remaining 2 weeks available to us and all we need to cover are the fuel costs.

The Donor Advised Fund is set up and we have full exposure on the International Web Sites.

Tomorrow is another day!
Successes to follow!!!!

Another very proud moment for us all.

Rotarian Claude who has been one of our Primary Contacts in the Haiti disasters has been designated as the National Coordinator of the Health Commission they are putting in place. That is a huge responsibilty that he accepted at the ins...istence of President Preval.

Congradulations are due to him. Please do not email him any congratulatories at this time as his email is very busy and he is trying to get things done. Congrats Claude"

PDG Dick

Photo: CNN

OTHER NEWS: We've heard from ADRR Christian Inervil from Haiti who says he and his family are fine. He confirmed also that two other Rotaractors - Pierre Carisme and Dominique - are also fine. Let's continue to pray for them all- Kameika Fullerton Delisser (Rotary Club of St. Andrew North)

Walk For Haiti - Wednesday, January 20

Photo: James Wray -In Pictures: 'Haiti Earthquake Aftermath'

The Rotary Club of Trafalgar, New Heights and the entire Rotary family in Jamaica are raising funds for the Rotary District 7020’s Disaster Relief Fund for Haiti, to secure urgently needed humanitarian supplies and other pressing needs as identified by those on the ground in Haiti.

As part of this fundraising effort, the Rotary Club of Trafalgar, New Heights will be staging a walk-a-thon at Emancipation Park and surrounding areas in New Kingston, between 5:30-9:00 pm on Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

Photo: James Wray - In Pictures - Haiti Earthquake Aftermath

Walkers are being invited to bring a donation of $200 and a candle.

As many people as possible will be given collection cans, which will be used to solicit funds from motorists and pedestrians during the peak traffic period. Walkers will re-converge at the park for an evening of reflection, forming a human chain around the track for a candle-lighting ceremony.

Departing from Emancipation Park, the planned routes are:

- Group 1: Knustford Boulevard to Trafalgar Road to Devon House entrance and return

- Group 2: Along Oxford Road to Half Way Tree Road to Chelsea Avenue to Dominica Drive to Knutsford Boulevard and return.

- Group 3: Along Oxford Road to Belmont Road/Worthington Avenue to Trafalgar Road to Knutsford Boulevard and return.


Contacts:

Fabian Brown, Club Member and Event Coordinator: 474-2570, stpats94@gmail.com

Allison Hickling, Director of Service Projects: 331-4548, allison.hickling@gmail.com

Photo: James Wray -In Pictures: 'Haiti Earthquake Aftermath'

Rotary Club Montego Bay Sunrise hosts Fundraiser for Haiti Relief Effort

Photo : SOS Childrens Villages Haiti

Hey Everyone,
As we are all aware, the situation in Haiti is, in the words of Haiti Disaster Relief Chair, "Very Terrible."

As logistics prohibit the movement and storage of "kind" donations at this time, cash is of significant aid.

It is in this effort, that I invite you to a social on Saturday Night, January 16, 2010 at 8pm at Palmshore Apartments, Ironshore, Montego Bay. Food and Drinks will be included.

Contribution is JA $2,000.

All proceeds will go to towards the Haiti Relief Efforts through the District 7020 fund.

As space is limited, RSVP is required.

Yours in Rotary Service,
Manoj Ramchandani
President 2009-2010
Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise
rotaryclubmobay@gmail.com

Photo : SOS Childrens Villages Haiti