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RSSHaiti: The Three Rs of Disaster
Somehow, I went to bed on Tuesday night in denial. By Wednesday morning that was over. I had that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the same feeling I had after the tsunami and the same feeling I had after Katrina. I could tell immediately that this is going to be a long haul for many years: a marathon, not a sprint.
It is important to remember that all disasters have a life cycle: “The Three Rs of Disasters.”
Right now, we are in the “Rescue” phase. All hands are on deck to save lives and property. This phase involves finding and treating the immediate medical needs of survivors and stabilizing ongoing hazards, such as shifting buildings. As such, it is best left to the heavy lifters - government and military search and rescue teams. These groups also have heavy equipment that can clear roads and debris, as well as large specialized operations with mass distribution systems that have pre-positioned warehouses. The “Rescue” phase typically lasts a week, but with the extraordinary logistical hurdles being faced in Haiti, it may take longer.
The next phase is the “Relief” phase, where the focus is on creating temporary safe and sanitary conditions. As I saw in Katrina, the church is often one of the first places people go to seek assistance and shelter. We have already heard that in rural and outlying areas around the earthquake zone, existing clinics are seeing patients who have been able to get out of Port-au-Prince. Some of these clinics are expanding patient care to schools and church buildings. The “Relief” phase typically lasts a few months.
Finally, we get to the third and final phase: “Recovery.” During recovery the emphasis shifts to restoring services, rebuilding houses and buildings, and returning, to self-sufficiency. The Diocese of Haiti has a very large and vibrant social infrastructure and we fully expect that Episcopal Relief & Development will be there for the long haul supporting their important and vibrant ministries.
The challenge of the “Recovery” phase is that most of the television cameras have moved on, but the human suffering has grown. It is a chronic state, not a crisis. However, it is the phase that Episcopal Relief & Development and its partners excel at, because we work with churches that are part of the communities and know the needs best and how to meet them. This phase will last years. The unmet needs in a place like Haiti - which already struggles with immense, chronic poverty - will be monumental.
Right now Episcopal Relief & Development is focused on preparing for the “Relief” phase and securing the resources for the “Recovery” phase.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
For more information on the Haiti earthquake and on Episcopal Relief & Development’s response, please visit www.er-d.org/HaitiCrisis.
January 15th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I have over 5000 Small ” Sun Tent” Shelters that I can donate to Haiti. If you know of how these can be sent to the disaster victims, i would be happy to forward them on. Thank you.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Thanks for the summary. Fox news has 2 reporters stationned in the area (probably Dominican Republic)
You would have felt a little better if you were in Memphis near the Church of the Holy Communion today.. Many church members and assorted other citizens, including friend priests and rabbis,were lining the streets in that area with signs and buckets to receive donations. You will soon find out how much was collected because it is directed to E.R.D. We will keep on working for Haiti. We had a service last night to pray.
We have a Help Haiti committee, several of whom have recently visited ,and we have heard the food we collected arrived recently but we don’t know if it is still there.. Everyone realizes how hard it is to do much now but we are staying in touch
January 17th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Well done!
January 17th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
I hope the Bishop of Haiti is doing a better job than portrayed in the article on theNew York Times website, “Haitians seek solace among the ruin”s, Sunday January 17. It seems that Episcopalians who wanted to go to church found no service at the Cathedral, while Catholics did at their Cathedral. I hope that our reliance on this Bishop is well-founded.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Dear Cathy,
Thank you for your comment and for expressing your concern. Please know that Episcopal Relief & Development has had a long relationship with the diocese of Haiti, which is among our most high-capacity partners. I don’t know if you have seen the Jan. 18 article from the Episcopal News Service (http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_118530_ENG_HTM.htm), which shows that Bishop Duracin is leading relief efforts under very difficult circumstances and without regard to his own well-being. We want to do whatever we can to support him, the diocese, and the people of Haiti during this difficult time. I hope this information helps ease your concern.
Faithfully,
Rob
January 20th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Dear Anthony,
Thank you so much for your concern for Haiti and your generous offer of tents. Unfortunately, Episcopal Relief & Development does not accept gifts-in-kind. As you may know, getting critical supplies into Haiti has been a great challenge and currently it is large governmental and nongovernmental organizations who are able to gain access. You might want to try contacting InterAction, a consortium of disaster relief agencies that may be able to direct you to organizations who can use your donation.
Again, thank you for your inquiry and for your offer of support.
Faithfully,
Rob