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| 7/29/2010 5:17:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Avis Gardere, a 1965 graduate of Humboldt High School, has lived in Haiti for 35 years. |
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| Damage from the Haiti earthquake earlier this year is severe and widespread, Gardere said. |
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Humboldt native shares story of Haiti tragedy
Avis (Lundien) Gardere, a 1965 graduate of Humboldt High School, feels lucky to be alive after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti wiped out 20 percent of the population of Port-au-Prince.
Avis and her husband, Wilhelm, have lived in Petionville, a suburb of Port-Au-Prince, since 1975. They own and operate an import distribution company, importing wines from Argentina, Italy and France and snack items from the Dominican Republic.
Avis was in Humboldt recently to visit her mother, Maxine Lundien, and graciously shared her story of the earthquake in Haiti. Maxine passed away on July 20.
Avis said Haiti has gone through revolutions, hurricanes, rioting and more, but prior to Jan. 12 things were getting better. There was more tourism and more companies looking to invest in Haiti.
At 4:50 p.m. on Jan. 12, Avis felt the tremor start. They've felt tiny tremors before and they usually pass in a short time. This one didn't stop. Avis said her refrigerator started walking across the room. She was in the kitchen and the force of the quake knocked her to the ground. She got up and raced outside. Her husband was upstairs and didn't get out.
"I could barely open the back door. I called for my husband, but he didn't answer. Finally I heard a feeble answer. A cabinet had fallen on him and knocked him over," Avis said.
Standing outside their home, they surveyed the damage around them. All of their neighbors' homes were destroyed. She suspects extra reinforcement they used in their foundation to fight against mudslides on their mountain home saved their home from total destruction.
"It was seven something on the Richter scale. Combined with the length of time (about 35 seconds) is what did everything in," Avis said.
Aftershocks started right away. Cell phone service lasted for about 20 minutes, just long enough for Avis to call and let their children in the United States know they were okay. She grabbed her laptop and somehow Internet service kept on working.
"We had no idea of the scope of the damage. We thought maybe it was just localized. As it got dark, there were no lights. We could hear people screaming in the streets," Avis said.
The quake cracked their water tank and pipes. They bathed out of buckets for two weeks.
"The local power company used to supply power only six hours a day before the quake. So we had a generator, which was fortunate," Avis said. But fuel for the generator was scarce so they ran it sparingly. The entire electrical grid in Port-au-Prince was knocked out, and it took six weeks to get any power back at all.
As they began cleaning up their home, they wheelbarrowed out all of the broken items.
"Anything breakable was broken," Avis said.
She says the response to try to save lives was immediate. After three weeks the focus was more in treatment of injuries.
"My son, Ryan, was born and raised in Haiti. He was so upset he couldn't come and help out. He ended up getting on a Charter to volunteer for a week at a hospital in the northern part of Haiti," Avis said.
Ryan, who went to Humboldt High School for one and one-half years, lives in Jacksonville, FL, as does his sister, Alicia.
"We consider ourselves very lucky. We are still alive. Our house is still there. And we are still able to operate our business," Avis said.
She credits the people of Haiti with being very resilient. People are using chisels and wheelbarrows to haul away the debris.
"Big equipment is needed. Money has not been released by the international donors. Everything is just in limbo until all the stuff is cleared out. The whole city is flattened. And there are other cities in the country that are flattened. And now we are in the hurricane and rainy season," Avis said.
Avis said the most important need in Haiti right now is jobs.
"That will stimulate the economy. Instead of volunteering to build a school, send money and a construction expert and have the Haitians build the new school, or a new hospital," Avis said. The local newspaper reported 80 percent of the schools in Haiti were destroyed.
When people come to Haiti to help, they might expect to be fed and have a place to sleep. But there are few hotels left standing.
"What bothers me the most about the aid is the lack of coordination among the big players who have been doing this for decades. Why don't they have a plan in place when there is a disaster on who does what?" Avis said. "Sean Penn has been taking care of a refugee camp at a former golf course. Only through his concentrated efforts did five or six international relief organizations work together."
Her advice to people who want to help the people of Haiti?
"Help the Haitians help themselves. I've found charitynavigator.org to be most helpful. They rate organizations doing business in Haiti and tell how much of the donations go towards administration and how much goes for help," Avis said.
After the airport opened again in February, Avis was able to leave for three weeks in March. She stayed with her children in Jacksonville to recover emotionally.
"Aftershocks two months after the earthquake are a major source of stress. You have to run outside each time there is an aftershock. It's an automatic reaction," she said.
She said email was a lifesaver for her. Avis was able to share what was going on with friends, two of which are Lorraine Westfall and Bernadine Loebach, both of Humboldt. Avis comes to Humboldt every six months to visit her mother.
Avis and Wilhelm have worked hard to re-establish their business. The main port re-opened recently, meaning they could receive shipments.
"The Haitian people are determined to rebuild. They are hard workers. They are the most wonderful people you would ever want to meet. They are courageous and hopeful. They look forward to the future and do not dwell on the past. They are extremely faithful that God will take care of them," Avis said. "Everyone is astounded at how people all over the world sent help, sacrificing in tough economic times to aid the people of Haiti. Unfortunately, the help will be needed for years to come."
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