I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone (by Gordon Gilchrist)

The rain last night could only be described as torrential, and the sinking feeling I had was not only from the mud under my sandals. We thought we had some time before the rainy season hit, but this seemed to say we were wrong and already too late. We have started to build a great relationship within the camp; not only have we showed up more than once, but we actually did something. Many people come and go, promises are made, but nothing comes of it. Cynicism is inevitable. Despair seeps in. Tensions rise. But in the last three days, A Better World has turned on the tap to 1000 gallons of clean water and will continue to supply water for six weeks, until the community can figure out how to buy their own or how to bring in town water. ABW and Indajoven brought the only health clinic the community has seen, and while the clinic was running, ABW made up 300 food hampers for the camp.

Yesterday afternoon, Pat and I were standing near the water tanks talking about fine tuning the system, and Thor was nearby talking with the community leaders. All of a sudden, Thor broke out in gales of laughter. The committee had been saying, "Just get us tarps. We can't afford to build these shelters you are proposing. We know how; we just can't afford it." When Thor quit laughing he explained to these men that they only had to build the shelter, that we would buy the materials. I cannot describe the range of emotions that rolled across their faces, but the final expression was undeniably relief! I am a father and a grandfather, and I know the worry they feel about the health and safety of their families. Their true level of deep concern did not become apparent until today.

Today the rubber hit the road! We met with Paco, the contractor, today about the shelters. I believe strongly in consulting local expertise and combining the best of both worlds. Pat and I have designed a solution for the camp buildings, then we redesigned them, then the rain hit and desperation to get more people under cover for the same money had us redesign them again. After all that, walking into this meeting, I truly believed we had the minimalist solution. Meanwhile, however, Paco had been meeting with the camp council and developed a much more detailed plan, including the number of people per family. Here is what they are asking for: 1.5 square meters per person (that is 16 square feet per person). Let me put that into perspective for you: in Alberta, if you want to rent out a single room, it cannot be less than 100 square feet! The request for space is half of what Pat and I considered to be the bare minimum. This means that the entire camp site will be able to shelter more people, IF we can come up with more funds. The upshot is that we have negotiated to get 44 families under cover. Work starts tomorrow! This is a great day for me, but an even better day for one small group of unfortunate Haitians. Thank you for everyone who has supported us so far. You cannot understand what a huge difference you have made. You just can't possibly understand! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Port au Prince: City Under Siege (by Gordon Gilchrist)

We are driving through the city right now trying to get to an artisan community, and, as we drive, Thor has been going over some of the statistics:

• 300,000 dead
• 50 Canadians still missing
• 400,000 moved out of PauP to the provinces
• 1,200,000 homeless left in the city

The problem with that third statistic, the large number of people leaving the city, is that the rural infrastructure is not in place to support that many people. When the international community invested in Haiti, they put most of the development into Port au Prince. The discussion in the car went something like this: when all the aid for Haiti was concentrated in Port au Prince, all the eggs were put into that one basket, and now the basket has been dropped, set on fire, driven over to extinguish the flames, had its ashes scooped up and dumped into a well that was then flooded with rain water and washed out to sea! That, as we see it, is the state of Port au Prince today! Now, we might be a bit punchy from a lack of sleep, but the assessment is not far off.

Back in the car now after visiting the metal artisans--pretty cool stuff! I will have some up for auction along with some paper mache art when I return. It was like music to hear the artisans pounding on the steel. It was the music of making a living, banging out a future for their families and their country. This work is very labor-intensive and truly skilled craftmanship. There is an undeniable, immediate, life-threatening need in Haiti right now, but there is a bigger, long-term problem, as well. Haiti needs to build an economy. These artisans are doing their part by creating a foreign market, making something that can be exported in exchange for foreign currency to build the economy.

We stopped at the Thor camp to see the water system. The people are thrilled to have clean water available! One person has been given the responsibility of metering the water out, and, as we speak, a shed is being constructed around the tanks to keep them safe. Pat and I surveyed the site for the best location to put up the first of 5 shelter buildings. I have some funding in place, but I need money! We have the contractor, the materials, the local labor, the blessing of the landlord; we are just short of cash. Here is the deal: we can put a family into interim housing for $4/square foot. I am a cheap Schotchman, so I can promise you, this is a cheap as it gets! They really need your help here! Please get involved!

I just want to add that I know many of you are worried about us, and I don't think that there is anything I can say to stop you from doing that, but the most dangerous part of this trip, like all trips, is the driving. We are quite safe, and I can certainly say that I am in my element. I am making a difference, using my talents to help others. I cannot stay at home, perhaps safer, knowing that these people are living like this when I can make a difference. I have the time off work, I have the talent to help make things happen, and I would like to think that someone like me would help our family if we were in the same boat.

Printing, Packing, and Pizza

Today was an odd day...a little of everything. I spent most of the morning drawing up the shelter plans. There was a bit of a time crunch because the printer lady was going home. She was very efficient before she left, however, and produced two copies of the plans Pat and I have settled on. In farm structures class I tell the students that if all they want to do is keep the outside out and the inside in then the cheapest way to do that is a pole frame building. It turns out, that is just what I need to do down here: keep the outside out and the inside in. So, guess what? We will start construction of a pole frame building on Saturday. We just received word that it is raining in Port au Prince tonight. By morning there will be a quarter million Haitians in varying degrees of wetness! Now is not the time to pontificate; now is the time to act!

Eric and Pastor Ron packed up today to head into Port au Prince. You know that a guy has not ever been camping when he asks you how to roll up a sleeping mat! Eric received his fair share of ribbing while he tried to get the air out of the mat and get it stuffed into the carrying case. He prevailed in the end,though. Pat and I stayed behind to finish up some things and to go to the artisan group in Jacmel tomorrow.

The food here has been great albeit a bit unusual. I am thrilled that it is not spicy! Tonight had fried chicken and pizza with potatoes and gravy. Not the usual combination, but it all was very good!

Last night, I had the munchies. I went into the kitchen and a few of the guys were there talking. When the subject of snacks came up, it was mentioned that there was a bag of animal crackers on the counter. I went to retrieve the bag and discovered more animal crackers than I have ever seen in my life. In fact, the bag weighed 30 pounds! They tasted great! I ate too many.

On the way to the beach there was a very nice little restaurant (was being the operative word.) Just about all that is left of it is the door and, sad as it is, the sign on the door is very funny. Have a look and tell me what you think the sign was supposed to say?

On the road tomorrow. I am anxious to get the community starting to build their new homes! I don't know if we will have internet from here on in. We are not staying at the same place as last time. (I guess when you run from a house scantily clad they think twice about asking you back! Go figure!) So, I don't know when you'll hear from me again, but 'til then, appreciate just how dry you are tonight.

Smile :)

I slept last night! The day looks brighter on a good night's sleep. Makes it a little easier to look to the light and forget the night. The previous night will be hard to forget, and it is important to remember that there are about 3 million people here who have had to repeat that night for six weeks now.

On a much lighter note, Ray from A Better World read my blog and sent Eric an email suggesting that we take adult diapers on the next trip. It seems he thought that Eric offered me a towel as I streaked passed him because the aftershock had literally scared the crap out of me! Eric explained that his offer was not because of any incontinence but because I had streaked past him. At this explanation, Ray laughed so hard that Eric was afraid Ray would need diapers. I want to set the record straight, however. I was not naked; I did have my underwear and glasses on! I am glad my experience could bring a smile to someone's face, at any rate. It didn't bring one to mine at the time, but, in the light of day, I have to smile, too.

Yesterday, Pat inspected a number of buildings for structural integrity and had to deliver some bad news to some families, but was able to offer suggestions to others on how to repair their houses. Some houses received a clean bill of health, and that is the kind of news that will put a smile on your face. There are some very clear trends emerging about why some structures failed and others didn't, but I won't bore you with the technical details here. Unfortunately one of the buildings that had to come down was the trade school here at the Haiti Arise campus.

We walked out to look at a potential site for a clinic and school, and what struck me was the irony of Haiti's gang culture. Pre-earthquake, Haiti worked long and hard to clean up the gang problem, to get rid of the colors. Now there is a new type of gang culture with the the makeshift tents acting as symbols of the organizations at work aound them: blue tarps mean Samaritan's Purse; white tarps mean Canadian armed forces; white helicopters mean the UN...You know helicopters always put a smile on my face.

We went to a local hospital because the team doctor had some questions. Pat and I were drawn to the building's damage and concluded that this hospital had probably had the roof removed by a hurricane sometime in the last few years, only to be damaged again by this! Our suspicions were later confirmed. We stopped at the local government school to find it in good shape but not functioning yet. Schools have children, and children always have smiles, even after an event like this! There is a lot to be learned from children.

There was a comment made about my pictures, that there are none of me smiling. I guess that is because I have had little to smile about. Not that because I am depressed or feel hopeless, but just because there are more questions than answers (and maybe because there is not enough sleep!) I started drawing up plans for temporary housing in the camps today--an answer! Pat agrees we are on the right track with the design and approach--an answer! I am involved with supporting an artisan co-op to export their work--an answer! The piles of questions in my mind are being cleaned up. Even my body got a break today; it was so hot we had to retire to the sea, and that put a BIG SMILE ON MY FACE!

"Hey Gordon, Do You Want a Towel?" (by Gordon Gilchrist)

I tried to get to sleep by 10:00 last night, I really did. But it was after midnight when Eric and I finished the ABW business, then we got into a philosophical discussion about what we were trying to get done here, so it was about 1:30 before I went to bed upstairs. Eric was still sleeping near the door. I spend an hour thinking about the day, then, just as I was drifting off another aftershock hit. My rational mind said "High frequency, low amplitude; no worries." My emotions, however, said "Get out now!" My feet didn't wait for my mind or my heart to weigh in on the issue; I was already halfway down the stairs! Eric was yelling "Gordon, get out!" when I shot past him at the front door. With his next breath he said "Hey Gordon, do you want a towel?" And, as a matter of fact, I did! (Remember, I told you that I do not heed my mother's advice to always wear PJs to bed!!) After the initial shock wore off, I thought I better get my clothes and such. I went back in and put on more than a towel. I had just sat paused by the table to get my computer when the next aftershock hit. Again, I raced out the door. This time, I did not need a towel.

Eric and I decided to sleep outside like everyone else. The logical part of me lost the debate last night, but you can't win 'em all. I slept on the driveway next to a short retaining wall, and Eric slept in a car. There was one more shock that rattled all the fences. The reality is that these aftershocks are nothing like the real quake physically, but the emotional toll is immense.

In the morning we said goodbye to our great hostess as she stood by her tent and took one last look at the great house that no one, even us, will sleep in. These people have been living with this situation for six weeks now, every night, and they don't get to leave the country in a week for the bedrock of the Canadian prairies. Everytime I come home from a trip, I reflect upon a mental list of reasons for why I love my home. Now I will add one more: no earthquakes!

We also said goodbye to Thor today at the airport and then jumped into the Haiti Arise vehicles to drive out to the campus. All the way along you see groups of Haitians working to clean up--some seem employed by NGOs while others seem to be self-organized groups.

The thing that did not change--that never seems to change--is camp after camp of makeshift tents. I just can't imagine what this will look like when the rains come. Wait...YES I CAN, and it is ugly.

It is more than a little embarrasing that the tent we have now moved into is so much better than anything else around here and is designed so it can't fall down in a quake.

Must go to a meeting now. Tomorrow, I will tell you about inspecting houses.

Shaken, and Stirred (by Gordon Gilchrist)

It was after midnight before I turned in and some time after that before the adrenaline turned to deep sleep, but, tired as I was, at 4:36 this morning I went from a dead sleep to highly alert. As I leapt from my matress, the first thing to go through my mind was my mother's voice saying, “You should always wear PJs to bed,” but I don’t. The second thing to go through my mind was the knob on the dressser. Apparently, I had rolled over in the night, and, when I lunged out of bed, I lunged from the wrong side of the matteress into the nearest piece of furniture. What did not go through my mind was if the shaking was caused by a truck; in no time at I I was fully aware that no truck was causing the tremor that woke me. Aftershocks are an effective way to stir one from slumber!

We are all fine, and there was no new damage in the area around where we are staying--none that I can tell, at least. It would be tough to know if some of these buildings are more damaged today than yesterday. It is tough to get back to sleep after that type of an awakening, but I tried. Needless to say, the day started at 4:30 a.m.

There was no water this morning, and it is very hot today, so I bet I smell pretty ripe. I did get some texts out, but communication is tough and very sporadic. I got a connection at lunch long enough to let my family know we are fine and to get a broader message out via Facebook. Thanks to my editor for getting an update on the blog site as soon as she knew we were safe. That is a big help. But enough about me...

We have been working on getting water to Thor’s camp for a few days now. We met with the camp council this morning to work out the final details. We then left them to build a stone pad 1.5 meters high for the tanks while we went to the bank to get money. As it turns out, they can build faster than we can get cash. We have tanks in place tonight, and the water truck is ordered for tomorrow. This does not fix the problem; the water has to be paid for, but the residents will have to work that out. A Better World will supply the first six-weeks worth of water, but then they need to sustain themselves.

I now have three building proposals to talk over with myself: standard wood frame with a stressed skin (inspired by the Hawker Hurricane), a pole frame (inspired by a 1960s' hay shed), and a ridged steel frame hoop house on steroids (inspired by insanity, I suppose...the Gordon Gilchrist 2010 variety). Coming up with these options has been kind of a trip down memory lane for me. Who would have dreamed that what I learned in aviation school might keep earthquake survivors dry decades later?! I need to have a solid plan in place soon so we can get started ASAP; the rains are coming! I have promised myself (and Eric) that I will bring these semi-permanent shelters in for a $1000/family. Remember, that amount won't buy you much of a garden shed in Canada, but they would be happy to have one here.

I was shaken awake and stirred into action this morning and have not stopped since--not stopped thinking at any rate. Keep us in your prayers, your thoughts, and your cheque books. The Haitians have labour, building materials, and a huge need. All they lack is a little help ($$$) which we can provide. Thanks to all who have sent comments, emails, and words of support. Remember, for every person who comes down here to help, there should be 100 people behind them at home. Nothing happens without your support, THANK YOU!!!!

*** EDITORIAL NOTE ***

According to the USGS, Haiti experienced an "aftershock" at 9:36 a.m. (local time). The magnitude of this occurance was a 4.7 at the epicenter, approximately 35 kilometers west of Port au Prince. We want to let you know that we have heard from Eric Rajah and Gordon Gilchrist who are currently in that area and THEY ARE OKAY. They report that all is business as usual today in spite of the tremor. Continue to pray for their safety (and that of everyone in the country), but rest assured that they are safe and secure at this time.

Over the Hill!

Wow, what a day! We started in Port au Prince and then traveled over to mountains to Jacmel where the Canadians are stationed. We saw them guiding traffic around the fresh landslides. There is good reason to stop: your traffic control officer has a machine gun!

Jacmel is a beautiful town on the coast, a tourist destination with a few good looking hotels. We were there with Thor who is supporting an artisan project to get the talented people back to work. Everything takes longer here--including lunch!--so it was 2:00 before we started to Grand Goave. The road follows the mountain ridge for most of the way making for spectacular views but a bit of a scary trip with the road all cracked up. All in all, these are some of the best roads I have been on abroad; better than Saskatchewan!

We stopped briefly at the Haiti Arise camp and met Mark and the Samaritans Purse team (more on that later.) Driving home we passed many tent camps, but you should know that when I say "tent" I mean everything from sheets on sticks to air conditioned army tents. There is aid here, but it is not getting out like it should, partly because organizations are having to cycle their staff in and out. If you do not have a strong spokesperson, your camp is in trouble. So let me put another plug in to any UBC administrators out there: find a way to keep your guy on the ground in Haiti! KEEP MICHAEL (THOR) BURNHAM IN HAITI!! (Carole, this is your chance to help. Surely you have a contact?)

It is raining as we speak, and I am inside. Our host family has gone outside for the night as they will still not sleep in their house. Eric sleeps next to the door. I am not so worried for myself, but I know what is happening in the camps tonight, and it is not good! The rainy season is upon us very soon. Tomorrow I will draw up a few options for transitional housing. We can't put permanent housing on the tent sites but there is nowhere else until some rubble is cleared. These people can't live in tents. The cheap farmer in me is working on a solution for about $1,000.00/family. Materials are more expensive here than at home, but labor is cheaper.

I am falling asleep at the keyboard. Well, that is not true, but my mind is wandering back to cheap shelter, so I will quit for the night.

Glance Behind but Look Ahead

Eric and I have not left Port au Prince yet. It is hard to walk away from the need. What I saw today reminds me of the news reels from the Second World War of a bombed out city. One building would be completely collapsed while the next one would look just fine. The amount of damage here is unbelievable. One estimate I heard states that 1000 trucks running 24 hours a day will need 2 years to clear downtown Port au Prince. I think that is optimistic. (It doesn't take into consideration that buildings that are completely collapsed are easier to deal with than buildings that have just partially fallen down.)

The 'structures' teacher in me sees examples of failure in shear, in compression, and in tension. The father in me smells the decaying bodies of school children and teachers still buried under tonnes of concrete as we drive by a large school. Burned in my mind is the image of a young man squatting alone on top of a pile of rubble, head in hands.

This place could grind you into a pit of depression if there wasn't so much needing to be done. The choice I made is to glance into the darkness but to focus on the light. I spent most of the day in two tent camps--small by Port au Prince standards. The first has about 700 families and is currently being run by a capable 23-year-old young lady from the Dominican. The camp is just below the Red cross building and beside a church mission, both of which are heavily fenced, beautiful, and not doing anything to assist those within the camp on their doorstep. The second camp is being helped by Thor, a professor from UBC who specialized in Haitian studies. This camp has even worse conditions than the first and, thankfully, is smaller with only 103 families.

As I stood on a nearby roof with a non-functioning water tank on one side and a pigeon coop on the other, I surveyed the smaller camp and my mind screamed, "look ahead, look ahead!" This is the situation where I function best: problems that demand to be solved with little money and time. And what I see before me here is definitely a big problem! This will require more than one step and much of the solution is simply not within the capabilities of A Better World or any other small NGO. It would be easy to become overwhelmed and depressed, but there is just no time for that. Instead, we will identify those things that we can do well and make the solutions happen as cheap and fast as we can. Time is working against us; the rainy season is fast approaching, and these tent camps will be a breeding ground for disease and misery.

The tent camps were needed, and a permanent solution is needed as well, but in the meantime (LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!) a semi-permanent solution needs to be put into place. New houses cannot be built where the tents are pitched because they sit upon the city's parks and playing fields--any clear space, actually, public or private. So what can be done? I spent the afternoon in hardware stores and building supply stores, and I am working on an answer. Stay tuned...

P.S. If you are an administrator at UBC, you can help by telling your very useful and capable professor, Michael Burnham, that you will see to it that his classes will be covered and that you are going to keep paying him while he is down here. If you are not a UBC administrator but you know one, you can help best by sending them this blog.

Out of the Darkness and Into the Light

I have never experienced pitch black nor pure light. My life has been spent in the continuum between darkness and light. December 21st is a banner day in my house, because that is when the hope for more light begins. This has been a particularly dark fall. I quit writing this blog after Christmas partly because I wasn't sure if anyone was still reading it and partly because I didn't feel I had anything worth saying. It seems the days are getting longer now, however, and the light has returned to my life.

I believe we require a balance between darkness and light in our daily life. Too much of either is not healthy. Our lives can appear dark for many reasons: short days, no power, or tinted glasses to name a few. But I think sometimes the darkness is there simply because I forget to open my eyes and see. Often the light is there, has been there perhaps for many years, but I just don't open my eyes to see.

En route to Haiti as part of A Better World's assistance team for that devastated country, I arrived in the Dominican Republic and was asked what I thought of Santa Domingo last night. I had to reply that it was "dark." We had landed during the night and had no reference for what it would look like in the morning. But in spite of the darkness last night, morning came--as it always does.

Sometimes things look dark just because of what we compare it to. That's what the contrast slider is for! A little fiddling with the contrast control can fix this particular problem in a hurry. Being here in Haiti has quickly moved my contrast slider to the bright side for my life! Darkness and light are relative terms that cannot be expressed in isolation. Our lives are best viewed in relative terms, too. Recent events have reminded me of the importance of opening my eyes to see. The days are getting longer and relatively speaking, my future's so bright, I have to wear shades!

Keep the people of Haiti in your hearts, your prayers, or at least in the front of your mind.

P.S. Write a comment every now and then so I know you are out there.