Ted is a friend of ours at church. He works as an air traffic controller at O'Hare Int'l Airport. He recently was sent to Haiti to help with air traffic control at the airport. Here is his testimony:
I received an email at my work, (the Federal Aviation Administration) seeking managers who have either Haiti experience or can speak the Creole language. The FAA was planning on having a strong presence at the airport in Port-au-Prince as the major recovery and assistance would be staged there as a result of the earthquake of Jan 12th. I responded with my background as I had been born right in Port-au-Prince while my folks were missionaries, and lived there for the first 9 years or so. I was fluent in Creole as a child and would be interested in returning if I could be of benefit. A few days later we’re scrambling to get shots, a flight and communication set up because- I’m going!
Returning after nearly 2 weeks in PAP, here are the comments I made in church on Sun.:
I am asked all the time “was it really as bad as they saw on the news?”. The answer is yes! I was even surprised. I liken it to a Hollywood set shooting a WW II movie. The buildings were flattened block after block and the ones left standing were unsteady. People were reluctant to go into the buildings for fear of aftershocks. The streets are littered with rubble and in some cases impassable. As bad as it was though, it could have been so much worse.
Had the quake of Jan 12th taken place at night when all would have been in their homes and response much slower, the death and injury toll could have been double. Had the quake taken place a few months later when rainy season was at peak, the rescue and recovery effort would be delayed and resulted in more loss. And here is something you may not have heard on the news. The quake was centered about 15 mi. s.w. of PAP and ran north right through the capitol city populated by about 3 million people. It damaged or destroyed everything in its path. The major pier in the harbor that would handle the load of large container ships was partially destroyed and rendered unusable. The Palace of the President, a beautiful white building similar to our own White House has collapsed on itself. The huge Catholic Cathedral has no roof and almost all walls have fallen inward. Destruction continued all the way to the terminal building of the airport. It barely stands, scared with deep cracks and the control tower sitting atop is twisted. The entire facility considered unsafe and unusable. If no ships and no planes, then no aid. And then…it was as if God himself had stretched out his hand and said “no further”. You see the airport ramp adjacent to the terminal and runway 500 yards away sustained no damage. How does that happen? How does a rumbling, heaving earth suddenly stop its motion? I see the hand of a merciful and compassionate God.
A typical day at PAP airport would see about 50 or so flights. Two weeks after the quake, more than 400 flights (arrivals and departures) around the clock bringing food, water, medical supplies and medical personnel. While makeshift tent hospitals and clinics were set up throughout the city, volunteer doctors and nurses began to meet the needs of the injured and dying. Disease is always stalking in a 3rd world country like Haiti. No way around it. Any open wound is life threatening. Antibiotics not readily available are cause for amputation. The line of patients outside the hospitals is long and the doctors and nurses are soon exhausted. There is no time for rest.
Several thousand military personnel, primarily U.S., have been moving food and water from the cargo planes as fast as they arrive all the while maintaining security at the airport. Supplies are then loaded on distribution trucks and sent throughout the city and outlying area. It’s noisy and busy at the airport 24 hours each day and my tent is 200 yards from the runway. The days are dry and hot but I wake each morning to clear skies and a sunrise that reminds me of a passage in Lamentations 3:21-25:
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning,
Great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I will hope in him”.
The Lord is good to those who wait on him,
To the soul who seeks him.
What is the future of Haiti? How would I pray for Haiti?
First, that God would raise up men and women of character to rebuild Haiti. It’s my opinion that the entire city of PAP needs to be rebuilt and only a government that can put the people and country of Haiti first can succeed.
Secondly, that the people of Haiti would recognize that they have been spared despite their difficulty. That they would turn to the one true God who has not forgotten them.
And third, that God himself would demonstrate again that He is…”gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love to these poor souls.
Ted Anderson
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