As Haiti emerged from the rubble of its worst earthquake in more than 200 years, some members of the Lynchburg community struggled to reach loved ones, while others rushed to provide relief.
Liberty University currently has 17 Haitians enrolled on student visas, and three were suspected to be in Port-au-Prince, the capital, for Christmas break when the earthquake hit, said LU spokesman Johnnie Moore. By Wednesday evening, Liberty had accounted for all its Haitian students.
Liberty graduate student Wislaine Dormay, 29, is a native of Port-au-Prince and is still trying to reach her aunt, uncle and cousins.
“I’ve been trying to contact them but I can’t get a hold of anybody,” she said Wednesday. “The phone lines are not working and there is no power.”
Dormay has connected with other members of the Lynchburg’s Haitian community for prayer and support.
“It’s so hard to even watch the news because I’m looking at places that I know… To see how it is, I cannot put into words what I’m feeling.”
Amherst resident Vicky Peterson waited nervously Tuesday night for word that her sister Kelly Crowdis — a veterinarian and missionary in Port-au-Prince — was alive.
By 10 p.m. Tuesday, Peterson received word that her sister was alive and unharmed. At 5:30 Wednesday morning, she talked to her sister on a shaky cell phone connection.
Crowdis, who works for Christian Veterinary Mission, slept in the street Tuesday night to avoid the aftershocks, Peterson said. Her home was damaged, along with her medical supplies, but Crowdis planned on using whatever she had to provide basic medical care.
Peterson is still absorbing the extent of the tragedy.
“The thing that’s really freaking me out today is that I know she’s safe now and she can handle herself, but we’ve been sort of having this normal day in Lynchburg, and the day that she’s having I can’t even imagine … She said it was so bad, just unbelievably bad,” Peterson said on Wednesday.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Lynchburg-area aid groups are answering the worldwide call for help.
World Help, a Christian nonprofit organization based in Forest, is currently accepting donations to help cover the cost of shipping aid and medical supplies to Haiti, said Cliff Feldman, World Help’s humanitarian program director.
Feldman is following the status of Haiti’s ports through contact with the U.S. military, and said World Help will send aid as soon as possible.
“We don’t want to send it prematurely and have it get lost,” he said on Wednesday afternoon, adding, “We have all the right things, so we really just need funding for freight.”
Feldman has worked for World Help for two years, and with Haiti for more than 12. He specializes in disaster preparedness and logistics.
“Haiti at its best is very difficult,” Feldman said of the poverty-stricken country. “They have power situations all the time, there’s very little fresh water, food’s always an issue. … There’s no way they can be prepared for this.”
Relief efforts are also under way at Gleaning for the World, a Concord-based humanitarian organization that has provided aid in the U.S. and in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Gleaning for the World will accept donations at Sam’s Club on Wards Road from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Donations must be new and could include personal care products, non-perishable foods, first aid kits, sleeping bags, tents and tarps, said communications director Ishmael LaBiosa.
The Christian nonprofit will work with established partners in Haiti to distribute the supplies.
“The entire nation is going to need support, massive support,” LaBiosa said. “It’s going to be a huge project, and a long-term project. If anyone wants to stand up with us, we can really use the support,” LaBiosa said.
Ninety-two local United Methodist churches are teaming up with Stop Hunger Now, a North Carolina-based nonprofit, to send 100,000 meals for survivors in Haiti, said Lynchburg District Superintendent Larry Davies. The meals will be packaged from 3 to 9 p.m. on Monday at Jefferson Forest High School.
Organizers are looking for volunteers to help package meals and donations to cover the $25,000 cost of food and shipping, Davies said.
Local relief efforts: how you can help
World Help
- Donate at www.worldhelp.net or call (800) 541-6691.
Stop Hunger Now
- Call the Lynchburg District Office at (434) 832-0401 with questions about how to donate or volunteer to package food at Jefferson Forest High School from 3 to 9 p.m.
Gleaning for the World will collect supplies and donations in Lynchburg for victims of the earthquake in Haiti over the next three days, beginning today.
Today, 4-7 p.m., Wards Road Kroger
Friday: 1-8 p.m., Sam’s Club on Wards Road
Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sam’s Club
Details: http://www.GFTW.org; 434-993-3600.
-- List of supplies --
Personal care items
•Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Soap
• Shampoo
• Hand Sanitizer
• Feminine care products
• Disposable razors
Baby products
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Bottles
• Soap
• Shampoo
• Formula
• Baby food
Paper products
• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Plates
• Napkins
• Kleenex
• Plastic utensils
Hydration (individual-sized bottles)
• Bottled water
• Vitamin water
• Sports drink
Non-perishable food
• Canned vegetables
• Boxed foods
Cleaning supplies
• Trash bags
• Mops
• Brooms
• Detergents
• Clorox
• Gloves
• Sponges
Pet food
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement