Plans can change in a second when a disaster strikes. Nobody knows this better than Willard Metzger, World Vision Canada's Director of Church Relations. Metzger visited Yorkton recently to share his experiences when in Haiti. When he arrived in Haiti in January of 2010, he expected to give a tour of World Vision's projects in the country to a group from New Brunswick. However, not long after the team arrived, plans changed.
"I had just picked up the team at 2:00, they had just checked in to their hotel, we had a late lunch and then at 5:00 was when the earthquake struck," Metzger recalls.
When the earthquake happened, Metzger says he thought it was a bomb or a transport truck colliding with the hotel. It wasn't until the impact was sustained for 30 seconds that he realized that it was actually an earthquake.
"By 6:00 it's pitch dark, so we knew we would have to spend the night on the street. There was no electricity or power of any sort. Within an hour the first injured person arrived, a little boy who had some injuries. What we weren't prepared for was that was the first of the injured people. They were coming all night, it was non stop," Metzger describes.
The injured came in two waves, Metzger recalls, the first being people who were out in the street when the earthquake happened, and the second being people who were pulled out of the rubble. He says you could tell because they were covered in cement dust and their injuries were more severe.
"We weren't prepared for this at all, the hotel only had a little bit of a first aid kit. We were ripping up bed sheets into bandages, breaking up wooden furniture or baseboards for makeshift splints, it was horrendous," Metzger says.
"It would be like a war zone, I think, if a village had bombs go off. People were coming with all kinds of injuries. It almost felt dishonest, people thought they were treated and they weren't. All we had were makeshift supplies and bed sheet bandages. They needed help, and we realized that in this country, whatever emergency response they had would be impacted by it, because Port Au Prince was the key city and it was devastated. We knew that we were it until the international community would be responding, our bed sheets were all they had."
Even though there was already little in the way of supplies, Metzger says that World Vision's presence in Haiti over the past 30 years left them better prepared than they otherwise would have been. Supplies stockpiled to help in hurricane seasons would help getting food and emergency supplies ready for people in need. Unfortunately, since emergency services took priority, many long term projects had to be put on hold to deal with the emergency and the lingering aftermath.
After such a devastating earthquake, Haiti is far from out of the woods yet. Metzger says the latest priority is to get shelter and sanitation set up so that as hurricane season approaches, people will be able to prepare, and disease will be held at a minimum.
Another issue is just working with the government, which has been hit hard by the earthquake just as the people have. Metzger says that World Vision's core values include being partners with the local authorities, and as the government is recovering from many losses as well it makes it hard to start on some more long-term projects.
The recovery for the country will be a long road, but Metzger is grateful for the support received from the people of Canada. He believes that the worldwide support for the country is going to be vital for rebuilding it into a stronger country.
"That response will create a new platform and a new day for Haiti like it has never had before. I hope people will stay aligned with the rebuilding in Haiti," Metzger says.
While the country needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, and the people are still suffering from the after effects of the earthquake, Metzger sees a new, stronger Haiti rising from the rubble with enough support.
"It is going to take time, and it will be a very complex process, and I think there is an opportunity like Haiti has never had before. I think just because the response was so generous and massive, I think it will force a new day of collaboration between the major non-governmental organizations and a new day of accountability for the Haitian government. The response is too great, it's going to force a new level of accountability," Metzger says.
Metzger also says he was moved by how the people in Haiti supported and helped each other through the disaster. He remembers a girl who waited by the side of her brother as he suffered with injuries.
"There was a little boy who had a broken leg... We had set it and given him a makeshift splint, but he was in a lot of pain. I remember, you would be working with people, and every time you looked over his 13 year-old sister would be sitting by his side, and gently stroking his cheek, all through the night she never left his side. That was a beautiful picture of people caring for each other," Metzger says.
It is World Vision's 60th year, and Metzger notes that the charity has reached over 500,000 child sponsors. He says that the work they do worldwide wouldn't be possible without those people, and he's grateful for all the support received.
Metzger encourages anyone who wants to get involved to call World Vision's Western Canada office in Winnipeg at 1-888-676-2648. Calling the number will also get people a free copy of A Personal Reflection on the Haiti Earthquake, Metzger's memoir about his experience in Haiti.
