Many are still searching for food and shelter a year after the earthquake in Haiti – NBC Connecticut

The tin-roofed house rented by Erleen Castell and Dunord Ernst was among more than 130,000 homes damaged or destroyed by the powerful earthquake that struck southern Haiti last year, killing more than 2,200 people.

In the days following the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, they collected sheets, tarpaulins, and wood and set up shelter for themselves and their three children. More than a year after the August 14, 2021 earthquake, the family is still living in the same makeshift tent as hundreds of others, still wondering if anyone would help them.

If recent history is any guide, few people will.

The Associated Press visited several of the camps around the southern coastal town of Les Cayes, which was one of the worst hit, and people repeatedly complained that no government officials visited them despite repeated promises that they would come to help.

While the family was waiting for help, Ernst died of prostate cancer last year. So today, Castle is alone fighting for her family’s survival as many are struggling to resume their lives after the earthquake.

On Thursday morning, she tried to breastfeed her 9-month-old daughter. But after a year surviving on scraps in a makeshift camp, Castle had no milk. The young girl, Wood Brannan Ernest, fell asleep during her failed attempt.

“I don’t have anything to count on them,” Castle said.

Even worse, others fall victim to the earthquake.

In one of the camps, friends of the landlord try to reclaim the land where the refugees settled. The thugs tore down huts, threw stones at families, and tried to set the camp on fire twice in recent months.

The camp, like many others, also flows quickly when it rains, forcing hundreds to flee to higher ground while watching their belongings sink.

Said Rinil Sene, a 65-year-old who lost four children in the earthquake, and who once worked in the nearby fields of vetiver, a plant whose roots produce an oil used in luxury perfumes.

Families walk to get well water, sometimes letting sediment settle before drinking it. Many of them do not have a job. They depend on the neighbors for their only meal of the day.

Rescue teams continued to search through the rubble for survivors on Monday, two days after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti.

Those living in the camps say they have heard over the radio that local government officials have met with international leaders about the post-earthquake plight, but wonder if they will ever be helped.

“So far, they’ve all been promises,” said 55-year-old farmer Nicholas Wilbert Ernst. “I don’t know how long I should wait.”

On the anniversary of the earthquake, a group of government officials held a press conference describing the progress made by the administration of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who began leading the country shortly after the assassination of President Jovenel Moss on July 7, 2021.

The government says it has planted 400 tons of beans, cleaned 10,000 meters of canals, distributed 22,000 bags of fertilizer and donated more than 300,000 baskets full of basic goods. It provided $100 per vulnerable person in tens of thousands of homes in the South. The state also opened a temporary bridge over the Grand Anse River in early August.

But UNICEF warned last week that more than 250,000 children still do not have access to adequate schools and that the majority of 1,250 schools destroyed or damaged have not been reconstructed. He pointed out that the lack of funding and the escalation of violence delayed the reconstruction process.

Increasingly powerful gangs have taken control of the main road from the capital, Port-au-Prince, to Haiti’s southern region, disrupting efforts to provide food, water and other essential goods to those in need.

Many organizations were forced to pay bribes to avoid kidnapping employees while driving south.

Cindy Cox Roman, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit HelpAGE USA, said there is a “great feeling on the part of the people out there that they are on their own in this.”

“In the past, the world came together, but aid did not reach the most vulnerable. I hope this time will be different,” says Laurent Lamothe, who served as Haitian prime minister from 2012-2014. Although out of politics now, Lamott is calling on world leaders to work together and help Haiti rebuild homes after an earthquake devastated homes and a tropical storm caused flooding across the country one month after its president was assassinated.

Cassendy Charles, director of the emergency program at the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Mercy Corps, estimates that it could take the region up to five years to fully recover from the earthquake. The organization had to use boats and planes to ferry supplies to the south, but even that is complicated because the port is located near the slum of Sait Soleil, where more than 200 people are believed to have been killed recently due to fighting between rival gangs. province.

“The situation is volatile,” he said.

Meanwhile, double-digit inflation has exacerbated poverty. Mary Daddy Dorvergos, a kindergarten teacher who lives with her two children at a camp, said a bag of rice that cost 750 gourdes ($6) last year now costs 4,000 gourdes ($31).

Berlin Laguerre, a street vendor who once sold second-hand clothes, said the money she saved to buy more clothes went to feed her children. There was nothing left to send them to school or buy them uniforms or books.

And the kids ask me, ‘Mom, when am I going to go back to school? My friends said, “What about me?”

One morning, Laguerre stood in line with other people in front of Tent #8, where Bowzel Evenio was making sweet coffee for neighbors in need, a system that became key to survival.

“I can’t do this every morning, but on the days I do, I feel happy to be able to share coffee with my neighbours,” said the 48-year-old.

But after a moment, she said she was worried that her 14-year-old daughter might be raped in the camp. Rape was a common occurrence in similar camps that spread after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 Haitians.

Jocelyn Jost became the unofficial director of Camp Deverell after the last major earthquake. He and other self-appointed leaders have handwritten dozens of letters and visited local nonprofits in an effort to get government officials’ attention.

“We are doing everything we can to survive,” he said.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck near Haiti on Saturday morning, causing widespread damage and killing at least 1,297 people. Rescue footage showed a woman and child being pulled from under the rubble as rescuers quickly searched to rescue the trapped victims. The US Coast Guard sent aid for relief efforts.

___

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos