by Rick Perera.

Its name, Hôpital La Paix, means Peace — but this massively overflowing hospital is anything but peaceful. The largest medical facility still standing in devastated Port au Prince, La Paix is beyond overflowing with critically injured people.

The parking lot in front of the two-story concrete building is packed with the wounded, lying on mattresses or bedframes (no one gets both), on blankets, on the sparse grass, even on the bare sidewalk, under a brutally hot sun. A handful have someone leaning over them, offering at least some comfort, maybe holding up an IV drip bag. But many lie alone. Virtually everyone in this beleaguered city lost someone – some have lost their whole families.

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by Rick Perera.

If charity begins at home, CARE is in the right place.  Just outside our Haiti headquarters, many hundreds, perhaps thousands – no one has counted them – of newly homeless people are camped out in the main square of Pétionville, a near suburb of Port au Prince.

Thousands of People camp out in public squares in Port-au-Prince (Photo: CARE/Evelyn)

They wait patiently in the hot sun, but their desperation grows by the hour.  At night, groups of people can be heard clapping and chanting.  Some have hung banners, painted on bedsheets, with messages like “We need help!” in English and Creole. (more…)

by Rick Perera.

We’re crossing the border at Jimení, between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Things are moving fairly quickly at least on the Dominican Republic side. We’re seeing supplies crossing the border including search and explore teams with dogs, many large tanker trucks with water, backhoes and other construction equipment, mobile kitchens from the Dominican Republic, and many journalists. (more…)

CARE’s Rick Perera is on his way to Haiti.

A group of CARE staff and journalists — 12 of us in all, landed in the city of Puerto Plata in the northern coast of the Dominican Republic early this afternoon. We were welcomed as tourists by a steel drum band, scantily clad dancers and free cocktails. It was a surreal experience.

Rick Perera is CARE’s Emergency Media Coordinator (Photo: CARE)

Shortly, we all boarded a bus, which is taking us on the first leg of our eight hour journey over land to reach the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. By all accounts, the scene will change dramatically once we cross the border. The lush green hills and gentle rain we see through our windows will give way to the harsh, deforested landscape of Haiti. (more…)

by Hauke Hoops

Hauke Hoops, CARE’s Regional Emergency Coordinator, flew from Panama to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, just after midnight Jan. 13. We reached him at the airport in Santo Domingo Jan. 13 at 6 a.m. local time, as he was preparing to board a humanitarian flight to Port-au-Prince.

In the first 72 hours, search and rescue will be of the highest priority (Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz courtesy www.alertweb.org)

“I arrived this morning in Santo Domingo, just after midnight. I haven’t slept all night. I stayed a few hours in a hotel that was fully booked with aid workers. The airport was full of aid workers, rescue teams. A lot of different aid agencies are coming into Santo Domingo and trying to get into Port-au-Prince. (more…)