The storm that hit last night was pretty wicked, and caused at least one deadly mudslide (no power so I don't know how many else other than the one we got called about.)
http://www.haitian-truth.org/torrential-rains-cause-bridge-collapse-and-road-closures/
8:45PM
The street outside our house is a raging river, at least a foot deep. The thunder is so loud I can't hear the music in the background, and it's making me jump. City power went out an hour ago. Nights like tonight make me feel grateful for a roof over my head. And grateful to not be living in a tent city.
We made Billy stay here tonight - not safe to travel home in this weather...
9:54PM
Got a call from Billy's girl - houses collapsed in a mudslide from the storm, she hears screams from inside. Our guys are on their way to check it out. Hoping the screaming is from the thunder and lightning, not people trapped.
(Note: 10:30-11PM, LP called - at least 5 houses totally collapsed/buried under a large mudslide. Dark, wet chaos. Hoping to find survivors. I called Howard (trauma medic who lives close by) and woke him up... Gathering gear to provide medical care to those pulled out)
11:50PM
Anyone know of any search and rescue teams presently in PAP?
Midnight(-ish)
Massive mudslide between Petionville and Rou Frere, homes buried with people inside. First corpse found minutes ago. *sighing* it's going to be a LONG night.
12:30AM
Second body found. Baby.
(Discussed situation with LP - likely no need for backboards and c-spine collars... This is going to be more "search" than "rescue"... Still seaking cadaver dog and rope for repelling)
2:45 AM
Recovered 3 bodies, possible 4th. Hand clearing ruble from a steep ravine, no way to get machinery in there. Guys repelling down the mudslide hoping to find survivors (thanks for being to prepared with rope, Howard!)
3:13AM
So far, just body recovery - 4th dead body found - no survivors uncovered yet. Hand clearing ruble and debris. Unstable terrain, still dark, still raining... Unless someone has a cadaver dog, we're good for people on-scene.
(Just spoke with Billy - he sounds exhausted and defeated. I'm sure our guys are all cold, wet, exhausted... They put in a full day of work, and we were settling into bed when we got the call.)
3:40AM
just spoke with Billy - one of our local guys - at the top of the mudslide, assisting with body recovery. I can only imagine the memories that this brings up for those who were in Haiti for the quake. My heart goes out to him.
Just read Jen Halverson's blog from the states... (Quoted below).
http://sleepydoctor.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-suffering.html
"I also received a forwarded e-mail from someone who has lived in Haiti for much of her life, saying these are the heaviest rains she has ever seen.
I have been in Port au Prince during massive rains. It is crazy how fast severe flooding occurs in that city. Port au Prince is almost completely deforested, has essentially no functioning storm sewer system, and has hundreds of thousands of people living right at sea level, with the city rising sharply upwards from the sea (meaning the floods roll downhill). Not to mention the hundreds of thousands still living in tents, many precariously placed on steep hillsides."
4 AM
Just got word that a woman was pulled out of the slide - being transported to the hospital now - first news of a survivor to be pulled from the rubble and debris!
4:30AM
Waiting for news on the condition of our survivor, and waiting to discuss a game plan with the guys. The terrain is so unstable - a few hours will bring daylight and give those of us who've been up almost 24 hours a much needed nap before continuing to search for survivors.
Normally rain washes things away; the air smells clean and fresh when it rains. Not this morning. This morning it smells putrid - like the sludge that forms at the bottom of a pond as living matter is decaying - it's as if the rain and mud slides is dredging up more than just memories of the earthquake.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
~PJ
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