Aftershock (Haiti Update)

I was awoken early this morning by the whole house shaking and a deep low rumble that sounded as if the underworld was growling. Three seconds later, after an initial period of disorientation, I heard a scream that sent the whole team scrambling for the stairs. Because of the rainy season, Aaron, David and I are now sleeping in the front living area on the second level of the pastor's home, not in our original position on the roof. The concrete ceiling, concrete floor and concrete walls acted as worthy conductors of the vibrations that roused me and a couple of other light sleepers on the team. The panels of concrete also amplified the shriek that woke up all the others.

The ceramic-clad stairs that lead down to the first level empty into a front veranda that is capped by yet another heavy concrete roof that juts out between the first and second floors. At the top of the stairs is an opening that allows the opportunity to step out onto that roof. At 4:36 am, instinct took over and I initially jumped onto this roof, figuring that I'd rather surf the concrete down than be trapped under it. I'd seen way too many scenes over the past seven days where whole slabs of roof sat atop debris and bodies.

The US Geological Center automatically registered and posted the details on its website:

Magnitude: 4.7
Time: 4:36:04, local time
Lat/Lon: 18.532/-72.643
Depth (km): 10.0
Area: Haiti Region

Even though officially still classified as an earthquake, this "aftershock" was basically mild in the grand scheme of things. Tremors of this magnitude are happening regularly around the world. But it was enough to send visions though our minds of a house collapsing around us, of being one of the so many shattered casualties we've witnessed this week. After seeing hundreds of imploded houses, it was hard for me not to wonder during those few seconds whether our already-cracked home would cave in around us.

My mind then turned to the people of Haiti. Neighbors on both sides of us have been practically living on their roofs since we got here. A couple of "doors" down, a tent city probably contains a few hundred inhabitants that either lost their houses or who are too afraid to go back in them.

Over the past few days, I was having a hard time understanding why people weren't returning to seemingly good homes to get back to a sense of stability and normalcy. Six to ten seconds this morning changed my whole perspective. Nothing is stable yet. Bodies are still exposed and being burned. Piles of stinking rubble are everywhere and assault the nostrils with a rude reminder. Such sensory inputs are heightened when the ground still rumbles, opening its jaws and reminding people of its power.

I now have a better understanding. I have to understand that the children we wish to put into families here might be living with those families on the streets for quite some time to come. The memories and wounds are still fresh to them. Aftershocks pull off the scabs of the initial shock and prolong the healing process.

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Comments

[Kari]

Thanks for this post. For those of us who can't imagine it, you're doing a great job of communicating these realities to us.