Imagine being told everything you know has been destroyed, thousands are dead and you haven’t heard from family and friends. That’s what Soraya Blot endured last week.
“That’s why we need help from everybody we can get right now,” says the second-year Health Sciences student.
When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook her home country, Blot was sitting safely in her room in London, Ont., completely unaware that Jan. 12 was about to become the day that her entire world changed.
She was notified by a roommate of the tragedy that had struck Haiti and she immediately tried to contact her family living in the area affected by the earthquake.
“I tried calling my parents and nobody would answer. It would just keep ringing and I was really scared.”
Finally she received the text message, “We’re OK,” from her father, giving her a brief sense of relief.
Soraya Blot
Blot asked her parents to send her regular updates on their status; however it was 18 hours before she heard from them again. After hearing about the aftershocks that continued to reverberate through the devastated country, she began to think the worst. “I thought maybe they survived the first quake and maybe after they …”
The next day her brother contacted her online to reassure Blot the family had survived. She now regularly communicates through e-mail and text messaging with her parents. “I can’t call them because all of the phone lines are either down or so busy that I can’t get through to them.”
Blot’s parents, along with her two siblings, were at their home in Delmas, a district of Port-au-Prince, when the earthquake struck. Although there is some damage to the family residence – the security walls around their house crumbled from earthquake leaving them vulnerable to break-ins – Blot considers them among the lucky ones.
“I was really happy because my immediate family was OK, and then the bad news started.”
The school Blot attended since she was six years old was destroyed, as were local churches, but the most devastating news came from learning former classmates and family members of friends had died.
Blot’s sister and brother were among those brought to Canada by a military aircraft Monday, Jan. 18 and are staying in Montreal with family friends.
Other friends who are overseas, as well as those in Haiti, have been sharing information about the status of family and friends by phone and using Facebook.
“Most people are still in shock over what happened. Myself, I still wake up and I think it’s a nightmare.”
As help arrives from around the world and residents are rescued from the rubble, the death toll continues to rise, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to 200,000. Blot’s parents sleep in their yard out of fear their house will crumble during an aftershock.
With limited food and water, Blot says everyone is stockpiling. Blot returned to Haiti over the holidays, but when she visits the next time she will be walking into a country that is barely recognizable.
“I’m not sure I’ll even recognize my own country, even the part where I used to live. Every day I get a call and someone else has died … No one has been spared. Everyone has lost someone.
“There are millions of orphans right now in Haiti. We need to do something to help them,” she adds. “We need to rebuild Haiti. We lost everything. We have to think about long-term help.”
She is hopeful the outpouring of support will continue to help the country get back on its feet. She also wants to communicate a message of hope. “These people have a lot of strength. They can get through this. I know they can. They just need help.”
Relief support for Haiti earthquake
The Don Wright Faculty of Music Friday, Jan. 22 noon-hour concert will be a fundraising event for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Those attending are asked to make a donation to benefit the relief effort.
The “Sonatas from Central Europe” concert begins at 12:30 p.m. in von Kuster Hall, Music Building. It will feature a performance by cellist Thomas Wiebe and John Hess on piano.
The University of Western Ontario Black Students’ Association is hosting a fundraising event Tuesday (Jan. 19) at Exhale Lounge in support of the relief effort in Haiti.
Other Voices is an open microphone night, described as a “genuine evening of local black music and artistry.” The event begins at 6 p.m. and continues until 9 p.m. at Exhale Lounge, 368 Richmond Street.
Show support for the people of Haiti by bringing clothing and monetary donations instead of a cover charge for the event.
For more information visit the Black Students’ Association Facebook page.
Faculty, students and staff interested in helping with the Haiti relief effort can make a financial donation through a number of agencies. A full list of agencies accepting support can be found at https://communications.uwo.ca/haitirelief.
Individual donations are being matched by the federal government. Information on this program is available on the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) website at https://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/ACDI-CIDA.nsf/eng/ANN-114115719-MVV#a1.
To promote your Western fundraising event/campaign for Haiti, e-mail [email protected].
