Helping the earthquake victims

I am exhausted after a day full of helping people whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake.

We headed out first thing Saturday morning to meet with los bomberos (the firefighters), who are the real first-responders in emergencies like this, survey homes that were damaged by the earthquake, and to figure out what we could do to help. We sat down with el comandante of the firefighters, a stout man with a deep voice, thick Honduran accent, and intelligent black eyes, who carries an air of authority and respect due his position.


The most pressing need, he told us, was drinking water. The earthquake ruptured the pipeline that brings water to Puerto Cortez, leaving a large chunk of the city without potable water. To address this, the fire department has its only three tanker trucks filling up their tanks with water from the unaffected portion of town and distributing water to the city´s 120,000 inhabitants.


Indeed, as we were driving around town, we came across a crowd of women and children with water buckets surrounding one of the fire trucks. It was slowly making its way through the neighborhoods to distribute water. There wasn't any sense of panic, since plenty of water was to be had, but I did feel tension as people in the crowd made sure they got the water they needed. The air was heavy with smoke from fires lit to signal to the firefighters that water was needed. Women chased after our truck down a dusty road to ask us to tell los bomberos to stop by their neighborhood, too. Little children lugged 5 gallon buckets heavy with water from the main road arteries all the way back home.


El comandante told us about two dozen families whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake and were living temporarily at a local public school. It's amazing that there were so few injuries, for such a strong earthquake, and that there was no need for outside medical aid. But their homes were destroyed. Whole families were sleeping outside underneath blue tarps.


We toured the neighborhood where these families live. It was apparent that these people had so little even before the quake hit, but now, what had been modest houses before were definitely not livable. A major problem is that there is no drainage system, so rain water collects underneath the houses and rots the wood. The earthquake just sped up the inevitable. One family allowed us to tour their house, which should be condemned and demolished since the floor had caved in and stagnant water lay in the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. This poses obvious health concerns: respiratory ailments and skin conditions due to mildew and mold, not to mention an increased risk of mosquito-born illnesses.


I was agonized to see people living in such conditions and know that there wasn't anything I could do about it. Rescue Task Force is an organization with a modest budget; it's structured to deliver maximum impact with little money through targeted missions, usually in emergency conditions. Rebuilding homes was not in the scope of our mission.

Instead, we decided to help these 25 families whose homes were destroyed by giving them food and basic supplies like diapers. This sounds like a simple task, but it took a lot of coordination with two community organizers who were running the temporary shelter. With their help, we put together a grocery list and, a pack of kids in tow, walked to the local grocery store. Each family got a sack that included food basics such as eggs, milk, flour, rice, beans, and oatmeal, as well as other goodies.

Keeping track of what we purchased was a challenge, as was communicating to the sales clerks what we wanted. It was like playing a game of telephone: Andrea talked to me, I translated into Spanish to our Honduran guide Richard, who then made sure that the sales clerk got it.


I am so thankful for my Spanish because it allowed me to interact directly with the kids. I looked at them, happy and laughing in the grocery store. They were only allowed inside because we told the manager that they were with us, and we were spending big money. It occurred to me that maybe the kids didn't understand what we were doing for them and why. So I gathered them around me and explained to them that we were here to help them and their families because their homes were destroyed by the earthquake, that it's good to help people who are less fortunate. And I told them that I hoped that they would remember this day, what it feels like to be given help, and that maybe one day they could help someone else who needs it. In the middle of all the grocery store fun, it was a brief 30 seconds or so of seriousness. If what I said, or what we did together through Rescue Task Force, made an impression on even one of the kids, that is the real and lasting difference that I hope to have made in coming down to Honduras.