Gillaine Warne, January 18

Precious friends all over the world,

We know you are with us and have been since the beginning of the horrendous events of the past few days, which seem like an eternity. I haven't been able think straight or had the time to send messages, but as things seem a little bit more stable and the huge influx of wounded is slowing, I know you want to hear what's happening and where we are.

Our group left Port au Prince only about 30 minutes before the earthquake, and didn't know what had happened until we arrived in Mirabalais. Wondered why there were so many people in the streets and all the commotion, only to learn of the event and even then we were unaware of the enormity of what had happened.

Of course most everyone up here in Cange has family in Port au Prince and so a general exodus to go and search was the first thing that happened, leaving a skeleton staff here for the first few days. Fortunately there was a visiting team of a surgeon and drs., who jumped into the fray and with Dr.Koji and Sarah Marsh. We started to prepare for the inevitable wave of injured who would arrive.

The church was cleared and we started gathering mattresses, sheets, and setting up a pharmacy, with Jackie raiding the Artisan Center for all that could be used and laughing that all the stock she couldn't move was being used for a wonderful cause.

“Mash” has now become my most favorite program—I know exactly how it all works!
The cases coming in are tragic, mostly all with crushed bones in every part of the body, but the stories coming with them are even worse—always buildings falling on top of people, students from schools which completely collapsed, markets gone, houses gone, families gone. Now we are getting those who spent days under the rubble and only just being brought here, some who have already been treated by someone but sent on.

We have many cases where children have been brought in and just left, and what we are to do with these little ones remains to be seen. Children's bones being so fragile have been shattered, but seeing two little girls lying face to face, trying to help each other drink, sharing the one sheet to keep warm, and giving one another the courage to face the future with the loss of a limb—well what can I say?

Amputations have to be done more and more as patients coming in with infected wounds to limbs that cannot be saved and others with limbs so crushed that they cannot be repaired.

One young seminarian who was in class when the building collapsed, spent two days under the rubble with one live and two dead friends lying on him, and will now probably lose his leg because all the muscles, etc., were so compressed they cannot revive.

Our beautiful Episcopal Cathedral is nothing more than a pile of rubble, all the murals and frescoes gone. The school and auditorium—same thing. We have the wife of the Archbishop and the head of the school here. Fr. Val in Croix des Bouquets is OK but with severe damage to the church and school.

The stories go on and on—no time for all of them here.

In fact all the universities are gone and most of the schools. I am sure you have all seen the Official Buildings list, so I won't go there. Every house and family without exception has been affected. Fr. Lafontant, Marie Flore, JeJe—all have serious damage.

Our church in Cange is proving to be the perfect place (in fact, Dr. Sheridan said "what a wonderful use for a church"), and now there are several school rooms in use for those who have been treated and are able to walk. Everyone has a role to play. I have become the chief pharmacienne and anything else, and Jackie is wonderfully bathing the patients in the morning and emptying bedpans; food is being prepared for the patients, and students have become runners and assistants taking people up and down to the operating theatre.

Logistics are going to be the greatest problem. The largest food market in Port au Prince is on the ground and of course gas and diesel are at a premium, if they can be found. The problem of feeding all those coming to help when there is very little food left in Port au Prince is real.

For the moment our water is in fine shape and we will speak to Marcelin today to see if there is anything we need to think about. I actually told him last night that he needs to prepare for 1,000,000 people—you can imagine how he laughed. This in fact is a real possibility— people are coming from everywhere because they have nowhere else to go, and once they get here they have no desire to leave. People are in the streets walking, but not knowing where to go, and most are heading up the mountain.
Everyone is asking what they can do. I really don't know at this time apart from praying and sending emergency funds.

OK, everyone is calling now, so I will send on this first chapter, hoping to be able to send another, which is never sure as all system are very precarious. I guess you must realize that I am OK and while the first three day were exhausting, I have had four hours sleep and am a new person!

I don't think I could have been in any other place.

Please know that we feel all your prayers, we have had a miraculous escape here in Cange, I keep thinking of the songs we sing on Wednesday night like "Have you seen Jesus?"

YES.

We are expecting Charles and Breck at some time today which will be wonderful.
Much love and hugs to you all.

Gillaine