Lest we forget and allow Haiti to become just a blip on the news cycle: from blogger Grandmère Mimi at Wounded Bird, an article at NOLA.com, on Louisiana doctors sharing their knowledge gained from Katrina:
Dr. Yvens Laborde saw Louisianians suffering after Hurricane Katrina, and he has seen first-hand the devastation a massive earthquake brought to his native Haiti on Jan. 12.
As difficult as it may be for some New Orleanians and their neighbors to conceive, the medical director at Ochsner Medical Ochsner-West Bank said, the post-storm landscape of the U.S. Gulf Coast pales in comparison with the total devastation in the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region. But Laborde said he recognizes a common element in the aftermath of both disasters. “A hope that springs eternal,” he calls it.
“I’ve seen the degree of pain and suffering that crosses all boundaries: age, class, pretty much from one spectrum to the other,” Laborde said of Haiti. “Everybody has suffered, everybody has lost a family member, and everyone at this time is in a significant state of mourning and suffering. But I have seen the strength of our spirit, a resilience of our people.”
Laborde, whose first post-quake medical mission spanned three weeks, said of his fellow Louisianians: “What I would like for them to do is identify themselves with that journey,” then build on that bond “to partner with Haitians” in recovery.
| Dr. Yvens G. Laborde talks about his Haitian homeland |
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To find out more about Haiti and recovery efforts read Lauren Stanley’s blog.
Good news from Executive Council. Responding to the Presiding Bishop’s plea, the Council resolved to raise $10 million to respond to needs in Haiti as it recovers from the earthquake.