The Deseret News team in Haiti, reporter Scott Taylor and photographer Jeffrey Allred, has captured a unique perspective of the earthquake-devastated island nation's ties to a state some 2,800 miles away.
Their reports not only bring perspective to the profound human suffering in the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude temblor believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, but to the impressive humanitarian response extended by Utahns. LDS humanitarian workers and health care providers — among them Liz Howell whose husband Brady Howell was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon — are providing expert and nurturing care to the injured and sick. It is grisly duty, considering that many people's injuries are so severe they require amputations to prevent the further spread of infection.
The fact that Utah has so many ties to Haiti has hastened the humanitarian response. The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints has long had a missionary and humanitarian presence there. The nonprofit Healing Hands for Haiti, founded 12 years ago by Salt Lake rehabilitation specialist Dr. Jeff Randle, who served an LDS mission in Haiti, has provided care for thousands of Haitians over the past decade.
Some Haitian children were in the midst of adoption proceedings when the massive earthquake hit on Jan. 12. Some officials, including Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, have been attempting to place these children in Utah where they will be safe. Utah entrepreneur Jeremy Johnson has taken several helicopters and a plane to Haiti to transport orphans out and food in. As the days go by, we learn of ever more Utah connections.
Because of these established relationships, Utahns have been able to reach out to the Haitian people in extraordinary ways.
Another reporter-photographer team from the Deseret News — Dennis Romboy and Mike Terry — is providing expanded coverage of these events. Romboy and Terry accompanied members of the 419th Fighter Wing based at Hill Air Force Base, which has delivered cargo and passengers to an airport in Port-au-Prince. Those service members also assisted with restoring airfield operations to permit more deliveries from humanitarian groups. (Taylor and Allred traveled to Haiti with LDS doctors and humanitarian workers.)
One thing is certain, this is no ordinary assignment. Aftershocks and difficult conditions have challenged the labors of relief workers and journalists alike.
Even Randle, who has a wealth of experience in Haiti, seemed unprepared for the devastation he encountered upon his first visit to the six-acre Healing Hands for Haiti compound that was flattened by the quake. "This was my annual trip to Haiti, this was my dream," he told the Deseret News. "But it sure feels like a nightmare."
Even so, Randall is mapping out a way to continue the nonprofit organization's work there, Taylor wrote. The relief efforts will go on and on.
Rest assured, the established Utah-Haiti relationships will survive this tremendous trial and Utahns can be counted on to help the island nation heal and eventually prosper.