I am spending my time in Jacmel, Haiti. Jacmel is about 35 kms south of Port-au-Prince (PAP) and was affected by the earthquake, though not as badly as in the capital. As far as I know, there weren't any direct deaths here because of the quake, but as you drive around the city, you definitely see collapsed houses, houses with cracks, rubble everywhere, sometimes blocking roads. There were a lot of injuries, and Jacmel clinics and hospitals continue to be overrun with patients, both local and from other cities that couldn't be accommodated elsewhere.

The tiny airport here was basically not in use before the earthquake. In the days following, someone from a local NGO jumped the airport fence and started directing planes carrying humanitarian aid and donations to land here. The airport was now unofficially open. There is no control tower at this airport, meaning that pilots have to dial into a common radio frequency to find out if other planes were landing or if they were in the clear to land (yikes!). The Canadian military arrived in the area, and recognizing the need at the Jacmel airport, set up base there. They set up a basic control tower, and installed order. The Jacmel airport was now international, accepting planes from Florida, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.

Everyday, tons of supplies were arriving for specific NGOs and there was a big need for coordination among these NGOs. Haiti Village Health (HVH), the organization I am working for, has stepped up in this role (no small task). With a tiny desk, electricity eventually rigged by "the Canadians" (as everyone referred to the military) but no internet, HVH greeted planes, processed incoming passengers (like immigration) and got the supplies out to where they were needed. My task when I volunteered to come was to help other HVH staff with the overall coordination. While in flight here, I was promoted to official Logistics coordinator (the previous person was no longer going to be working for HVH). As log coordinator, I work alongside HVH's Health coordinator and together we are trying to manage the needs of all the NGOs established here, place incoming volunteers, establish potential suppliers, etc. When I first arrived, I was a bit overwhelmed by my new role and trying to learn how everything works here. I was given a phone (a shitty little thing, who's number '9' doesn't work unless you press it just right) and basically told to jump right in. In the meantime, Cdn military were walking here and there with their giant, and I mean GIANT, guns. All a bit daunting for my first afternoon there.

Within a day and a half, however, I felt pretty settled. I had already attended a meeting with all the other NGOs and translated the meeting between English and French. I met with the airport director to discuss the future of the airport with him. I was meeting the pilots who were volunteering to bring things in. And I was making fast friends with everyone in the force. A man with the nicest face I have ever seen approached me and asked if I was Namita. He introduced himself as Major Skirrow, head of the airport operation. Yes, the Major knew who I was before I even got to Jacmel. By this point, the Cdn military already seemed to all know me, so I know longer had to hand over ID to enter the airport "since they all know the little Ontario girl" (though I do make sure to tell everyone I am originally from Montreal!). I also had access to wherever I wanted to go within the airport (a wasted privilege, since the airport has exactly two rooms and one little control room with two computers - ie. the control tower). I was, however, now only one of two people allowed on the tarmac at any time when planes came in. If there were any problems, I was the one to report to.

All in all, by the time my head hit the pillow at 9:30pm on my first night here, I was feeling pretty good and satisfied.....this was not to last very long. Stay tuned for more!