Haitian Earthquake 2021: Response with Heart to Heart International

Two days after the Aug. 14, 2021 Haitian earthquake struck I packed my gear and was on a jet bound for Port au Prince to meet up with a mobile medical team from the Kansas based non-governmental organization Heart to Heart International. My job with HHI is to be the eyes on the ground for disaster and recovery managers outside of the zone. I provide images, video, and stories for donors, social media, and outside media to see HHI in action helping people in need. 

On Aug. 14 at 8:29 a.m., a magnitude 7.2 earthquake stuck the small island nation of Haiti. The quake was centered in a rural mountainous region about 93 miles west of the capital city of Port au Prince. At least 2,207 people have been confirmed killed as of Aug. 22 and over 12,000 injured. At least 136,800 buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Since 2010, Heart to Heart has had a significant presence in Haiti. Currently about 70 Haitians are employed by HHI working in healthcare, community resilience, and economic development. 

When the earthquake struck, the organization quickly pivoted to providing mobile medical aid to communities in the remote regions rocked by the tumbler.

A U.S. Amy Blackhawk helicopter transports an injured toddler from the remote village of Mita in the Nippes Department Southwest of Haiti on Tuesday. The toddler is unable to walk and has a suspected spinal injury sustained in the Haitian earthquake. A team of doctors and nurses from the Kansas City based Heart to Heart International hiked into the remote village on Tuesday and provided medical care to the residents for the first time since the quake.

The mobile medical teams from Heart to Heart are made up of all Haitian doctors and nurses.

A 14-year-old girl in advanced labor is transported in the back of a pickup truck from a mobile medical clinic set up by Kansas City based Heart to Heart International in the small village of Barnate in southwestern Haiti near the epicenter of last week's earthquake. The girl took a 45 minute ride to the nearest hospital and gave birth 30 minutes after arrival.

Adults and children are treated by an all Haitian mobile medical team in the small village of Melon in southwestern Haiti near the epicenter of last week's earthquake. The woman holding her baby said she had been trapped with her 2-year-old daughter infant when her house collapsed after the quake.

The recovery from the August earthquake in Haiti will be long and difficult, but the people are strong and resilient. Heart to Heart International is on the ground now and will stay for the long term. My time in Haiti came to an end after two weeks. 

One day I hope to meet up with my new Haitian friends under better circumstances.