‘No Aid, No Military, No Nothing’: Good Neighbor Pat Moore Reports From Haiti

Pat Moore, who was honored with a Good Neighbor Award in 2007 for his extensive charity work in Haiti, arrived in that country on Friday, Jan. 29, to assist with relief efforts. During his time there, he’ll be sending regular updates that will be posting here on Speaking of Real Estate.

This is Moore’s 64th trip to Haiti since 2001. Each time he goes, he brings food, installs water filtration systems, and provides medical care using his training as a firefighter. In Port-au-Prince, he supports an orphanage/foreign adoption agency and a shelter for men and women run by a local priest. He also makes regular trips to provide aid to three remote mountain villages.

On this trip, he brought a dozen tents, high-protein foods such as tuna and peanut butter, and hundreds of doses of antibiotics. He is focusing on helping to rebuild the damaged orphanage and providing food, clean water, and medical care wherever he can. He plans to stay for about two weeks and then return in March.

NAR and Good Neighbor Award Sponsor Lowe’s donated $50,000 to his non-profit, The Harvest of Haiti. The REALTORS® Relief Foundation has donated another $500,000 to relief efforts in Haiti and is continuing to raise funds at http://www.realtor.org/about_nar/haiti_relief.

Updates from Pat:

Bon Repos, Haiti — 7:20 p.m., Jan. 30, 2010

Arrived safe into Haiti through the Dominican Republic. Port-au-Prince is in ruins and tent cities are everywhere. We delivered Pastor Capre food and money this afternoon as he struggles to care for 100-plus people in his yard. Village (orphanage) is a mess. The neighbor’s home is flat and leaning into the security wall. Blocks are sitting in the yard ready to be put up first thing in the morning. Sunday we will take medicine and first aid supplies to a tent city near the orphanage. It is very hard to describe in words what we have seen today. Supplies are still piled up at the airport and it was hard to find one aid station in the city. Sunday will be a busy day of caring for people and re-building the village. We will give a more complete report on Sunday night.

Bon Repos, Haiti – 8:15 p.m., Jan. 31, 2010

Today, worship was the order of the day. Singing could be heard as church services were going on everywhere. We treated several people in the neighborhood today for cuts, bumps, children with fevers, and several other problems. Walking down the street this evening I came across an orphanage with 20 young children. They had no food or water. A young lady followed me back to the village and took 10 gallons of water. Early Monday morning Andrew and I will purchase 300 lbs. of rice and a like amount of beans. They have been eating a few oranges and other fruits since the earthquake.

At every turn in the road the story is the same. This area has seen no aid, no military, no nothing. The destruction is so complete it is hard to understand. The Haitian men will be here early in the morning to start to put up the barrier walls; the first 600 blocks came today. Monday Andrew and I will travel to an orphanage full of sick and injured kids. I don’t understand why they have had no help. We will do what we can and if someone is in need of surgery we will take them to The 82nd Airborne, who can get them to the right hospital.

Now it is time to relax in the tent with the bugs as it has been a long hot day, but we can’t wait to start helping those in need on Monday. In closing I must say this again. I have never seen destruction like this in my life and it goes beyond Port-au-Prince, from Jacmel to beyond Bon Repos to the NW. Sleep tight USA, you don’t really know just how blessed you all are.

***

Be sure to check back regularly for more updates from Pat.