Haiti bound
by David Darg
Santo Domingo – I’m in the Dominican Republic and exhausted after another night of travel and little sleep. Aid workers and news crews have been pouring in from all over the world and the airport has been a mad house of teams trying to fly into Port-au-Prince as soon as they can.
I was hoping to be in Haiti by now but flights were suspended this afternoon because of congestion at Port-au-Prince airport. There are hundreds of planes trying to get into PAP but the temporary air traffic control system just hasn’t been able to keep up. Apparently there are men with clipboards keeping track of the planes circling the airport and men on four-wheel quad bikes guiding the aircraft into the limited parking space once they land.
One light aircraft pilot I spoke to in Santo Domingo had to call in an emergency landing this morning after circling PAP for 45 minutes and running short on fuel. Fortunately I have been able to secure a seat with a colleague on a 4 seat Cessna leaving at 6 a.m. Many TV crews and aid workers have been refused passage because they had too much equipment or luggage and many are having to make the difficult decision of whether or not to split up and go in smaller groups.
Our National Director for Haiti, Eric Lotz, has been at PAP airport all day working to offer Operation Blessing’s logistical support in the transport of relief goods and rescue teams. OBI has teamed up with a search and rescue team from Spain and will be transporting them deep into the quake zone and back again tomorrow evening.
They have arrived with 4 specially trained sniffer dogs and will spend the whole day looking for survivors amongst the sea of rubble that is now Port-au-Prince.
In desperation, many aid groups’ media teams are choosing to hire drivers and travel overland to PAP from the Dominican Republic. Two photographers I spoke to this evening are leaving at 2 a.m. and driving through the night, a move that many would consider extremely dangerous during the best of times. I have been hearing reports of a sea of Haitians at the DR border desperate to get across for medical treatment.
I’m relieved to be on a flight in the morning and now off to try to catch a few hours sleep in anticipation of some extremely long hours tomorrow.
*Footnote: As of this posting, teams had departed Santo Domingo for a 1.5-hour flight to Port-a-Prince.
Entries (RSS)
January 15th, 2010 at 8:57 am
David and team, we will be praying for your and crews safety. Keep up the good work.
January 15th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Thank you for this information because it gives us a true sense of what is happening there. I was wondering when the dogs would arrive. I hope there are more. The regular media tends to not give the whole picture, so please help us to see the good and the bad. God bless you for all that you are doing and have done for these people. It is evident through your mission that our collective prayers, along with our donations, are working.
January 15th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
I was trying to find out about the internships. Is there anything I could do if I came?
January 15th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
January 15th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
GOD SPEED TO ALL OF YOU. BE SAFE, I WILL PRAY FOR EVERYONE, YOUR GOOD WORK WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY PEOPLE OF HAITI. I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING THE PEOPLE OF HAITI.
“Storms Bring Out the Eagles,
But the Little Birds Take Cover”
When the “storms of life”
Gather darkly ahead,
I think of these wonderful words
I once read.
And I say to myself
As “threatening clouds” hover,
Don’t “fold up your wings”
And “run for cover.”
But like the eagle,
“Spread wide your wings”
And “soar far above”
The troubles life brings.
For the eagle knows
That the higher he flies,
The more tranquil and brighter
Become the skies.
And there is nothing in life
God ever asks us to bear
That we can’t soar above
“On the wings of prayer.”
And in looking back over
The “storm you passed through,”
You’ll find you gained strength
And new courage, too.
For in facing “life’s storms”
With an eagle’s wings,
You can fly far above
Earth’s small, petty things.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~
LET THE COUNTRY OF HAITI KNOW THEY ARE IN OUR PRAYS AROUND THE WORLD. STAY STRONG,
January 15th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
My son and daughter-in-law are over there somewhere on vacation, and we cannot find them..We think they were in Baha Principay, in the Dominion Republic end of the island.
Keith and Vonnie Creighton….are their names.
January 15th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
We are praying for all of you to make great strides in your efforts. May the Lord clear your way and the angels camp round about you and protect you as you go forward to help these people.
January 15th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Naturally, our prayers are very strong for Operation Blessing, the crew and the people of Haiti.
I prayed about where I should send a donation, that the people would get there right away to help the victims and God laid on my heart that it would be Operation Blessing.
And you are there!!! THANK GOD!!!!
January 15th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
David and team, may God’s angels watch over all of you and give you double strenght as you do his work on Haiti .
January 15th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
thanks to all of you for what you are doing. i’ve been praying boldly for the OBI team as well as for God’s angels to be with those that are still trapped under the sea of rubble, until help arrives!
AMEN and AMEN.
January 15th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Hi David,
I am so glad to see your involvement and look forward to your vidoes and blogs. Your parents will be with me tomorrow for an Exploits conference. We’ll be praying for you.
Love,
Nancy
January 15th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Praying for God’s Double Grace over all of you!!!! May the Lord use you to minister the truth, love, joy, peace and healing to all you touch!!!!
January 15th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
My prayers are with u continuing through out the day. God be with u and keep u safe!
January 15th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
I pray Psalm 91 upon your entire team. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways..keep up the Blessed work our Lord has assigned you!!!
January 15th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
thank you for all your efforts… we are praying for your team as well as all the OB folks already there
January 15th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
David and all I am praying for you and your team, and for the people of Haiti to open their hearts to realize you are doing God’s work and that He cares about them. Be safe, and know that we all lift you up in our prayers each day!
January 15th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
To David & the Haiti Response Team from Operation Blessing; Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Blood Cover you, Our Lord’s Strength be with you and Peace of Mind with what you are experiencing over there. Our continuing prayers of safety also.
Blessings, Bill & Barb W.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
David, how is the distribution of clean drinking water going?
January 15th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I am in constant prayer for our brothers and sister in haiti. Be encouraged you all there are armies of us praying day and night for you all. Everyone that is praying, giving, raising awareness; Jesus said “Inasmuch as you do the the least of these you do it to Me” God bless you all!
January 15th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
So many people are praying!! You all are a blessing!!
January 16th, 2010 at 2:40 am
God Bless you for your commitment to help those who so desperately need it. I pray that God will be with each and every one of you as you go out and do His work.
January 17th, 2010 at 1:33 am
You are not alone the Lord has a mighty army stand about you as do his work in Haiti. Your in our prayers God bless.
January 17th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
God Bless you for what you’re doing. Awesome to see what you all are accomplishing.