Irish people on the ground convey quake devastation

IRISH nationals in Haiti yesterday told of the horrific impact of the massive earthquake.

In an urgent email from Port-au-Prince, Dr Louise Ivers, the Irish-born clinical director in Haiti of the Boston-based Partners In Health charity, appealed for assistance from colleagues in Haiti’s Central Plateau.

“Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us,” she wrote.

Dr Ivers, from Whitehall in Dublin, spends up to seven months of the year in Haiti and was based in a hospital in Cange, where damage from the earthquake was minimal. She immediately left for the capital city to help assist victims.

Conor Murphy, an aid worker with Soul of Haiti, said many buildings in Port-au-Prince resembled “a house of cards”.

Plan Ireland said yesterday it was unable to account for the health and safety of the 190 children in Haiti sponsored by Irish people.

Mike Mansfield of Plan Ireland said many organisations were “in the dark” as to the true scale of human losses in Haiti because of problems contacting people on the ground there.

Mr Mansfield said four of its 11 programme units or regional hubs had been badly damaged, while child sponsors here had been in touch with the office in Dublin, anxious to establish the whereabouts of the children they support.

“We cannot get in touch with our own people on the ground and that means trying to identify the state of the children is a problem,” he said.

Deirdre Woldren from Ballincollig in Cork, sponsors seven-year-old Nerlande. She lives 200km from Port au Prince.

“Just watching the footage on TV you’re thinking ‘what is she doing right now?’,” Deirdre said.

Among the last Irish people in Haiti to be accounted for yesterday were nuns from the La Sainte Union.

The order’s Sr Helen Randles, based in London, said Sr Helen Ryder from Banaher in Co Offaly and Sr Maria Hawkes from Athlone had managed to make contact with family to assure colleagues they were safe and well.

Another order, Viatores Christi from Phibsboro in Dublin, said two volunteers, Maeve Bracken and Gena Heraty, were safe.

Ms Bracken, originally from Co Offaly and based in Dublin with An Bord Bia, works in the special needs unit of the St Helene orphanage in Kenscoff.

Ms Heraty from Co Mayo works as director of special needs for the charity NPH Haiti.

According to a spokesperson for the Viatores Christi order Gena said Port-au- Prince was “a scene of utter devastation”. They said: “We have been unable to make contact with Maeve since the earthquake – but we have been assured that she is safe and well.”

Paddy Doyle from Waterford city contacted his family early yesterday to let them know he was safe.

Mr Doyle is the manager of taxback.com in Haiti, which opened a call centre employing 12 in Port-au- Prince before Christmas. Taxback in Dublin were unable to contact him but were sure he was safe.