Articles

The earthquake shocks the Haitian diaspora in South Florida

Los Angeles Times / August 15, 2021

The devastating earthquake in Haiti, of 7.2 magnitude and that has left 724 dead, has shaken the Haitian community in Miami, where this Sunday the archbishop of this city, Thomas Wenski, officiated a mass in a church in the neighborhood of La Little Haiti.

We have come to pray and ask the Lord to give us the strength to allow us and to allow the people of Haiti to find the strength that they have within their spirit to overcome this latest challenge," Wenski told local WPLG channel after the mass.

Saint Mary's Cathedral, where Masses are usually held in Creole on Sunday mornings, is one of the points where Haitian immigrants from Miami, in South Florida, have begun to congregate, a state that is home to the largest diaspora in that nation. in United States.

Edwina Paul, owner of a local hairdresser, arrived at the Little Haiti Cultural Center on Saturday and that same day she landed in Miami from her home country after a visit to her town, Les Anglais, which was devastated by the earthquake. which reduced the local parish Immaculate Conception to rubble.

"I lost almost 25 people from my church," Paul told the Miami Herald. "We have been through a lot. We just lost our president, now it's an earthquake (...) I feel like I no longer have a tear, I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do, "he added.

The earthquake in the Caribbean nation, the poorest in America, occurs just over a month after the assassination of its president Jovenel Moïse, which plunged Haiti into a deep political crisis and in the midst of the struggle it was facing against the COVID pandemic -19.

Many Haitians in Miami are still waiting for news from their families, while the authorities of the Caribbean country continue to search for survivors and victims.

North Miami Beach City Clerk-Elect Vanessa Joseph told WPLG that the home her family lived in in Haiti collapsed, and while some close relatives have been saved, she has yet to hear from others.

The earthquake prompted messages of support from South Florida authorities and elected officials, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Mayor Francis Suárez, and African-American Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who thanked the president Joe Biden, his promise of immediate help.

Similarly, leaders of the Haitian community in South Florida such as Marleine Bastien indicated that they are already organizing the dispatch of humanitarian aid for those affected by the earthquake, a catastrophe to which is added the possible arrival between Monday or Tuesday of Tropical Storm Grace.

"As we continue to assess a fluid situation to develop a relief effort in support of our brothers and sisters, we ask for your prayers for a country that was already crumbling under the weight of one of the worst political crises in its history," he said in a statement Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement (FANM).

The Archdiocese of Miami announced that it is accepting monetary donations for those affected by the earthquake through the Catholic Charities website.

For its part, the Adventist Development and Assistance Resources Agency (ADRA), belonging to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, began to mobilize humanitarian aid in the same field and in the midst of an "extremely complex" situation, as Elián Giaccarini said, ADRA's emergency coordinator for the Caribbean.

"The main priority is to provide medical attention to the injured (...) One of the main challenges is the difficulty of accessing the affected areas that are blocked by the gangs that control the area," Giaccarini said in a statement.

The coordinator of this organization, who has been providing humanitarian assistance in Haiti for 30 years, also highlighted "the delicate conditions in Haiti due to violence and the massive displacement of populations."