NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – New York’s large Haitian community is looking for answers as yet another crisis unfolds in their home country following this weekend’s massive earthquake.
City Council member Mathieu Eugene said the tens of thousands of Haitians in Brooklyn are devastated and worried.
“Some of them are saying that they don’t know what they are going to do for the family members over there, and some of them, they say they don’t know what’s going on,” Eugene said.
Eugene, who is the first Haitian-born member of the City Council, said it’s like déjà vu—a second catastrophic earthquake in 11 years.
“As we speak, there are still people who are trying to recover from the 2010 earthquake,” he said.
Saturday's earthquake came as Haiti was already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence. It's also bracing for Tropical Storm Grace, which is set to arrive early this week.
“It seems like every time Haiti gets a step forward, it experiences two steps back,” said state Assembly member Michaelle Solages, the first person of Haitian descent elected to the Legislature.
“Our hearts are hurting, but you know, we the Haitian people are very resilient,” she said.
Solages said her friends and family in Haiti are okay but shaken up.
“There is very little medical infrastructure in that area. There’s also the issue with gangs,” she said.
After controversy arose over bogus charities following the 2010 earthquake, Solages said people have to be careful when looking to donate.
“I encourage people to provide donations to organizations that are on the ground, community-based organizations. So I encourage you to do your research,” she said.
Saturday’s earthquake struck about 78 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, nearly razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts.
As aftershocks continued to jolt Haiti on Sunday, rescuers raced to find survivors ahead of Tropical Storm Grace, which is expected to reach the country late Monday or early Tuesday, bringing the potential for torrential rain, flooding and more landslides.
Officials said Sunday that the death toll from the earthquake had risen to more than 700 people. Over 2,800 people were injured and thousands more displaced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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