Good grief Art, maybe they don't want him to get crushed under debris, step on a nail, throw his back out lifting a heavy box of supplies, each some bad food, let himself get dehydrated due to not being accustomed to the weather, have some idiot smash his hand with a badly moved crate, pick up some sort of disease, or any number of other accidents that can happen in a disaster zone.

-Blast, unsurprised

You have serious health issues to contend with. Open sewage, dead bodies, rampant disease....that, and criminals. Haiti isnt really a nice place. It hasnt been for a long time. Thats just the way it is. Being concerned for ones safety, in a hostile area, is kind of what we preach here....it may not be a war zone, but you still need to watch out for the criminal element. Which, in Haiti, is a large chunk of the populace.
My heart goes out to the children there though. They had nothing to begin with; now, with a large part of them orphaned, they dont even have parents to watch over them. It breaks my heart to see adults taking the food from kids from a couple of the food drops. That is, unfortunately, the lifestyle of the poor in that country though.

Have fun Jeff. From everything I hear it is a real big one, a once in a lifetime event.

Having fun in Haiti is dangerous to one's health,,,,in the best of times!!!!!

Digging through the debris of collapsing buildings, potential health hazards from many different sources, a 6 point aftershock earlier this week. I meant what I said, and it's stay safe.

I will not wish you well, because I know you will do well. Eventhough I have never met you, I know you will do your best, because I know who you are as a person.


Fight the good fight-
Pete

I was recently talking to one of my crew passengers and he said he spent a year in Haiti with the military. He said he's never seen so many people so poor, so desperate, or with such big smiles.

Sue

Seems like socializing makes them happy... hmm. I remember hearing good stories of people having a great time in their neighborhoods after Hurricane Andrew. Then the electricity came back on.

Thanks, everyone. The good wishes are sincerely appreciated. I'm home now, safe and sound, assuming my malaria prophylaxis worked!

Most of my time was spent between helping care for the huge, desperate crowds gathered for days in horrid conditions at the Embassy, working at the airport screening, caring for and loading evacuees into aircraft, and working at the Casualty Collection Point for the USNS Comfort hospital ship.

From a survivalist POV, the outstanding lessons are:

Have your passport on you at all times, if possible, with extra photocopies in your baggage, with all your traveling companions, and with a readily accessible and motivated friend back home. Those with it could go directly to the airport and get on a C-17 back home with minimal hassle. Those without faced days of waiting in the mob of thousands outside the Embassy, in the sun without (initially) food, water, toilets, etc., as the overwhelmed staff tried to confirm their citizenship.

Cash is king. Have some on you. US currency was more than good enough in Haiti.

Water was problematic. Have some means to make it safe.

Your travel FAK needs to include antibiotics and a backup supply of any meds you depend on.

Reliable info was scarce, and dangerously misleading rumors abounded. Somewhat surprisingly, cellphones and even WiFi worked in several places, allowing access to help and reliable information from home.

Respect for the locals and local officials, great patience, tolerance for ambiguity, and the ability to not act like a rude, arrogant, demanding American is very helpful.

Welcome back, Jeff. We were all hoping you avoided any illness or injury.

Thanks for the after-action report. There's some good nuggets in there, especially for anyone who travels outside their home country. Three days in the sun with no food, water, or toilets sounds like hell. How big was this crowd? Any idea if similar crowds were gathered around other embassies?

Has this experience made you rethink any of your own/family's preps?

-Blast, glad you are back and ready to learn what you learned (but in the comfort of my own home!)