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A man stands and prays outside the collapsed National Cathedral in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 16, 2010. (Photo Courtesy of Patrick Farrell / The Miami Herald)
BY Ruth Morris and Kenny Malone
When Rev. Jean-Mary Reginald learned about the massive earthquake in Haiti, he reflexively walked to his church– Notre Dame D'Haiti Catholic Church in Little Haiti– and opened the doors. People began to arrive immediately. The church, he says, "is the living room" of the Haitian-American community in South Florida.
With Haiti's phone lines down, most of those who arrived had no news of loved ones back home. They grabbed their stomachs in pain, some threw themselves on the floor ...
In this piece, Rev. Jean-Mary describes how the earthquake affected his congregation, and how music helped them heal. The church was growing before, but after the quake, it grew more.
The earthquake also made people more generous, Jean-Mary says. Most of the church's members are struggling in the current economic climate, but now they are sending even more money back to Haiti to help loved ones rebuild. The church has also re-designated funds for building a larger church. Much of that money will go back to Haiti too– for medical assistance, schools and basic supplies.
UPDATE: ONE YEAR AFTER THE QUAKE
A year later, Reverend Jean-Mary says more people are still coming to his church than before the earthquake. He hears in their prayers gratefulness for having been spared.
But the parishioners at Notre Dame D'Haiti are also praying for "divine intervention" in Haiti - for relief from the after-effects of the earthquake, the cholera outbreak, and political upheaval after the recent presidential election.
Though Notre Dame D'Haiti has more congregants, the reverend says that hasn't translated to more resources. Like so many others in South Florida, Haitian parishioners have lost jobs or had their hours cut back. So they have less cash. They also continue to send a great amount of the money they do have to Haiti. Overall tithing is down, and the Reverend says that's put the church in a tough financial situation.
RELATED LINKS
Latest News from Haiti
From The Miami Herald
From The New York Times
From CNN
When an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, the United States stopped deporting Haitian immigrants to the devastated nation. But deportations resumed in January, and Franco Coby, convicted of selling drugs, found himself banished from the country he grew up in since the age of 6. Now he lives in a country that is foreign to him.
Thousands of Haitians fled to South Florida to escape the devastation in their country after the 2010 earthquake. Some were able to leave Haiti on tourist visas. Others came as guardians to their injured children. No matter how they came to the country, most have been living in limbo in the United States.
Miami Herald reporter Trenton Daniel follows Alexandra Azor as she returns to her shattered country, Haiti. She moves back to help rebuild after the earthquake, but she finds herself stuck between two worlds.
Miami Herald reporter Trenton Daniel discusses one of the most memorable stories he covered in the aftermath of Haiti's catastrophic 2010 earthquake-- that of a survivor plucked from the rubble, but still living in misery.
In the months since the earthquake, what have South Florida's planners and developers been able to do to help the reconstruction efforts? Under the Sun's Kenny Malone has that story. Listen here.
After Haiti's massive earthquake, there was one bright spot: a safer environment for local reporters. We followed the Haitian radio journalist known to listeners as "Four-by-Four" as he turned his microphone away from music, and onto his country's grievances.
Doctors make their patients better. That's how the story always goes, right? Niala Boodhoo explores the relationship between an American doctor and his Haitian patient, forged by the earthquake. Listen here.
High school is hard enough already. Imagine facing a foreign language, culture, and school system. Haitian students at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes paired up with new arrivals after the earthquake to help ease their way. We are playing stories to commemorate the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti throughout the month of January. Listen to the story here.
After the earthquake in Haiti, the U.S. government made Temporary Protected Status (TPS) available to Haitians living in the country before January 12. And yet, by government estimates, less than a third of eligible Haitians living in the United States have applied. Why is that? According to immigrant advocates: fees, fraud, and fear. Alicia Zuckerman takes us down the long and winding road to TPS. We are broadcasting stories exploring the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, one year later, throughout the month of January. Listen here.
Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary, of the Notre Dame D'Haiti Catholic Church, narrates what happened in his congregation after the earthquake, and how music helped people to release their pain. This piece is set to a hymn sung by the Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours choir. Listen here. (Photo by Patrick Farrell, courtesy of The Miami Herald)
Listen here to the unedited version of the Creole hymn "Mwen Pap Sa Bliye," sung by the Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours choir in Little Haiti. This hymn accompanies an earlier piece featuring Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary as he discusses the role of faith and song after Haiti's quake.
We air a special episode that looks at how life has changed in South Florida six months after Haiti's horrific earthquake. Our show features segments on the medical professionals who responded, the Haitian students who welcomed quake survivors, and the church that calls itself the living room of the Haitian-American community. Listen here to the full hour.
Students at Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes created videos to help their new Haitian classmates learn the ropes at their new school. ESOL Coordinator Jenna Moniz talks about how the videos came to be. Listen here.
Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Patrick Farrell, of the Miami Herald, narrates a slide show of his work. The pictures depict the devastation after Haiti's earthquake, and also more recent scenes of hope as survivors try to stitch their lives back together.
In this excerpt, Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary of the Notre Dame church in Little Haiti responds to a recording of quake survivors singing at 3 a.m. in a tent camp outside Haiti's presidential palace. "Lift your feet," the song says. "Don't stay on the floor crying." Listen here. (Photo by Patrick Farrell, courtesy of The Miami Herald)
In this piece, four medical professionals recount how their patients broke into song in a makeshift medical tent, despite the desperate circumstances. One doctor describes the moment as a tipping point, in which the patients lifted their healers. We'll be playing stories to commemorate the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti throughout January.
A glimpse into the conditions that met health workers when they arrived in Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake. The health workers from the "Patients and Healers" piece talk a little more about their experiences. Listen here.
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
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