Year after quake, local groups help Haiti rebuild

Buried under the rubble, unable to move, Wilner Pierre remembered the cell phone he carried in his pants pocket. He figured it was the only way rescuers would detect life from underneath the death and debris that clogged the streets of Haiti.

Hours had passed since the last scream of a dying classmate grew silent. He felt around until he found his lit cell phone, and was pulled out hours later from the concrete grave.

Days later, he was flown to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City where doctors tried several times to repair his spinal cord, but to no avail. Months of rehab followed, but Pierre was told he would never walk again. He now uses a wheelchair.

"They said they couldn't help me," the 29-year-old said last night from his new home in Germantown. "I lost hope, but because I believed in God, I knew I wouldn't die."

Despite a year of hardship, Pierre is gradually picking up the pieces of a life shattered by the devastating earthquake that brought the island nation of Haiti to its knees and sparked one of the largest-ever global humanitarian efforts.

Efforts to rebuild the country have been slow, but in Philadelphia, the Haitian community has rallied together, said Florcy Morisset, director of the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia, who've raised more than $100,000 toward their $1 million goal to aid efforts in Haiti.

"The Haitian community has really come together to make this better," she said. "It's important to make the community a part of the rebuilding."

For the rest of the month, HPP will host a series of fundraising events with a coalition of Haitian community groups to commemorate the earthquake. The kickoff will begin at 6 tonight at the African American Museum.

More than 100 people attended a Mass yesterday led by Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, for those who were affected by the earthquake.

"We gather together reminiscent of all that has been done, all that has been suffered, all the pain and anguish of the people of God in that beloved nation," he said. "We come first to remember."

A service will be held tonight at Incarnation of Our Lord, on 5th Street near Lindley Avenue.

For Laumsomme Satine, it was an easy decision to convert one of his church's properties in Germantown into a long-term shelter for earthquake survivors. Eleven families, including Pierre and his mother, Elmise Toussaint, now call it home.

"When the situation arrived, it was natural for us to meet the need of our people," Satine said. "They can come to stay as long as they need to to get on their feet. They're on the good ground.

"It might take a long time before they fit in, but you can see that they go to school and get the help they need to function in the American society. I'm very optimistic for their future because they get the support that they need."

Though local groups' efforts persist, interest has waned elsewhere as efforts to rebuild have stalled under Haiti's chaotic political climate.

Violence and chaos erupted when hundreds took to the streets in Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, to protest a fraudulent election in November.

"I feel sad," said Hylder Daudier, 73, of Yeadon. "The country is destroyed and everyone is suffering. The politicians try to destroy the country even more. There's nothing there to prosper because the government isn't trying."

Felix Augustin, consul general of Haiti in New York, said that Haitians living abroad are the key.

"There is no question about it: If we do not get together to help Haiti, the people of Haiti cannot help themselves," he said.

"We have all the professionals in the diaspora. Most of the Haitian professionals are living outside of Haiti. As soon as the election is over, we want them to go down to Haiti and start moving. We count on them."