Am Tag nach dem Erdbeben haben die Malteser über persönliche Verbindungen Kontakt zu Frantz Aime aufnehmen können, der auf Haiti wohnt und das Erdbeben am eigenen Leibe miterlebt hat. Hier das Interview, das er via E-Mail am 13. Januar auf Englisch dem Hit Radio FFH gegeben hat.

 
Hit Radio FFH: How did you experience the earth quake?
Frantz Aime: Driving back to his residence in Peguy Ville above Port au Prince. He was taken the Honorary Ivory Coast consul to his residence when he saw his vehicle shaking for about 30 seconds. Then half of the consul’s residence collapsed in front of them. His own residence had minor damages.

 
What were your first thoughts? What came to your mind when the earth started shaking?
Frantz Aime:  Just that something major was happening.


How are you coping with the situation?
Frantz Aime: He has spent the night in a SUV in the courtyard of his house with his mother and some house personnel.
 

What does the area look like? What happened to the houses and streets?
Frantz Aime: All the major government buildings were destroyed. Many business offices were also affected. It is mostly the South part of Port au Prince that was affected. We don’t have yet return from what happened to some coastal villages on the West of the capital in the South part. The epicenter was located in a district called Carrefour which is unfortunately surrounded by slums.

 
What happened to your house?
Frantz Aime: Just minor damages. It was built just a few years ago.


What’s happening right now? How do the people react to the disaster?
Frantz Aime: Confusion, feeling lost since it happened just before the sun came down. So we had to wait for the sun to rise to assess the most obvious damages. Many people had to walk back up to the hill in the residential districts because all roads are blocked. Just motorcycles could go through. Something we know is that there will be dead people by the 10 of thousands.

 
Has any help arrived yet? Are there any clean-up or reconstruction efforts at this time?
Frantz Aime: The priority is to assess the considerable damages done. Since the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) troops and United Nations officials have been in Haiti for some years now it might help the process. But even many officials from international organizations have been victims. Some information circulate that about 100 UN officials have been victims of this very strong earthquake. Many countries are preparing rescued teams like the United States, Canada, Venezuela, the European Union.  It is going to take quite some times to have a real assessment of the damages. They have announced on the local radios that the first rescued airplanes will be landing on the afternoon at Port au Prince’s National Airport.


How is the infrastructure affected?
Frantz Aime: Total disaster.


What happened for example to phone lines, food and fresh water supplies?
Frantz Aime: It’s going to be the major issue to get access to water. It seems that the infrastructure of the mobile phone can still provide some services. Electricity which was also very limited will be probably inexistent over the coming weeks.


What do you think will happen in the next days? What does the earth quake mean, in your opinion, to the development of Haiti in the long run?
Frantz Aime: Only specialists will be able to provide rational scenarios. Haiti has been going through crisis over crisis for over a decade now, and this latest natural catastrophe will not help. Every time some light can be seen at the end of the tunnel, a big cloud come to obscure it.