Firsthand Update from Haiti

Here's a recent email from Leon D'Orleans, an extraordinary minister and leader in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We've edited nothing, and it needs no comment.

Hello my friends,

I finally get connected.

The 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti very badly. Lots of building are collapsed; others are damaged beyond repair. No body knows for sure how many people died. The situation is not yet over.

I was at Blanchard when the major event ( hit ) took place. It was very scary to say the least. The damages done in some of the construction works are in most cases beyond repair. I also visited Cite Soleil after I've seen what's happened in Blanchard.

From what I saw at 5:00 (the quake started at 4:53 and lasted 2 minutes; although, from time to time ,even now as I'm typing it continues to reappear for few seconds on different occasions) the Medical Clinic and the Church at Blanchard seemed to be OK , the school has major cracks in front of the building by Gladys's office and on the second floor by the library. I saw several cracks around the foundation which looks like the earth is split around the foundation of the buildings . Thank God we encountered no deaths so fare in our compounds. Part of the wall in Blanchard suffered some damages but not major.

In Cite Soleil, we have lots of damages done to several of our buildings. The entire walls of the compound is collapsed, the back of the medical build is down. I saw water coming out of the ground due to several splits that were on the ground. The front of the church has some damages done to it but the building is functional. Other buildings, such as the first school building we built has some damages done to it. The worst damages I saw in Cite Soleil are the wall and the Medical building.

I didn't have time to visit neither Repatriate or Ibo Beach. I plan to do that later on today when I think it's safe enough to drive. I heard that the quake might last until 6:00 a.m. I doubt it seriously if the roads would be safe enough to drive. I saw lots of debris as I was driving back home from Cite Soleil. I couldn't drive my car all the way home. Traffic was unbelievable and definitely indescribable. I left my car on the airport road and walked home. My wife was happy to see me. Cell phones weren't working; she could get in touch with me to know how I was.

Our house so far is safe except for few blocs that felt from a shade that I built when I had the generator. I couldn't get to my office because the bookshelves are all over and blocked the doors. I couldn't get inside the office. My wife, Andremene, Nadege and I are all fine.

My mother- in - law's house is beyond repair but everyone is safe.

Most people including my wife decided to spent the night sleeping on the street away from any danger from any houses or walls. Several millions of people are doing the same for that's what is recommended and made sense.

That's all I could share with you for the time being; expect to hear more from me later on today after I gathered more information.

Please keep Haiti and its people in your prayers.

In the service of the King of Kings.

Leon & Jacky