Update from Josh

Josh is still in Haiti and will be there until January 31st. He will then fly in the 1st from Ft. Lauderdale to Costa Rica. He sent this update.

"The last few days were spent master planning and designing a site layout for the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps. Most people think of these as refugee camps and they all get a bad rap. However, if you could see the current living conditions of those that have lost their homes to the earthquake or are too afraid to reenter their cracked and damaged homes, you'd understand that a well planned out and engineered campsite with sanitary latrines, safe sources of drinking water, irrigation and drainage for rainwater runoff, and safe spacing of living areas so as to prevent as much disease transmition as possible is an extreme upgrade. Yes, these IDP camps tend to become long-term slums, but the immediate need is to save lives and improve the lives of those living in the streets and the deplorable conditions of spontaneous and sprawling tent cities. Working in conjunction with the UN, World Food Programme, International Organization of Migration, and other NGOs, we've been able to identify 9 sites and have completed site planning of 2 of those sites. They began digging latrines on the first site yesterday and will begin placing tents there today. Once we complete these designs, we'll begin hosting training seminars with local Haitians to teach them how to identify and understand, in general terms, which structures are safe to enter and which are not. Then, we will be teaching them the proper techniques of controlled demolition of the damaged structures so that they can begin to take down unsafe structures and begin reusing the concrete and rebar they can scavage from these sites to begin rebuilding their homes. This is one of the only long-term solutions to the Haitians' problem of shelter. We must prepare these people for the psychological tolls that will begin to take hold as they move from this 2 week point forward. There's been a social psychologist here with Food For the Hungry who is very experienced in working with victims of disasters like these and in speaking with him, he outlined the typical process that the Haitian people have/will go through. I've outlined the process below:

1. Heroic Phase - Time of Impact to 1 Week Post-Impact
- Perform heroic acts to save lives and property
- A sense of sharing with others
- Sense of "family" - immediate support of family members, agencies, governement disaster personnel, strong media support of the plight of victims and needs of the community, pain and losses may not be recognized

2. Honeymoon Phase - Immediately after impact to 2-3 months Post
- Development of a strong sense of a shared danger or experience
- May experience physical symptoms such as digestive problems, changes in appetite, difficulty sleeping, migraines
- Anger, suspicion, apathy, social withdrawal, heightened anxiety about the future
- Shelters become source of support
- Involvement with cleaning out debris, sorting things out, anticipating the help they will recieve to restore their lives
- "Super Volunteers" (haitians) who are not ready to deal with their own losses, work from dawn till dark helping friends and neighbors get back on their feet
- Unrealistic expectations towards help from governmental agencies

3. Disillusionment Phase - 1 Month to 1-2 Yrs
- Diminishing of media attention, feel that they are objects of the media, isolated and let down by the media who has moved on to other news
- Questions as to whether or not the disaster could have been avoided
- Survivor's Guilt - feeling guilty for being spared or not having as much damaged as others
- Relationships begin to be neglected, estrangement of family members begins
- Domestic violence begins or is aggravated
- Children are emotionally at risk as they react to signs of stress in parents
- Survivors may have to move from their old neighborhood and lose their social support
- Overwhelming amount of paperwork
- Long lines for assistance
- Anger and frustration increase rapidly
- Victims begin to file law sites
- Depression, moodiness, and crying increase
- Physical health begins to suffer
- Relief efforts by government agencies decrease
- Increase in use of alcohol
- No financial security
- Job losses

4. Reconstruction Phase (happening even now)
- Survivors come to realize that the rebuilding of their homes and businesses and community is primarily their responsibility
- May take several years or the rest of their lives depending on amount of damage
- If rebuilding is delayed, recovery is delayed

Hope that wasn't too lengthy. I just thought it would be good for people to understand that just because help has arrived, these survivors are only just beginning to work through the hard part."

Please continue to pray for him and the team!