Haiti - Feb 2010

Glenn E. Tosten II '96
Foreign Service Officer
Dominican Republic
February 1, 2010

Report from the field: Wilson Center Alum' assists in Haiti relief

I was part of a three man crew manning the international airport here in Santo Domingo assisting evacuees get repatriated. The work, albeit relentless, was rewarding. As I sat watching CNN one afternoon I was captivated by the story of a Costa Rican Search & Rescue team who found and saved three people--people who had been buried under a building for four days. These same Costa Ricans were part of a larger sixty-five man team that we facilitated getting to Haiti the day before the rescue. As we sat at the airport assisting American evacuees with their onward travels, my curiosity got the better of me and I went to talk to the team. When I asked the team how they planned on getting to Haiti, to my surprise, they revealed that they honestly had no plan. After evaluating the situation I began realizing that the potentiality of wasting sixty-five people, twelve dogs, and four tons of equipment was not only ridiculous, but unconscionable, especially since these supplies were only twelve hours away from Haiti. Then the light bulb went off: I wondered who was flying back to Haiti on the military planes that were bringing us our evacuees. The answer was encouraging: nobody. I quickly started calling around to determine who was in charge and how we could get the Search & Rescue teams in those returning seats, and after several tense hours, and many, many phone calls later, I managed to get them aboard a U.S. Coast Guard flight to Haiti. Since then, I have managed to secure transport for dozens of other international travelers, rescue dogs, and equipment. Who knows how successful other teams could have been; nonetheless my heart was filled with joy as I saw my Costa Ricans amigos getting the job done. This was the role, albeit small, I played in assisting the recovery of Haiti.

See the Coast Guard News Report here: http://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-airlifts-costa-rica-urban-search-and-rescue-crew/2010/01/17/.