Katie Mears ’03 works for Episcopal Relief and Development as program manager for U.S. disaster preparedness and response. She was recently in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, handling logistics for transfer of relief supplies into Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake there. The organization’s network of Haitian staff is running 23 camps, serving more than 25,000 people.
When asked what gives her hope in the face of such a disaster, Mears says, “That people, somehow, continue to get up everyday. In the face of all that death and destruction, in a country that literally smells like death … they are finding strength and courage in the face of a gruesome reality. That cheers me up.
“It’s important for Americans to remember that Haitians aren’t just victims here,” she adds. “They can be and need to be in control of their recovery.”
Mears sent these photos she took in the days immediately following the Haiti earthquake.
