A Grinnellian’s Work in Haiti

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.

This article appeared as a web extra for The Grinnell Magazine, Spring 2010.

Mears writes, “[This photo is of] me (at left, purple shirt) and my colleague Kirsten Muth (at right) (both from Episcopal Relief and Development) meeting with the crisis commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti in Port-au-Prince a week after the quake. The one in the purple baseball cap is the Bishop of Haiti, Rt. Rev. Jean-Zache Duracin. Courtesy of the Diocese of Haiti

Destruction in Port-au-Prince. By Katie Mears ’03

The Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince was badly damaged. The center portion was formerly three stories tall. By Katie Mears ’03

Damage to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. By Katie Mears ’03