Ramesh Lutchmedial
On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria at 04.17 am Turkish time. Nine hours later, a 7.7 magnitude aftershock occurred.
The World Health Organization describes the earthquakes as the worst natural disaster in a century.
The graphic images streaming daily across television screens of the aftermath of the earthquakes and the rising death toll, which at the time of writing was 37,000, brought back vivid memories of the deadly 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.
On that fateful day, I was booked to travel with other colleagues on flight AA880, departing Miami at 9.55 am, for Haiti, to attend a board meeting of the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security System, the aviation organ of Caricom. For unexplained reasons, and despite the unyielding urgings of my colleagues, who were adamant that I travel on the same flight with them, I made a last-minute decision not to travel on that flight and instead rebooked for the 2.05 pm flight, arriving in Haiti at 4 pm.
I was on my way from the airport to the Montana Hotel when my taxi stopped at an intersection less than a quarter of a mile away from the hotel. Suddenly, at 4.53 pm, the taxi began to shake violently and I quickly jumped out into the road, only to witness all the buildings around me imploding in seconds.
[caption id="attachment_1001550" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Ramesh Lutchmedial among guests camped on a tennis court at Montana Hotel, Haiti on January 13, 2010 after a devasting 7.0 earthquake on January 12. Lutchmedial, a former director general of the TT Civil Aviation Authority was on the island for a Caricom conference when the quake struck destroying the hotel. Photo courtesy Ramesh Lutchmedial -[/caption]
Hundreds of people in my immediate vicinity were trapped under debris with very serious injuries, frantically begging for help. A man came up to me holding a baby with a crushed head, bawling in heartbreaking distress.
As a first-time visitor to Haiti and unable to speak French, I was seriously disadvantaged in rendering assistance. I tried using my mobile phone to make calls, but all wireless communications were down owing to power outages.
The prison walls had collapsed and prisoners, including convicted murderers, escaped and were freely roaming around.
The utter chaos, mayhem and carnage that followed were gruesome.
[caption id="attachment_1001549" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Guests camp on the tennis court of the Montana Hotel, Haiti on January 13, 2010, a day after a devasting 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. Photo courtesy Ramesh Lutchmedial. -[/caption]
A UN peacekeeping force was in Haiti. After getting directions from one of the English-speaking peacekeepers, I walked to the Montana Hotel. I was horrified on seeing that the entire hotel had collapsed, as my colleagues who travelled on AA880 to Haiti were also guests there. With much difficulty, I was able to make my way to the Caribe Hotel, where some other
