Interviews: Aftershocks of Haiti Earthquake Shake SEIU Communities

We interviewed two SEIU members--an CNA and an internal organizer--who have been personally affected by the tragedy in Haiti. One of the interviewees is stuck in the agony of not knowing what has happened to her loved ones, while the other knows all too well the heart-wrenching toll such a disaster can have on one's family. These are their stories.

Rose Micheline St. Jean, CNA
Rose Micheline St. Jean is a CNA with the Treasure Isle Care Center in Miami, and an Executive Board member with SEIU Healthcare Florida. Rose came to the U.S. about 25 years ago and since the magnitude-7.0 quake hit Haiti, has not heard from a half-dozen of her relatives on the island.

SEIU: How was your family affected in the earthquake?

Micheline: My cousin's house in Port-au-Prince collapsed. She lost two sons and two grandchildren, and broke her leg.

S: What do you want to tell your union brothers and sisters who want to help Haiti?

M: I encourage them to help by donating. They don't want clothes now; please give money. Please get involved.

S: What do you hope for Haiti's future?

M: Nobody knows what God has in store for us. Only God knows why this happened. We need to have hope. To be alive, we have to have hope.

Jude Durisme, Internal Organizer
Through an interview with SEIU internal organizer Jude Derisme, we learned of Jude's unimaginable loss at the hands of the earthquake that hit Haiti. Almost all of Jude's family perished in the quake.

S: How was your family affected in the quake?

J: My grandmother, two uncles and their families lived in the same house in Port au-Prince. There were 12 people living in the house--only 3 survived.

My oldest uncle died and his wife survived. They had five children, ranging in age from six months to 20 years. Three of them--the 6-month old baby, the 10-year old child, and the 20-year-old, died in the quake. Their 5-year old and 10-year olds were pulled out of the rubble, but now they're in critical care and may die as well.

My younger uncle survived, but his wife and both of their two children died.

S: What do you want to tell your union brothers and sisters who want to help Haiti?

J: One of the key things is that we now have a lot of orphan children. We need people in the U.S .to sponsor these kids so they have a future.

We have to learn how to make time for family members in Haiti. We are so busy in this country. We have to be more conscious about reaching out to them. I never reached out to my uncles. I always thought, "I need to call, I need to call." But I never made time. I wish I had reached out to them.

Another thing is we need to rebuild Cam, the wiring company that everyone used to send money to their relatives in Haiti. We can't rely on aid to feed our families.

I hope this will be a new beginning for Haiti. An opportunity for us to rebuild our country. This is a turning point for Haiti. Out of this tragedy, something must come out of this. We have to make this a turning point. We owe that to the people who lost their lives.

Find out what you can do to aid Haiti's victims through our Help Haiti Volunteer Relief Effort.
Please donate now to help Partners In Health's efforts in Haiti.