Union College Senior Recalls Service Trip to Haiti

February 1st, 2010

The January 12 earthquake in Haiti has killed close to 200,000 people, and the utter devastation in this country has encouraged people all throughout the world to donate money to the relief efforts. Some people, like the group of Union College students that we wrote about last month, have actually visited Haiti to assist in the search and rescue efforts.

Justin Woods, a senior from Roseburg, Oregon, is an International Rescue and Relief/Pre-Med major at Union College who was part of the volunteer group in Haiti. He talked with CBN about his trip.

Tell us a little about the service program that you are part of at Union College.

I’m a part of Union College’s Disaster Response Team (DiRT), which is connected to my major, International Rescue and Relief. The major has quite a few different academic emphases such as pre-professional studies (like pre-med and pre-dental), project development, social work, business, and other majors.  

What went through your mind when you first heard about the Haiti earthquake?

When I first heard about the quake, I started thinking about how bad it must have made things down there. My family and I lived in Haiti back in ‘98 while my dad was working for a NGO (non-governmental organization) doing relief work. When hearing about the earthquake and already knowing how bad things were down there to start with, I was really sad at the thought of what it must be like now. I also started thinking about how I could get a chance to go down there and help.

How were you able to go to Haiti?

I attended a meeting of people interested in traveling down to Haiti to do relief work on the Thursday after the quake. We had another meeting Friday afternoon with more information about when a group might leave and what they might do. At that point, the plan was for a group to leave in 10 days. That evening, I got a call asking if I’d be ready to head down to Haiti Sunday morning. I told them yes. Four of us were chosen, and we went with a staff member down to Florida on Sunday and then Haiti on Monday.

What was it like when you first arrived in Haiti?

We got in late Monday night. Our plane had to circle over Haiti and the Dominican Republic for about an hour and a half, waiting for clearance to land since there were so many planes going in and out. We spent the first night sleeping on the tarmac at the airport with toilet paper in our ears and cockroaches running over our mats. Having C-130s and C-17s taking off right in front of us made getting sleep somewhat challenging.

The next day, we drove to the Adventist Hospital, which was still standing and was where we would be based. We went out that morning to do search and rescue. We didn’t find anybody alive in the buildings we went to. We had a search dog with us that indicated that there were only dead bodies in the buildings. The following days we did medical work at the hospital. All of us were EMTs with some extra training, so they had us working as nurses–in some cases, doing all kinds of things.

How long were you there? Is there a moment that will remain with you the most?

We were there in Haiti for about five days. The moment that I think will stay with me the most is when we had to leave. We were planning on staying a couple more days, but then found out that we had to leave somewhat suddenly because it was when we could get a flight out. We didn’t get to say goodbye to all the people we had met, and there was so much more that we could have done that it was really hard to leave and come back to Nebraska. The only consolation is that we knew another group would be down from Union soon to keep helping.

What advice would you give to students in service programs?

I think that any students in service programs are doing something amazing. The best thing we can do in life is to help others. I’d suggest that anyone who can should become a part of an organization that helps out those in need even, if it is just in the United States.

Has life changed for you after the service trip?

This trip solidified my goals of becoming a doctor and then being a part of an organization that goes and responds to disasters around the world. Medical care is needed everywhere in the world, but seeing people with absolutely nothing being so thankful for the care we were giving, even when it was sometimes painful, that just really inspires me.

–The CollegeBound Network

Entry Filed under: College Majors, News, Special Programs