In Queens, An Outpour Of Support For Quake Victims
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While many Haitian-Americans are desperately focused on trying to reach loved ones in their homeland, some Queens residents have already joined the relief effort to help the victims of the earthquake. NY1's Ruschell Boone filed the following report.After more than two dozen attempts to reach her family in Haiti, Betty Vilsaint's tears are beginning to fall along with her hopes that they have all survived the earthquake.
"It's hard because these people are so dear to me," Vilsaint said. "I have cousins, aunties, uncles. It's just so hard."
Vilsaint's family lives in Port-au-Prince -- about 10 miles west of where the earthquake was centered. Adding to her fears is that most of her husband's family has called on a satellite phone to say they're okay, but none of her relatives have been seen or heard from.
"It's the hardest thing to go through because you have no idea if they are alive or not alive," Vilsaint said.
Many of Vilsaint's neighbors are going through the same emotions as most of them have been unable to reach their loved ones. Three doors away, Danielle Mathurin has been desperately trying get a hold of her 62-year-old mother and other relatives.
"I'm hoping that they are alive somewhere on the street, you know, and the house haven't collapsed with them," Mathurin said. "I'm hoping that they left the house before the house collapsed because most of the houses collapsed over there."
On Linden Boulevard, people who were out and about were never far away from their phones calling Haiti as well as family and friends in the US, hoping someone may have heard something.
"I'm very sad because I call my relatives and nobody pick up the phone. I don't know what happened and then might all the family be dead. I don't know," said one Cambria Heights resident.
And while they are waiting for word, many have already joined the relief effort sending money to their country.
Over at the non-profit community group Divine Intervention, many started to drop off donated items but sending that to Haiti is on hold for now because the government says it's better to send cash.
"I will have to tell the members to contemplate money as opposed to sending barrels of stuff because it can't get in. It will probably be a few weeks before you can actually get in," said Divine Intervention Executive Director Debra Robertson.