Dealing with the Trauma of the Earthquake

CRWRC Newsroom | April 28, 2010

In the middle of sugar cane field near the village of Luitor, Haiti, Cleeford Dalce led a group of Haitians through a Creole version of the hymn “How Great Thou Art.” The voices joined into a sweet and solid chorus, praising God for who He is and for what he has done for people.

After that, Dalce started a program that focused on addressing the stress, trauma and fears that the people had following the earthquake of Jan. 12. This village is located near Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake.

Dalce, a Haitian, has been trained by CRWRC to, among other things, conduct psychosocial workshops to help people deal with the trauma caused by the quake. This is part of CRWRC’s holistic approach to how it provides assistance to people who have been victims of a disaster. 

Dalce told residents of the area that odds are good that another earthquake, such as the one that hit the country on Jan. 12, will not occur any time soon.

“We don’t have enough money to prepare for an earthquake,” said Dalce, using a white chalk board to make some of his points.  “But we can prepare our minds.  Did you know that the likelihood of having another earthquake that bad is less than three percent? It’s been many years since an earthquake of this size happened in Haiti.”

As the leaves of sugar cane rustled in a soft wind, about 50 men, women, teens and children listened attentively as Dalce spoke in Creole.  “We can conclude that in Haiti there will be tremors, but an earthquake like we had on January 12, we don’t have worry about.”

Dalce also taught people in the crowd a few simple exercises that they could do to cut down on stress. Then he asked if anyone was willing to speak about their experience in the quake, telling them that talking about it could diminish the stress, fear and perhaps lessen the trauma.

Three women spoke. Of the three, one was trapped under a fallen brick fence, but she was rescued and came out of it with a badly bruised shoulder. They all spoke of how suddenly the quake came and how hard it was at first to fully realize what was happening. They also spoke of buildings crashing to the ground as the quake made things sway and topple.

One of the women said: “I don’t want to shock anybody, but people die in earthquakes. I don’t see that they deserved it. But I know others in the name of Jesus will survive.”

--Chris Meehan, CRCNA Communications