A BANGOR woman has spoken of her harrowing experiences in earthquake-devastated Haiti.
Christian Aid charity worker Branwen Niclas, 40, travelled to Port au Prince on January 23 and spent several days at the centre of the disaster zone.
She said: “There are mountains of rubble everywhere – it was complete devastation, you can’t imagine it.
“Everybody in Haiti has been affected – if not directly, they have lost their jobs or neighbours or friends.
“I was trained by Christian Aid to handle hostile environments and difficult situations but nothing can compare to being there and seeing it.”
During the quake thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed, including Christian Aid’s office in Port au Prince. Branwen added: “As we were driving to Port au Prince you could see the devastation; many buildings are completely demolished and there is a particular stench there due to the number of bodies.
“There’s also lots of rubble and lots of rubbish, and while you lose a lot of people from the immediate effects of a disaster, as time goes disease becomes a great danger.”
One key directive for Branwen’s charity is to continue their projects alongside relief operations. She said: “What we have tried to do as well is carry on with the ongoing work in the country at the same time.
“In Carrefour, on one side of Port au Prince, there is a slum of 100,000 people with three Christian Aid clinics; two were destroyed and the third being used as a warehouse so the three clinics are now being held out in the open air, including a mother and baby clinic that gives mums and their toddlers a hot meal.”
However, Branwen is hopeful that the worst may be over and that the long process of rebuilding can begin.
“The immediate emergency relief period has came to an end but there is still need for long term work - it will take years to rebuild.
“We are so grateful to the public and especially people in the Bangor area and North West Wales for their generosity – I have seen so many examples of aid being used here to make a difference.”