Sheriff's Mission in Haiti

Deputy Kevin Richards, Deputy Don Hughes, and Corrections Sergeant CJ Polacco were flown to Haiti on Friday, January 21st to help with security, provide supplies and improve infrastructure in the wake of the January 12 earthquake. They were selected from among 30 Sheriff's Office personnel who offered to be deployed to Haiti. This page will be updated daily with their reports (written by Sergeant Polacco) and photos.

Friday, January 29, 2010

At our 8 am briefing, Kevin and Don were assigned to another tent detail, and I was assigned to help with final details in a warehouse situated close to the airport. The tents never came in, so Kevin and Don ended up assisting our team at the big warehouse. Save the children is renting this warehouse for incoming aid. Supplies are flown in, trucked to the warehouse, and from there, distributed all over the Port-au-Prince area. Our day was spent moving seven truckloads of supplies into the warehouse.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Our team had another busy day. We put up some more hospital tents in various places: Place St. Pierre, Petion-Ville, Lakou Isa, Carrefour Feuillet, and Theatre National, Port-au-Prince. One hospital tent was put up in front of the Haitian police station. We met some of the local officers who were happy to see us Americans, and we had some pictures taken with them in front of their station.

Whiledriving to these locatioins, it seemed like there were tent cities everywhere you'd look. In some places that are designated for burning trash, we could see mountains of trash and garbage and even human remains that hadn't properly burned.

The situation here in Haiti remains the same: hundreds of thousands of people with an unending need for water, food, and supplies.

The damaged perimeter wall around Save the Children's compound (where we are staying) is now fixed, so it's a little more secure here.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Today’s work was the same as yesterday’s. Once again while putting up tents, we were surrounded by kids. They showed us that they wanted to be picked up so Kevin and I would raise them up into the air, to their delight. Of course Don is a hero with the kids. He graciously allowed them to inspect his tattoos. We also took time to show them tricks and play games with them. At one point the excitement level was so high they almost knocked us over!

We accomplish a lot of work each day but it is obvious that even with all the forms of help these people currently receive, it is not nearly enough. And while most of the locals are grateful for our help, others seem to child resent it because we are Americans.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Our day started out as usual, but since today marks week two since the earthquake, we took time with staff members from Save the Children to reflect on this incredible disaster. At one point, a lady started hyperventilating, so the three of us helped to calm her down by talking to her and coaching her breathing. After about fifteen to twenty minutes, her breathing was back to normal and she was doing much better.

Today we headed out to set up tents in various parts of Port-au-Prince. At one site when we began putting up a tent, some kids came over to watch, and circled around us. Then they spotted our tattoos and at first just kept pointing at them and talking. Then they started touching them, tracing them with their fingers. These kids thought our tattoos were pretty cool! Playing hot hands and exchanging high-five’s were another hit with them.

While putting up the tents we observed US military aircraft landing near the Presidential Palace, dropping off additional troops. Tensions in the area seem to be rising as the need for food and water is only intensifying.

Monday, January 25, 2010 Man on crutches

Around 1AM we heard a shotgun blast from behind the compound office and then heard someone running through the woods. We helped search the compound for the shooter, because there are no weapons here, but found no one with a gun. Because we couldn’t locate the security guard anywhere on the compound, we took turns doing security patrols ourselves.

Today I was assigned to go with a team to set up a new warehouse, and Kevin and Don were supposed to put up some tents. The tents did not arrive in time, so they spent the day doing security at the compound. I spent the day setting up the warehouse and arrived back at the compound at 6PM.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Working on warehouse 2 Shortly after 8:00AM, additional security was needed, and we assisted with crowd control outside the compound. Later on we went back out to finish work on the storage facilities. On arrival, we met up with a marine unit that had been dispatched to the compound in Léogâne. We spent time with the commander who was pleased to meet us there. He expressed how happy he was that local police from the US are in Haiti and are participating in relief work. He also offered any assistance we might need in the future.
The rest of the day was spent doing various jobs around the compound in Léogâne. Building storage unit

Saturday, January 23, 2010

We spent the day with a team in Léogâne, setting up temporary storage facilities. Léogâne was severely damaged by the earthquake, and most buildings are down. Local Haitians were hired and helped us with assembling these structures.

Friday, January 22, 2010

We have been here less than twenty-four hours and have already felt three aftershocks. Today Don, Kevin and Street scene 2 I will be helping out with security here at headquarters, because of the damaged walls. There are always lots of local people outside the compound walls, hoping to be hired for a day, or just looking for help. So as you can imagine, security is an issue. Save the Children provided each of us with a cell phone for communicating with each other and other staff working locally here in Haiti. During the afternoon, we assisted with various jobs that needed attention at the compound. There is no lack of work here.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Our team arrived in Port-au-Prince today around noon. Less than two hours later, we were on our way to Save the Children’s headquarters where we will be based for the next few weeks. On arrival at the compound we took notice of the damaged sections of the compound’s perimeter wall. Not entirely secure! We took the time we needed to set up our tent, offload our supplies, and look around the compound. Save the Children’s headquarters is located in Petion-ville, further up in the mountains from Port-au-Prince.

Day of arrival: loading supplies onto convoy truck

tent city hillside Above: Newly arrived UCSO officers load supplies onto convoy truck.

Left: Tent city in Port-au-Prince

Below: In Port-au-Prince

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