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YSU athletes finally hear from Haitian relatives
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FAMILY MATTERS: YSU students Eddie D’Haiti, pictured, and Ely Ducatel are among those who have relatives in Haiti. Family members went for days without contact with those in the Caribbean Island nation, which was struck by a major earthquake last week.
By Jon Moffett
D’Haiti, Ducatel had anxious moments
The YSU athletes were able to communicate with family following the earthquake.
YOUNGSTOWN — For three days, Youngstown State University students Eddie D’Haiti and Ely Ducatel waited patiently — albeit nervously — to hear from their relatives in Haiti.
Every time the phone rang, the student athletes said a silent prayer, hoping the call was assurance their respective family members were all right.
When the call finally came, both said it was a relief.
“It took us a while to reach them all,” D’Haiti said. “But we kept praying and kept praying, and finally, my [sister-in-law] who was visiting down in Haiti was able to get in touch with them.”
Ducatel said he was able to get in touch with all of his family members, and all are well.
D’Haiti, whose surname means “of Haiti” in French, and Ducatel each have relatives in the country, which was rocked by an earthquake on Jan. 12.
The earthquake was recorded as a 7.0 on the Richter magnitude scale, which measures the power of the earthquakes, and its epicenter was located 16 miles from the nation’s capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Many of the nation’s government buildings, including the Parliament and Presidential Palace, were destroyed and an estimated 200,000 of the country’s 10 million people were killed.
D’Haiti and Ducatel, both 20, live in Florida and play basketball and football, respectively, for the Penguins. D’Haiti is from Orlando and Ducatel resides in Naples.
“It’s tragic and it’s shocking,” D’Haiti said. “My first thought was that I couldn’t believe it.
“My mom used to tell me as a kid about the earthquakes down there. She said they were never serious, they would just rattle things.
“I didn’t even know Haiti got so many earthquakes,” D’Haiti said. “But when I found out about this one, it was shocking.”
D’Haiti said his parents were both born in Haiti but moved to the United States. But his grandmother, as well as countless aunts, uncles and cousins, still live in the Latin American nation.
Ducatel said he also has aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as a half-sister, in Haiti.
Both said they were in a panic after first hearing of the earthquake. Much of the power was down in the country for a few days, making communication virtually impossible.
Ducatel said he was working out on campus when he heard the news. He said he left the facility at about 5 p.m. and didn’t learn the extent of the damage until about 9 p.m. after his evening classes ended.
“The first thing I thought about was my family,” he said.
When he was able to speak with his family members, Ducatel said he was shocked to hear about the state of the nation.
“I guess just the smell of the country is really bad,” he said. “There’s all this death that you can’t even believe, and there are dead people just laying on the ground.”
Ducatel added that food, medical and other supplies are at nearby airports but are being sent inland very slowly because of all the debris strewn about.
D’Haiti, who said he has been down to the country several times, said it pains him to think about Haiti’s current condition considering how impoverished it had been prior to the quake.
“Words can’t really even explain it, honestly,” he said.” “Before the earthquake hit, Haiti was a very poor place to live. People have no idea how good they have it here in America.”
One positive has been the outcry of support for Haiti and the generous donations of those who wish to help. Ducatel said he has seen various groups on YSU’s campus trying to raise money to sent to Haiti.
He was also touched by a number of e-mails he received from classmates making sure he was OK.
“There are organizations on campus trying to help. I see the fraternities and sororities really trying to get together as far as donating to Haiti. There are a lot of club organizations on campus and there are people talking about how they can help.”
D’Haiti said helping out is as simple as grabbing a cell phone and texting.
“For people to help, it doesn’t even take as much as leaving the house,” he said, referencing to several networks such as ESPN and ABC asking viewers to text and donate money to the cause.
Another recent natural disaster comparable to the earthquake was Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged much of the Gulf Coast in 2005. Many U.S. cities, most notably New Orleans, were affected by the tropical storm.
Ducatel said while the two share similarities, the most telling comparison is the destruction both disasters caused.
“Just to see the pictures on TV and to see what they are going through, and to see the faces and expressions on TV, is just painful,” he said. “The thing about Hurricane Katrina is there are a lot of Haitians who live in New Orleans, so a lot of Haitians can already identify with what is going on in Haiti,” he said.
Ducatel has never been to Haiti, but had planned a trip to visit the country in the summer. He said the trip is still on, but expects a lot of logistical problems in dealing with obtaining a passport and trying to get into the country.
“I’ll still be going, but it will probably be crazy and there will be chaos,” he said.
While his trip was supposed to be simply a happy reunion with his family, Ducatel said he will help out in any way he can while visiting. He also encouraged his peers to do the same from American soil.
“If you can give, try to give generously because it’s crucial,” he said. “This is an important time and they really need us right now. They need our time and whatever we can give. It’s important to remember what we have and give generously to those who don’t have anything.”
Various local organizations are taking collections for Haitian relief. Among them are the Red Cross branches in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
For more information on how to donate, contact Red Cross representatives at (330) 726-6063 – Mahoning; (330) 392-2551 – Trumbull; or (330) 424-6610 – Columbiana, or visit the organization’s Web site at www.redcross.org.
jmoffett@vindy.com