19°c Overcast
10°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Manitobans just in time for quake
Volunteers stay to help out at orphanage
il;
A group of Manitobans volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti had only been in the country for five hours when the earthquake struck and they were forced to run for their lives.
Tasiya Barkman, 14, of Kleefeld, her grandmother Wilma, aunt Janet Reimer of Blumenort and Wilma's sister-in-law Betty Friesen of Steinbach were all inside the God's Littlest Angels orphanage about 20 kilometres outside the capital Port-au-Prince when the building started to shake.
Tasiya, a Grade 8 student at Kleefeld School, said she was with her grandmother on the third floor of the orphanage, getting the babies ready for dinner, when the earthquake hit.
"I had no idea what was going on," Tasiya said via email.
"I just stood frozen (and) then my grandma started yelling at me to run. So I did."
Tasiya said the earthquake "was about 40 seconds long, (but) it felt like hours.
"I'm a little more shooken up than the rest of the volunteers, but I'm also the youngest here.
"I'm trying to be strong and I just think about why I came to Haiti in the first place -- the babies."
Tasiya said she and others at the orphanage were able to get outside without being injured.
"I'm surprised I didn't fall down the stairs (because) I'm a very clumsy person to begin with," she said, adding a smiley face to her email.
Once the shaking stopped, the volunteers ran back inside to rescue the crying babies.
"A lot of them fell down, (but) none (were) hurt though," she said.
Tasiya estimated there have been as many as 50 aftershocks, with one on Wednesday night so strong everybody rushed outside again.
Before the earthquake struck, Tasiya was celebrating another occasion -- it was her birthday.
Since the earthquake, she and the rest of the volunteers have had to roll up their sleeves and work hard because many of the Haitian staff have left to find their families.
"We've just been taking as many children as possible and playing with them, feeding them, dressing them and putting them to bed."
Tasiya said a friend has decided to organize a fundraiser for Haiti at their school.
"I think (my friends) are scared and also excited that I get to be in the middle of this huge event. It's a miracle I'm still alive. I should be flattened."
Both Bruce Barkman, Tasiya's grandfather and Wilma's husband, and Russell Barkman, Tasiya's father, said they were relieved their family members were safe.
Russell said his daughter had the presence of mind to phone him about an hour after the earthquake struck -- before he even knew about it.
"She was in tears crying and she said, "Before you hear it on the news, I want you to know there has been an earthquake here," he said.
"Her first two emails she wanted to come home, but now she's saying they need (her) more than ever. It's kind of scary, but I'm proud of her."
Holly Bickel, a spokeswoman at the orphanage's head office in Colorado, said Canadians can donate and receive a tax receipt because the Canadian arm is a registered charity.
"We look after 160 to 170 orphans, but we're expecting those numbers to go up because of the earthquake," Bickel said.
"We're not sure what's going to happen because it's unprecedented."
Bickel said that compared to other organizations, hers "has been very blessed.
"No one was hurt and none of our buildings were damaged. But we have staff members who lost family or their homes."
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Looking for family?
THE Salvation Army's emergency radio network is taking requests from people looking for family members in Haiti. To submit a request, go to www.satern.org and click on Health and Welfare Information Request.
The Salvation Army has been working in Haiti since 1950 and has three medical facilities, social service institutions and dozens of schools teaching more than 10,000 children.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 15, 2010 A5
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 26 articles for today)
Evidence ignored in dangerous driving acquital, appeal court told
1:15 PMA trial judge was accused of ignoring vital evidence during a Manitoba Court of Appeal hearing this morning.
The accusation came ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- City's first urban reserve born
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Woman drove into river on purpose
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- 'I told them, "I think that guy downstairs is dead"': teen witness at murder trial
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Police identify slaying victims
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- The end of the credit card?
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- City's first urban reserve born
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Baby steps toward empathy
- One year later... still no verdict
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Fishing for fashion
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- City's first urban reserve born
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.