ER Nurse Devon Root arrives in Haiti just in time to help

On Jan. 8, Cornwall, Conn., residents Mike and Laurie Root drove their daughter, Devon, to the airport.

She boarded a plane for Haiti, where she planned to spend a year helping out in clinics.

She had no idea as her plane took off how much her skills as a nurse would come into play. Just four days after her arrival in Port-au-Prince, a major earthquake struck the Caribbean island nation.

The 25-year-old graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School has been working in the emergency room at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. She had already been on two  brief mission trips before this year’s journey. The trips were sponsored by the Norwich-based Haitian Health Foundation.

“She really felt she could make a difference there,†said her father, Mike, on Sunday. “She even learned the native language, Creole, before she went.â€

The family, fortunately, did not have to bear the agony of waiting for word that their daughter was alright.

“She was working about 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince, in Jeremie,†her father said. “She called just after the quake on Tuesday, to tell us they had felt it there. The building shook, but there was no damage.

“She had no idea at the time what had happened in other parts of the country. We turned on the news and saw the devastation.â€

It was a close call. Devon had left Port-au-Prince Sunday morning, Jan. 10. She had spent time at the mission house there with her close friend, Jillian Thorp.

Devon was one of the people Thorp called for help, while her cell phone still worked, when she became trapped under the collapsed mission house. She was later rescued, mainly thanks to the efforts of her husband, who drove eight hours to get to her.

Now, as all the ramifications of the disaster — the lack of food, clean water and fuel, the destruction of the hospital in Port-au-Prince and general chaos — are worsening, Root and other volunteers are helping in whatever ways they can.

The Internet has been an iffy proposition, but she was able to e-mail The Journal early Monday morning, providing an update, photos and an appeal for help.

“Since Friday night over 2,000 people have arrived by truck and bus, and the boat from Port-au-Prince arrived yesterday morning at around 6:15, at full capacity carrying 1,500 people.

“Music played, people sang and cheered as the boat pulled in. Their welcome home was truly amazing. I spent the early morning helping to triage people on the wharf and with transporting them to the local hospital, St. Antoine’s, and then helped care for them there side by side with my Haitian counterparts.

“Before moving to Haiti, I worked as a trauma and emergency room nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Connecticut, so I was in my element.â€

Mike Root said he heard the ferry had planned to return to Port-au-Prince to continue the evacuation effort, but no fuel was available.

Other refugees are arriving by bus, but must find a way to pay ticket prices that have been raised to exorbitant levels. Much of the gasoline supply has been rendered unavailable; gas station owners are afraid to unlock their pumps, major news sources report.

The Roots continue to fear for their daughter, as chaos continues to grip the country. They are hoping the large presence of volunteers from other countries will be able to restore order.

To help, Devon Root asks that people go to haitianhealthfoundation.org, or call 860-886-4357.

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