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Surviving the Haiti earthquake: a UN staffer’s story

Surviving the Haiti earthquake: a UN staffer’s story

Conor Lennon:

Take us back, first of all, to your memories of what happened on that day nine years ago.

Sophie Boutaud de la Combe:

Well, and that day I was in a meeting in my office with colleagues from the sixth floor and when the earthquake hit, we  just followed all the reflex that I learned from my, uh, experience in Martinique. We went back under the tables just to protect ourselves for, of what could fall down from the walls after when it stopped from shaking, I went out and  checked on the other colleagues that were at the, other places and there was everywhere this white dust coming from the walls and everybody was in shock.  They asked me to go down from a ladder that the militaries had time to put on the window and wall . So I preferred because I was very pregnant from seven months and a half, I prefer to find another way out because we always have aftermath after an earthquake, and it could shake  the ladder. So we looked for another exit and we found a wall that collapsed allowing us to go out and walked out, up to the entrance and there was nothing left. That means the six floors of the building had totally collapsed. I was on the main floor and I had this phrase in my mind, seeing you, we did with this information later. Not to be emotional. I don't know why my, my mind said that to me. And then I saw everybody around me in shock, very emotional and I was very clean minded. So I asked everyone and security especially to make sure they close the gate so we would have everybody accounted for because people were running around everywhere. And we need to know how many people are still in the building blocked under the rubbles and who is outside and to organize ourselves. So we had unfortunately the head of the mission, uh, the special representative of the Secretary General Mr Hedi Annabi and his deputy, Luiz da Costa that were still missing and under the rubble and we organized ourselves with the deputy force commander at that time who was OIC and with the Filipinos who were at the HQ and it was for hours, hours, and the night came and we had big lights on the rubble just to help get our colleagues that  were still blocked under it. On the days that followed we were  transported to the logistical base in Port-au-Prince, not far away from the HQ, but near the airport. And we organized ourselves. Um, I was a deputy chief communication at that time and spokesperson. So I asked the chief of communication, um, what can I do to help? And he said, well, Sophie, if you can take care of yourself and go back home, that will be the most helpful because I was very pregnant. I said seven months and a half and my, a replacement for my maternity leave was already there and prepared. So everything was under control in the communication side. So I self-evacuated two days after on the Thursday because, uh, the earthquake was on a Tuesday.

Conor Lennon:

Knowing that you had lost colleagues and colleagues had been injured, and the people that you were helping in Haiti had been injured, was it difficult for you to leave?

Sophie Boutaud de la Combe:

It was a really a trauma, but at that time I had no solution. I was not very much of a help. Uh, I could not do much. The person who was there just to be the spokesperson when I would be on maternity leave, was already prepared to give the interviews so it was better for them to do it and me, uh, just to get back home and deliver the baby. But I came back. I came back during the summer after the maternity leave and I did the transition between the two chief of communications and that was really a very emotional for me, because coming back in Haiti six months after the situation was really, really difficult still, and a lot was needed at all level, at humanitarian level, at support level. There was a lot of attention from the international community. And so I was glad to be there and to be able to speak about what was needed, but I was getting emotional in every interview so that was not very professional. So I decided to leave, and it broke my heart because I spent six years in Haiti already, but I decided to rebuild myself to be able to be back in good shape to help the Haitians  and to help my colleagues, which I did in 2013 when I came back and I’m there still.

Conor Lennon:

Describe what it was like for you coming back

Sophie Boutaud de la Combe:

2013, that was a mix of feelings first. The feelings of joy to be back and to be able to work with the colleagues alongside them to help rebuild the country and finish our work with the mandate of MINUSTA, the United Nation Mission for Stabilization in Haiti. There was so much to do still, and there was also very much sadness because of all the lost colleagues, but the sadness was stronger obviously, and is still there and will always be there. So we have to just live with it, and honour our colleagues by the work we're doing. That's the most important.

Conor Lennon:

Haiti is still at risk from natural disasters such as earthquakes. Do you think the country is more resilient now if another earthquake is to, is to hit the country?

Sophie Boutaud de la Combe:

Of course, when it happened in 2010, MINUSTA had a lot of military present. We had engineers and we were able to do a lot of work to just clear the roads from rubble and to help rebuild roads. And today with MINUJUSTH, the new mission, it's absolutely not the same. The new mission is a mission for justice support. We don't have militaries anymore. We have international police officers in all the departments, but they are supporting the high commandment of the national police for the implementation of the strategic plan. So it's not the same. And of course, if there would be an earthquake today, the Haitians themselves would have to take care of it and they have prepared for that. They have prepared for that and the population itself is very much prepared.   We hear regularly when there is an earthquake, like we had a few months ago an earthquake in the north of the country, the state was prepared to react and they sent their people there to check on those that were affected and providing support without MINUJUSTH involvement. So they were already doing it. Of course it was not a major earthquake in the capital as we had in 2010. But the population now knows how to react when there is an earthquake, how to protect themselves. They know much better. And most importantly, we hear regularly how important it is to build better, to build strongly in case an earthquake would hit, not to endanger the people.

 

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In 2010 a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, reportedly killing up to  220’000 people, including 102 UN personnel. One of those who survived was Sophie Boutaud de la Combe: head of Communications for the UN Mission for Justice in Haiti (MINUJUSTH).

Saturday marks 9 years since the earthquake, a chance for Ms. Boutaud de la Combe to share with UN News her memories of 12 January 2010, and reflect on Haiti’s current ability to withstand disasters.

Conor Lennon from UN News spoke to Ms. Boutaud de la Combe, and started by asking what happened to her, and her colleagues, when the quake struck.

Audio Credit
Conor Lennon, UN News
Audio
8'38"
Photo Credit
MINUSTAH