Pierre Robergeau (left) with family (l-r), daughter Gabrielle. wife Martine and daughter Isabelle, in Victoria, B.C.(Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

"catastrophe after catastrophe"

Haiti quake hits the heart for two Lacombe men

Aug 21, 2021 | 12:24 PM

As Haiti continues to reel from the its latest bout of devastation – a M7.2 earthquake on Aug. 14 — a Lacombe man from the Caribbean nation is looking for Albertans to help.

Pierre Robergeau is a board member with the Edmonton-based Haitian Organization of Edmonton/Organisation Haitienne D’Edmonton (HOE/OHE).

Robergeau explains the organization is collecting monetary donations which it will get to Haitian agencies on the ground, and without overhead costs.

“It’s been catastrophe after catastrophe. We feel confused and sad for what happened. Watching what has happened in my home, and seeing people suffer on the news is sad,” he says. “Nobody thought that after 11 years, we’d have a major earthquake again. The country is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.

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“We were lucky in a way because if this one had happened in the capital of Port-au-Prince, it would’ve done more damage.”

Not only was Haiti hit by the quake a week ago, it was slammed by Tropical Depression Grace two days later. In July, the country’s president was assassinated, and that’s not to mention the earthquake of 2010 which killed hundreds of thousands, and hurricanes, namely Matthew which caused destruction in 2016.

Robergeau says because of the constant demand for disaster response, the nation has not been able to rebuild in a way that actually made overall infrastructure any safer.

“Haitians in Alberta may also need help with their mental health. As people who are living abroad, every time we hear something like this, it affects us,” he laments. “People may think it doesn’t because we aren’t there, but we are always following the news from home, and the news is never good. Many Haitians hope one day they can go back and retire to their country.”

Dr. Louicius Michel, a Haitian professor of business at Lacombe’s Burman University, would like people who aren’t Haitian to understand that external forces have also impacted Haiti’s ability to take care of itself, and respond to the best of its ability in the wake of a disaster.

Michel recalls when Haiti’s national currency, the gourde, was worth vastly more decades ago.

“That was the strength of our financial management. Where we are now doesn’t happen randomly,” he says. “It happens due to imposed public policies; it’s a result of public policy management, and a result of involvement by foreign powers in our dealings.”

For Michel, the pain of seeing his homeland suffer is immeasurable.

“I’m in touch with Haitian intelligence here in Canada and we are having discussions,” he says. “But I am just okay. This is bringing sad memories, and I still can’t watch the images without feeling the pain, and without questioning and hypothesizing.”

To donate to the HOE/OHE’s Haitian relief GoFundMe, visit this page.

As of Aug. 21, the most recent earthquake in Haiti is confirmed to have caused more than 2,000 fatalities and many more injuries, with that number expected to rise.

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