Brandon Drenon for Indianapolis Star/ The original text appears here.
The Haitian community in Indianapolis is reacting following the deadly earthquake that has claimed the lives of hundreds and injured thousands more, with many feeling “hopeless” and a sense of “desperation.”
“When I got the news Saturday, I was bawling,” said Jenny Melanas, an employee of the Haitian Association of Indiana. “I just felt so hopeless.
“It’s hard to imagine or see a better future when you’re in the midst of getting hit by three different things at once.”
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake occurred Saturday, Aug. 14, and is responsible for the deaths of nearly 1,500, left close to 6,000 injured and thousands more displaced.
By Tuesday, tropical storm Grace hit the island, covering people with rain as they searched for survivors, USA Today reported.
Both devastations occurred on the heels of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moїse last July and amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Melanas said since the earthquake, she has been speaking with her family back in Haiti daily. Haitians locally and abroad feel like they don’t have time to grieve before being struck by the next tragedy, she said.Continue reading