Faces of Soleil

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Faces of Soleil

Here was the first patient in the pediatric clinic this morning.

And things didn't improve.

About two hundred patients showed up even though four hours of heavy rain last night flooded Port-au-Prince. And since water runs downhill, the Soleil clinic courtyard was inundated with water.

Saint Catherine's Hospital in Soleil, which is right across the flooded field from the clinic, had water in the main hallway. And lying on a bench in the main hallway was the uncovered body of a young man who had come in yesterday with an abscess on his neck. His arms were tied together resting on his abdomen.

American Airlines flights come in and go out over Soleil. The noise of their engines is deafening inside the hospital. Miami is 91 minutes away.