Tom Fame, a Roanoke allergist based at Lewis Gale, has been to Haiti more than 25 times since 1996. He doesn’t go on medical missions, rather Fame has worked with his church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Salem, to raise money for new schools. He’s also interested in infrastructure projects like water systems and in fact is now enrolled in a Master of Public Health program through Johns Hopkins to work on the issue of potable water.
“It’s a shame – over the past five years I’ve seen things get better and better,” said Fame, profiled in the Star-Sentinel last year about his book, “The Lambi’s Call: A Haitian Journey,” which he released as a fundraiser. He has seen and heard the reports about communication problems post-earthquake. “It’s always hard to get in touch with people [there], although lately it’s been better.”
Fame’s school projects are in the countryside, not in Port-Au-Prince, where phone service is still spotty. Cinder block buildings found in Haiti “that aren’t very well reinforced” contributed to the scope of the disaster said Fame. “Why right under the city?” was his thought when he first heard the news of the earthquake. It was centered in Port-Au-Prince.
“Couldn’t it be out in the ocean, or in the fields? That island’s been ripped in half, right where the city is. Why, on top of everything else?”
The biggest problem all along has been improving the infrastructure according to Fame. “Things that they did to improve it have been set back.” Perhaps there is a silver lining mused Fame; “This might be the time to clean out slums, the shanty villages and other undesirable neighborhoods – and start over again. They can put something up that’s not just thrown together … maybe better planned. But it’s going to take a lot of [scarce] resources.”
That’s where the international community may come in. Even before the 7.0 quake, Fame noted that “a lot of people said this was Haiti’s last chance. Most people in Haiti realize the urgency of doing it right this time.”
“Resist the urge to go there and help out,” advised Fame. “You don’t want to go down there … unless you have some special skills.” He suggests that people contribute money instead, especially to long-term infrastructure projects like fish farming, something he’s getting ready to tackle after potable water.
Fame has always been impressed with the feeling of community demonstrated by the Haitian people — even when they talk about just moving from misery to poverty. Short term he figures that spirit will be a saving grace. “They [will] get together and work hard. It’s amazing what people power will do. They will pull these crumbled blocks out and rebuild structures.”
See Haiti.olphsalem.org for more on Fame, Haiti and his book, “The Lambi’s Call.”
By Gene Marrano [email protected]