After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday afternoon, 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, those with loved ones in the island nation have been scrambling to find any news about their well-being. With limited communication, scattered reports have told of unthinkable damage, death and destruction.
Haitian born Joseph Cantave, 46, lived in Haverhill from 1991 to 2007 and has a prominent spot for his artwork at Margot's Gallery on Wingate Street. He is desperately trying to get information about his 72-year-old mother, Edith.
"What's most difficult right now is getting information," Cantave said. "Most people are getting through on the internet, but the people I know are not connected to the Internet. I cannot find out anything, but from what I've heard, it's very, very bad."
Cantave has heard that the school he used to attend is heavily damaged and the magnificent cathedral he used to draw as a child has collapsed. A six-story building, just blocks from where his mother calls home, has been leveled.
The earthquake, which is the strongest quake since 1770 in what is now Haiti according to the U.S. Geological Survey, has rocked a country already struggling with poverty. The country also has no construction standards and many homes are without foundations.
"Haiti is a very, very, very poor place," he said. "This is a country that has already suffered so much. It's going to take a lot of years to recover. Haiti doesn't have the safety nets like in America. Help is difficult to find. There's no infrastructure."
Cantave, who now lives in Framingham with his brother, works as a truck driver. He has lived in the United States for over 20 years, but has visited his homeland almost every year to connect with his mother and to communicate with a flourishing community of local artists. He worries that area, too, has been destroyed.
"That place that I love, produced so many good artists," he said.
Port-au-Prince has approximately 2 million residents. About 9,000 peacekeepers have been in Haiti since 2004, including 1,266 Brazilians. It's estimated that 3 million people in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities need emergency aid, according to the Associated Press. The total population of the country is 9 million.
Cantave was driving a truck Tuesday when the earthquake hit. He hadn't heard anything about the disaster until his sister, who lives in Cambridge, called him in a panic. Finally, he was able to access the news for himself.
"I never considered the extent of the damage," he said.
Cantave's sister immediately set off for Haiti to find their mother.
"We're a very close family," he said. "But my sister and my mother are extremely close."
Cantave hopes that in the wake of the unimaginable crisis in Haiti, hearts will open around the world in support.
"I hope people let their humanity show," he said. "What happened in Haiti can happen anywhere."
President Barack Obama recently urged Americans concerned about loved ones in Haiti to call the State Department at 1-888-407-4747.
