The District Chronicles

Issue date: 1/31/10 Section: Neighborhood

Media Credit: NNPA

Fendy Mesy sat in front of her computer in her dimly lit office on the second floor of Howard University's School of Communications building. She attacked the paper work sprawled across her large desk. She checked the e-mails and consulted with her co-workers about upcoming events in the School's calendar.

It was nearly a week since the 7.0 earthquake ravaged Haiti, the first country to be ruled by people of African ancestry. ?Haiti wrench independence from French colonial powers 0n January 1804.

"This is the first time I have been able to focus since last Tuesday," said the 24-year old special projects coordinator. Mesy, a Haitian American with almost her entire family living on the island country, spent the entire week before in a state of agony, waiting to hear from relatives and consoling her frantic mother.

"The first couple of hours were the most challenging," she said. "When I found out I was on my way to LSAT prep class with Rhodes Prep in downtown Washington. ?I got a breaking news email alert on my phone from BET."

"'Breaking news earthquake hit," the message on the email said. Mesy scrolled down to read the rest of the message. Then she saw it. The earthquake had hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

"My eyes just froze," she said. But she recovered enough to call her parents in Silver Spring, MD, who have been living there for 27 years. Her father was watching the news but her mother was on her way to work. She had no idea. Mesy delivered the news to her. Her mother went into complete shock.

Mesy's immediate family has 20 members, only four - three aunts and an uncle - live outside Haiti. Sixteen were in Haiti when the massive earthquake hit the island, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic.

For three days, they waited to hear from the 16 relatives, including Mesy's blind grandfather. All have since been found. "I saw my father cry for the first time this weekend," Mesy said.

"I have spoken to friends I haven't spoken to in over a year. This has been one of the most drastic life experiences for me. This hit home."

In LeDroit Park, Haitian American Michelle Previlon can relate to Mesy's experiences all too well. She was sitting in a business meeting in Howard University's Armour J. Blackburn Center on Tuesday around 6 p.m., the day of the earthquake, when she received a chain text message of the earthquake from a friend. She didn't grasp the severity of it until she heard the pain in her mother's voice.

Continued...

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