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Hampton Roads to Haiti

The 7.0 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 brought world-wide attention to the beautiful – and often troubled – nation of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Even before that, thousands of people in Hampton Roads – through their churches and nonprofit groups -- have been connected to our neighbor in the Caribbean. Now a strong military presence in the disaster relief effort strengthens the connection between Hampton Roads and Haiti. This blog dates back to April 2009 when Pilot editor Nancy Young tagged along with a Catholic missionary group to Haiti and has since visited the country five times. In January, Pilot military reporter Corinne Reilly and photojournalist Steve Earley traveled to Haiti with the amphibious assault ship Bataan and their posts and photographs describing earthquake relief efforts are still available. Look here, and in The Virginian-Pilot, for ongoing updates.

 

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■ 03 March 2010 | 10:28 PM

Va. Beach search and rescue team to be honored

Members of Virginia Task Force Two wait Jan. 15, 2010 before boarding military flights to Haiti at Norfolk Naval Station. The urban search and rescue team was mobilized late Wednesday night to find earthquake victims in Haiti. (Ross Taylor | The Virginian-Pilot)

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. will honor members of the Virginia-based search and rescue teams that worked in Haiti after the earthquake.

The teams, from Virginia Beach and Fairfax County, included more than 150 people and rescued a total of 19 survivors.

A delegation of 10 people from each of the teams will attend the ceremony with Warner Friday, a news release from the senator’s office said.

Following the ceremony, the two delegations will get a special White House tour.

-Lauren King

Members of the Virginia Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue Team carry Jens Christensen, from Denmark, a United Nations worker who was just pulled from the collapsed United Nations headquarters building to a temporary clinic in Port-au- Prince, Jan. 17, 2010. Workers had been trapped in the building for days since the deadly earthquake which killed thousands and left the city in ruins. (Julie Jacobson | The Associated Press)

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