I have been nothing but impressed with this wonderful culture who have dug themselves out after the hurricane and moved on! They are/were traumatized, no doubt about it, but no one is yelling "who's coming to help us!" Honestly they put American's to shame in hurricane Katrina. They dug out their own roads, replanted their own crops, live off their roots that stayed in the grounds and nuts that fell from the trees, they are just getting their first crops growing after the hurricane, they can rebuild a house in 3 days (no plumbing, electric, sewer, insulation, etc., so it is a bit more simple than our construction, but they are working VERY hard, but they are doing it. No one is starving (but I do believe they are hungry and rationing food although they don't readily admit that). The roots kasava (yucca) are starting to rot, so they have run out of a staple food for now. Port Patrick got food aid and were so pleased, then we gave Port Resolution food aid yesterday and this morning they told me how wonderful it was for them to eat rice and the canned meat last night!! They are so humble and appreciative!
The World Food Organization has a warehouse of food aid here in Tanna. Samaritan's Purse is helping distribute it. Our two vessels brought the organizer for Samaritan's Purse around the north side of the island to try to evaluate two small, remote villages for population count and food and medical needs. They can't distribute food without a population count because it's based on a head count. We are in Lenekal, the main port, to pick up food if it's needed up there. Unfortunately the weather is going to turn tomorrow so it's windy, wavy, and rough seas, making delivery harder or impossible. We are also hoping to pick up medications to go to the next island Erromongo to be delivered from the hospital here.
Yesterday we had a great clinic! We rented a truck and went out to a remote village area. Initially, we stopped before the village under an opening by a huge shade tree. People came out of the woodwork. We saw 22 people in a couple of hours. We treated them in the truck, doing chiropractic on the tailgate, and leaning on the hood. Anything goes. Then we moved onto the school house where we were initially planning. They had not got the message we were coming, but another 22 people came while we were there. This was a very appreciative group with very limited medical access. The school was built of bricks, but the front wall (facing the ocean) was blown down and the roof was down. It was very interesting, I saw a goiter, old man with pneumonia, probably a 10 year old teratoma (like an 8 month gestation), a hernia, chronic leg ulcerations, some kids appeared to have protein deficiencies (big, protruding bellies), a tiny 2 year old with clearly a growth issue of some sort, but many darling fat little babies, all nursing. Oh, and, I kid you not, we saw many groups picking lice out of each other's hair, and eating them. This does not explain a protein deficiency now does it? It was right out of a nature video, but I couldn't figure out how I could take a video, so I just have a mental image on that one. On the way back up the side road, we were flagged by a community by a man wanting to be seen. Then at the top of the road was a man with red eyes that wanted treatment.
Then we headed to the volcano!!!! I've wanted to see one for soooo long! I couldn't believe it!! We walked right up to the rim and could see into the caldera. It was booming, spewing smoke and gasses, then lava and ash!! This was flying up into the air from 2 separate openings. It was absolutely amazing to be there!!! After clinics and seeing the countryside and cyclone damage all day, then the volcano at night, my battery died on my camera and my memory was full, so I am hoping Steffan (professional photographer on the other boat) got some awesome photos, but I got some. I don't have the bandwidth to upload them now! We stayed until after the sun went down, then we had a bumpy 1.5 hour ride in the back of a truck back to the boats. It was an awesome day all the way around!!!
Shannon
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