Sisters photographer returns from Haiti

Sisters photographer David Uttley recently returned from five weeks in Haiti, where he worked with Christian relief agency Samaritan's Purse, documenting the work being done in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

His assignment, originally planned as a one-week stint with the agency, stretched into the entire five weeks. He worked to show the plight of ordinary Haitians, to capture the emotion, heartache and resiliency of people who live in the poorest and arguably most corrupt nation on the planet. His photos appeared daily on the Samaritan's Purse Web site and focused on the relief efforts undertaken by the agency.

Hygiene packs were distributed immediately by Samaritan's Purse workers. Then large machinery arrived and rubble removal began. One of the ongoing issues, according to Uttley, is where to put the rubble.

"It seems like for every step forward (in aid) there would be two steps back. It's a very complicated task longterm," he said.

Uttley was raised in Haiti, the son of missionary parents, and is a fluent speaker of Haitian Creole, the native language. He has returned to the country several times as an adult, helping various organizations with ongoing projects. His work this trip, taking place behind a lens, left him feeling helpless at times. For the first time, he was an observer, noting the need but unable to offer physical support.

One of the urgent tasks facing Samaritan's Purse is designing and distributing temporary shelters. Ninety percent of the displaced people are sleeping in the street, with few of those people prepared for rain.

"The biggest issue now is shelter, with the rainy season just weeks away," said Uttley.

Samaritan's Purse is working on temporary housing, using tarps that will withstand the upcoming season. Uttley will return to the country in two weeks to document progress on that project.

The next step in recovery, he said, is to help Haitians understand how to control the spread of disease. The effectiveness of the hygiene packs depends on following basic aims of sanitation, something that often gets lost when people are trying to survive.

"Long-term thinking just isn't there when you're trying to get through to the next day," said Uttley.

His wife, Cindy, who is a nurse, also has a heart for Haiti. The pair met in Haiti when both were working there several years ago. She departed the day after Uttley's return to Sisters and is doing a short-term shift in a medical center in Cite Soliel, one of the slums of Port au Prince.

Reports state that an arduous process awaits Haiti as the country works to recover. Uttley encourages interested Sisters residents to monitor progress through Web sites of organizations such as Samaritan's Purse or others with ongoing work there.

For more information visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org.