Suburbanites rally to help devastated Haitians

Two days after the destruction radiated from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, suburban residents are rallying in support of the impoverished island nation.

Ophthalmologist on her way to Haiti: Arlington Heights ophthalmologist Dr. Mildred Olivier will board a plane Thursday to fly into Haiti, and work a little harder than she first expected.

Olivier routinely flies to Haiti to treat the poor; this trip had already been planned.

She already intended to bring antibiotics and other medical supplies into Haiti - now she and her colleagues are scrambling to find more.

An e-mail sent Tuesday from a doctor colleague in Haiti underlines the need:

"The situation is very critical. Do not wait for an evaluation. We need water, food, shelter and so on. Act rapidly and do not spend time thinking. The situation is bad, bad, bad."

Olivier will be there until Jan. 20. Her work will primarily keep her north of the devastated areas.

Feed My Starving Children is ramping up: Haitians were just recovering from three major storms that crushed the country. There's no clue on how long it will take to heal this time.

"Their needs were great before this happened and they were just beginning to recover," said Debbie Briggs, assistant site supervisor for Feed My Starving Children in Aurora.

The Minnesota-based charity is ramping up production to send additional food to Haiti. They were relieved to hear the warehouse in Haiti that stores food for the needy escaped damage.

Glenview missionaries safe, but despondent: Some in Haiti used Facebook and similar sites to tell the outside world they were OK. Phone calls have been scarce, since the quake destroyed cell phones towers.

Glenview's Terry O'Brien finally heard from his wife, Stacy, Wednesday morning. She was supposed to fly back home Wednesday from her humanitarian trip.

"It was the most amazing moment of my life to date, save the birth of my children," O'Brien said of getting the phone call.

Stacy O'Brien is part of a group of 24 from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview that's been stranded. Now, they have hopes of getting a helicopter ride to San Juan, Puerto Rico and eventually find a flight to America.

O'Brien added that his wife is safe, but suffers from mental anguish. She and her group have been doing basic medical assistance in a small village 15 miles from Port-au-Prince.

Now, even though they lack formal medical training, they have been required to treat those severely injured.

"She's just overwhelmed," he said.

'It's all in God's hands: Jeanne Thelemaque waits. She has been unable to contact her daughter who lives on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

"I call the number. The phone does not connect," the Oakbrook Terrace resident said.

Still, she has reason to believe her daughter is OK. Her husband's grandson, who lives near Bolingbrook, went to Port-au-Prince to visit his mother before he deploys to Afghanistan. He texted his father to say he and his mother were OK, but would share details later. He will return to the U.S. on Jan. 18.

Meanwhile, Thelemaque's daughter-in-law in Miami has gotten a call from her sister, who lives in Petionville, the suburb of Port-au-Prince where a hospital collapsed. Thelemaque continues to wait for word on her husband and his two children.

"It's all in God's hands," she said.

McHenry, Huntley churches have close ties: Catholic organizations in southeast McHenry County also wait. These groups organize regular mission trips to Haiti, run a grammar school for rural children and have ties with a sister congregation outside Port-au-Prince.

Debbie Welter at the Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry was relieved to learn the Minnesota couple who runs the house where area congregants stay was OK, and that the compound where they volunteer was spared.

"It's truly mind-boggling anything is still standing," she said.

The Rev. Steve Knox at St. Mary Catholic Church in Huntley was unable to reach anyone at his church's sister parish eight miles outside the capital.

"It's very remote in the mountains," Knox said. "They have no electricity there. It's even hard for the priest there to get a call to Port-au-Prince. We have no idea what's taking place with him or the parish."

'We need to pray for those who have died': Local churches have started prayer services, including one at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Thomas' the Apostle Catholic Church in Naperville.

"I did ministry work there for 10 years and my fear is that I may know a lot people trapped in the houses, schools, hospitals, churches and I'm still dealing with that emotionally," said the Rev. Rodolphe Arty, the Haitian associate pastor at St. Thomas.

"But we need to keep praying for the people who have died and asking for prayer for those who are struggling there in Haiti."

A special collection will be taken at all weekend masses at St. Thomas, to be sent with the national Catholic Relief Services relief efforts in Haiti.

Barrington mission trip to Haiti still on: Ted Grueser, youth minister at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Barrington, has made 10 missionary trips to Haiti. He'll take a church group there this summer to help rebuild the country.

He said he returns because the country is in need. He hopes others will step up and help the Haitians in this crisis.

"They might have nothing, but they feel blessed," he said. "We're so blessed with the stuff we have, but we take for granted the stuff we have."

• Daily Herald Staff Writers Susan Dibble, Justin Kmitch and Jameel Naqvi contributed to this report.