Haiti: Devastation stuns aid veteran

James Addis has seen suffering from Kosovo to East Timor but says Haiti is the worst. Photo / Supplied

A New Zealand aid worker in Haiti who has been to war zones in Iraq, East Timor and Kosovo says the scenes in Port-au-Prince are the most shocking he has seen.

World Vision's James Addis, who left Auckland to work at a United States branch near Seattle five years ago, is in the ruined capital with thousands of relief staff from around the world.

He said water, food and cooking supplies were starting to get through.

Since joining World Vision New Zealand in 1996, Mr Addis has seen large-scale devastation around the world, including in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and East Timor.

But the Haitian earthquake - which authorities estimate has killed at least 200,000 - was the worst.

"For me, this is the most shocking I have ever seen. I will never forget the corpses piled outside the city morgue. There were hundreds being piled into trucks and taken away to be buried in mass graves."

What made it even grimmer was the morgue's location - next to the general hospital, where injured Haitians lay outside, many with severe wounds.

Mr Addis said although aid was getting through now and the process of delivering it was more structured, nothing was easy.

"Everything takes an age. It's hard to find trucks and petrol. The simplest things - getting a driver, finding an internet connection, finding a place to stay at night - require a lot of effort and planning. It's tiring work."

He arrived to hillsides of collapsed houses and bodies littering the streets.

Things had improved but the smell of death still pervaded the air.

Despite the utter devastation, however, he said there was a general feeling of good will. Mothers and children were being allowed to go first in queues.

"People, given the circumstances, seem remarkably patient, remarkably tolerant."

Rebuilding Haiti would take a long, long time, Mr Addis said, and he urged anyone who could help to do so.

The World Vision total stands at $325,000 and its staff will continue working with survivors for the next four to five years.

Contributions to the World Vision Haiti fund can be made by calling 0800 80 2000 or by visiting www.worldvision.org.nz

- Additional reporting by Vaimoana Tapaleao