An update I recieved from J.R. Crouse - living in Haiti
In my neighborhood, some days were better than others. About every other
day armed men (pro-Aristide and otherwise) blocked the main street below our
house, creating terror and paralyzing most activity. People generally
stayed close to home. Some of my neighbors passed the time playing dominos
or cards. Some sat in small groups and discussed the current events.
Saturday morning people were able to get out and buy some provisions.
Unfortunately, the prices of produce had doubled.
Thankfully, our area of Port-au-Prince has not suffered any looting, but I
did see people walking up from the downtown direction carrying various
items. The reports from downtown are discouraging. Many business people
have lost merchandise and property. Twice I witnessed a squad of heavily
armed police arrest men who had apparently stolen vehicles. There was a lot
of vehicle theft going on during the week.
Since last Monday I have not left my immediate surroundings. The best
policy was to stay home and keep a low profile. I never sensed any
immediate, personal danger. It was hard to gauge how long the problems
might last, so Pierre and I began to use our resources more conservatively.
The biggest issue was power. The public electric service diminished to
nearly nothing. We were able to run the generator each day to charge up our
battery/inverter system which provides back-up power when no public power is
supplied. Thankfully, our power system held up. This enabled me to keep
informed and in touch through the our satellite internet connection. I heard the cable
company building has been damaged by looting, so it may be a while before we
see news on TV again.
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