LDS relief: LDS medical team will depend on 'survival bags' in Haiti

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The large, black duffel bag given to each traveling member of the LDS Church's medical-response team bound for Haiti underscores the severity of circumstances in the island nation ravaged by last week's earthquake.

They're called "survival bags" for a reason.

And in Haiti, they're bags to be used with extreme care and caution.

In the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake, an impoverished Haiti — previously burdened with the Western Hemisphere's worst economy — is now shackled with widespread hunger and thirst, and many medical needs. Electricity is fleeting, communications limited, fuel supplies dwindling and the nation's infrastructure crumbling.

With desperate people mired in dire straits, some have given in to violence — looting, robbery, etc. — in order to eat and drink.

Which makes the black "survival bags" all the more noteworthy.

Each contains a blanket, a tent, a pad, a hygiene kit, a hand-crank flashlight, a water-filtration bottle, a towel, a bag of beef jerky, four bags of trail mix and 21 MREs — or "meals ready to eat."

Most of the products were donated to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the rest were purchased at a substantial discount as part of its humanitarian effort. Many are commonly shipped as relief supplies to suffering, devastated areas.

Hygiene kits and water-filtration bottles already have been shipped with food supplies and other relief items to Haiti, with more en route.

Team members got their first close look at the survival bag contents Monday as they waited to fly from Florida to the Dominican Republic later that night and then travel via ground transportation to the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

They appreciated the planning and gathering of supplies on their behalf. And they understood the magnitude of what they were carrying into Haiti.

Doctors and nurses have already talked about the need for being cautious with the food items when in Haiti. The same individuals who have gladly donated their time and services to help in Haiti would think nothing of wanting to share their food with the Haitians — but they also realize that a kind, charitable act may result in a stampede or near-riot conditions.

The food and accompanying equipment is to sustain them as they serve others by providing medical care.

But the irony is not lost on the team members.

"Many of them don't even have a house," said Liz Howell, a nurse practitioner who is employed in the LDS Church's humanitarian services, mindful of the hurting and homeless quake victims. "And here we are with all these things."

Members of the medical team understandably may be limited in sharing supplies during their time in Haiti. But they're certain to find ways to share them once they're ready to return home.

"We're not going to take any of these supplies back with us," Howell said. "There are people who can use all of this."

e-mail: taylor@desnews.com