Dlo Youn

The families in the Northeast know exactly how devastating this disease can be.  Hurricane Sandy, after having passed through the Caribbean, touched down in NYC and ruined Mayor Bloomberg’s plans to hold the NYC marathon.  People are displaced and living in the many NYC hotel rooms.  Disaster relief is pouring in but people are still being forced to ration gas, food, and power.  Sounds like another day in Haiti.

The storm was its own disaster in little Haiti.  While the area where I am staying was largely spared, the Lower Peninsula had extensive storm damage.  Arcahaie lost its bridge connecting itself to Port-au-Prince, but the bridge that was washed away in Les Anglais completely separated families from their homes.  Four lives were lost when that bridge gave way.  Days passed and mothers and fathers were still unable to reach their homes and children.  The river was powerful and no one was foolish enough to challenge it.  One of my classmates, @AlexHubbell, was down there at the time and witnessed the devastation first hand.  I know it got him fired up.

However, I found the rain a welcome relief from the days without water to bathe in.  While the clinic team was here we would often run out of water in the cistern supplying the showers.  My showers were brief and unsatisfying.  Once I resorted to the bucket method.  Hurricane Sandy brought downpours that offered a salvation.  I lathered up outside and caught the runoff from the tin roof.  I can’t take full credit for the idea, for Dr. Bybee was out dancing around under the runoff before I made the decision.  I just provided the soap.  The water was chilly, but nearly unlimited.  By the time the drops slowed we had gathered a small crowd of bathers and a greater number of gawking onlookers.

 As the rain continued unabated over the next days I had to turn to other methods of entertainment.  Always the scientist, I decided to conduct a study to determine exactly how well my @FroggTogg would work given the conditions.  I donned a set of green scrubs and put on my @FroggTogg.  By design, my scrub pants would get soaked while my shirt would be spared.  The fabric was the same and I would perform different movements to ensure that there were no leaks.  The experiment was a wild success.  After nearly an hour “playing in the rain” I finally surmised that enough time had passed to call the study good.  I went under cover and removed my jacket.  Sure enough, the only part of my shirt that was wet was where it was tucked into my pants.  The water had soaked up through the fabric exposed beneath my @FroggTogg.  Hey, @FroggTogg, how’s that for an ad campaign?  #IllKeepYouDryInAHurricane.