‘My Heart is in Haiti’

Herold Voyard is safe in the United States, nestled in a cocoon of plentiful food and bountiful wealth, but he knows his family is not.

“I think about them every day. I’m here, but my heart is in Haiti,” Voyard said, adding that he knows he is one of the lucky ones.

Lucky not only because he currently lives in the United States, but because he was able to make it out. Alive.

Voyard, a member of Local 761 in Miami, Florida, was visiting relatives in his homeland of Haiti on January 12, the day a 7.0 earthquake rocked the island nation. He witnessed first-hand how mighty Mother Nature can be and said he will never forget what he saw that day.

A Nightmare Begins

Driving in the country with friends and family just outside of Port-au-Prince, Voyard felt the ground shake and at first thought he was experiencing a bomb blast.

“The car was shaking just like I had a flat tire. I tried to slow down, but the car started to shake harder,” Voyard said. “I saw the land in front of me unfold. It just opened up. People started falling down, houses fell down, electric poles fell down.”

Voyard managed to make it out of his car and it was then that he realized he was experiencing a natural disaster. He lay on the ground and heard the shouts, screams and cries of terrified Haitians.

Just minutes later, the ground trembled again and houses around Voyard began swaying, then crumbling.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God. God, save me,’” Voyard said. “All around me people were yelling and screaming and crying."

It was at that moment that an electric pole fell on Voyard’s car, crushing it. Voyard and the friends and family members he was with that day tried desperately to find shelter—anything to get away from the buildings crumbling around them—but there was no place to go. Everything was destroyed.

Voyard and the group he was with slept on the streets that night, hoping, praying the worst of the devastation was over. However, it was only the beginning of Voyard’s nightmare.

Thinking the earthquake had only struck the countryside, Voyard spent the next day trying to get in touch with friends and family members who lived in Port-au-Prince.

“I was finally able to contact my sister and she told me the earthquake happened everywhere,” Voyard said. “She told me everything was down and destroyed. It was the worst experience of my life.”

The earthquake claimed the lives of many Voyard knew, including another sister living in Port-au-Prince, who was found dead in her home. Voyard described her as a loving, caring individual.

Safe to America

Days after the earthquake, Voyard was trapped in Haiti with no where to go, nothing to eat, nothing to wear and no place to stay.

“I slept on the street,” he said. “There were no homes left to go to. No clothes, no food. I couldn’t even feed myself.”

Hope for Voyard came through a radio that someone managed to salvage from rubble. Via a faint signal, Voyard heard that U.S. citizens were to report to the airport. From there, the U.S. military would transport American citizens back to the United States.

Voyard knew this was his only hope, but getting to the airport was a challenge. Voyard was stuck in the middle of a city that had been completely destroyed; buildings were crumbled and roads that once carried cars, bikes and pedestrians no longer existed.

“I paid someone $500 to get me to the airport,” he said. “I was in the first group they took to the United States and I said ‘Thank God.’”

Today, Voyard is still reeling from his experiences in Haiti. He is seeing a counselor and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder that results in psychological trauma. He cannot sleep at night and has been unable to work since returning to the United States.

“I will live with that day for the rest of my life,” Voyard said. “It is going to take me a long time to get over this.”

Aside from visions of the earthquake, Voyard must also deal with the fact that he is safe in the United States—where he is able to obtain food, water, clothing and shelter—but his family is not. He worries about them every day and asks anyone who can spare money or food to send it to Haiti.

“Whatever you have, send it. My family and the Haitian people don’t have money to buy anything. They are homeless and hungry,” Voyard said. “The best thing to do is send food and water.”

Though Voyard worries about his friends and family, he is thankful to his Teamster brothers and sisters for the support they have offered.

“I have been a Teamster for a long time and I’m proud to be a Teamster. I know they have been doing a lot to help the people of Haiti,” Voyard said. “I hope they keep doing a good job.”

Local 769 is collecting monetary donations as well as supplies to send to the victims of Haiti’s earthquake. For a list of needed items or to learn how you can help, click here.