I thought I would share with you some of the emails my family is getting from my Uncle Curt.
Curt has been drilling wells in Haiti off and on for almost 30 years.  He took his family, wife and 3 children and lived there for a few years as well.  He is in his 60's and has a generous heart.  He has drilled wells for water in Haiti and in Africa.  His heart is towards helping those in need.  Here are the last 3 emails.


Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:50:55 -0800

Subject: Haiti report Jan 29, 2010

Hi everyone, I got my computer today (long story), so time to update:
After an uneventful flight from Seattle to Santo Domingo, we spent the night at a very nice hotel, met up with a team coming out Haiti, and early the next morning loaded up and drove to Haiti, about a 6 hour un eventful drive.

As we drove closer to Port au Prince, we could see an occasional cement fence tipped over, then as we got closer to Delmas 28 (where the Free Methodist headquarters 4 story building had been), we began to see large store buildings sitting at odd angles, broken glass, and every few buildings, a building collapsed flat, a lot of them with vehicles partially protruding from the rubble, or just a glimpse of a flattened vehicle that had been sitting in the parking lot. At one large hotel there was a row of perhaps 10 cars, all flat except for the last foot or two, where the building had tipped over onto them.

I had heard about our 4 story new building collapsing (the Haitian who was standing beside it said it took about 4 seconds to go from 4 stories to about 15 feet of rebar, rubble and an occasional book or other memento lying in the remains. But it was very sobering to see, and I cannot imagine the men who crawled through small openings in the broken mess, down and around to the sound of the surviving two people, until after 6 hours, with the ground still moving and things still falling, then dug them out. The building slid sideways as it fell, hitting an adjoining house and killing 2 Haitians, that house partially pushed over the next house, which was empty. One Haitian was on the steps going up the new building and was killed instantly, and the other two Americans in the building were killed. Today our US military has agreed to recover the bodies of all the deceased. Arron the the others who dug out the survivors had a service to bury the Haitian who had died on the stairs.
As we drove up Delmas to find a missionary's house where we were to stay, the downed buildings seemed to be at complete random, maybe 5 houses standing, then a few down, then 10 standing, then a hillside collapsed. The road into the house has slid down, so we take a long dirt path shortcut with the pickup.

We spent the last 2 days at the US embassy and other offices, mostly waiting. But at the end of today, we had met with a lot of people, and I think the results will have made the wait worthwhile: late this evening, after dark, with a group of Army men, Kevin Kate and myself met with a water bureau, who gave us maps pinpointing the latest survivor camps. We are free to choose any place where we think we can be successful, and drill as many wells as we feel necessary to help alleviate the water needs for the camps.

It helped immensely that about halfway through our meeting one of the water bureau advisors and I suddenly recognized each other. He was on La Gonave 2 years ago while I was drilling with Guts Church, so my experience was recognized. Couple that with the Military suddenly realizing that if we are successful, their present work and expense of transporting 16 large tanker loads of water will suddenly be greatly reduced.

By the end of our meeting, we were all in agreement; the Military will document what we do with a story and pictures, the water bureau has given us free reign to work, free hand pumps, and a good chance of more. It isn't all we hoped for, but is a good start!

Our needs:

Our rig is 31 years old, and was a little inadequate for the work here then. It has a lot of baling wire and strange arrangements to keep it going. We need a better one. There is larger, newer rig sitting in Miami waiting to be purchased for $200,000. We hear from reliable sources that items brought in will be duty free for 3 months, that would save thousands, and allow us to be much more productive, for now, and for the long term.
We have gone WAY out on a limb with this idea. Now that many eyes are on us to see if it will work, please pray the old rig will hold together, that we will locate a good area where fresh water can be found, that we will maintain our health, and all the other little things that are necessary to bring fresh water to those who are suffering so much.

I need wisdom, so much wisdom, to make the right decisions, to not overclaim what I can do, nor to back away from the seemingly impossible challenge of keeping the equipment running.

In the end, we face enormously challenging days ahead. Just in the few days here, I have felt so inadequate and helpless to know how to really help the suffering all around here. Perhaps some of the most lasting affect I can have is in stopping to talk to any Haitian who pauses beside me to ask them how they are, do they still have family or shelter. Two men sitting in front of the house where the 2 Haitians are still buried smiled as they remembered how my wife and I walked from one building to the other, sometimes greeting each other. Little things to bring a smile in the midst of such loss... perhaps they will find a moment of peace to keep them going on for a little longer.

Curt King
Port au Prince, Haiti
Jan 29, 2010


The latest news from Curt in Haiti.


 Well, another day... We went early to the collapsed FM building to
 pick up whatever we could find that was useful. We got some drill
 pipe, barrels, a few wrenches, two tire rims, and a few other things.

 I did go into the old FOHO building that was still standing. I had to
 climb over the rubble of the new collapsed building to get inside
 through a broken door. It's hard to explain my flood of memories of
 the many, many times we spent there. I particularly remembered the
 last time I was suffering from dengue fever, and Merle and Dorthy West
 offered encouragement to me since they were also staying there.
 Realizing Merle had died only a few feet from me, and his body is
 still buried in the collapsed building was a uniquely spiritual
 moment. What a good man, who spent so much of is time and money for
 the people of Haiti. Rest in peace, Merle.

 Retired Colonel Vahan Sipantzi, Snaider and I went around the back of
 the building where there was a very shallow grave, just a slight rise
 of dirt covered with cement blocks from the rubble, and a piece of
 steel pipe driven in the ground. This is where Erlin's body is
 buried; he died in the stairway that connects the old building to the
 ruined new building. Vahan prayed... What a moment of reverence for a
 good good man.

 It was with real sadness as I drove away, this will probably be the
 last time I am ever in that building, as I think it has been condemned
 due to damage.


 We tried to get tires for the rig out of customs, but there is a
 problem; the lady who helps take care of the paperwork was killed in
 the building, along with all the paperwork. Maybe Monday we can make
 progress. We really need them, since the rig is on a 4 wheeled
 trailer that currently only has 2 good tires, and the tires are a
 unique size. Not much hope, so Healing Hands is trying to get another
 set sent to us.

 We looked at a huge "refugee" camp, but they appeared to have at least
 a minimal supply of water. On down the road a few miles was a large
 camp down off the road in a hot, dusty area beside a dry riverbed.
 There is no way to get directly into the camp, and if we drill up on
 the road nearby there is a good chance that pickups will converge on
 the site, so that the poorest in the camp will not have first chance
 of the well. We went on a few miles further to a town square where
 the Cubans have a medical center. This town doesn't have any large
 camps, but rather many small tent camps scattered around town. We
 don't know if they are victims of the earthquake, or are people afraid
 to sleep inside.

  Finally we found the drilling machine, where Arron had stored it after
 the earthquake hit, while he was drilling. I must admit, I was very
 discouraged. It is so old and tired, "why Lord, when there are so
 many suffering so much, do I have to spend so much time fixing and
 patching?" I sometimes wonder how many more people would be living
 if, a long time ago, I had insisted on new equipment.

 But by the end of the day, we had both engines running, and most
 everything working. Kevin and I plan to keep at it tomorrow, checking
 more camps, and spending some time working on the machines.
 Meanwhile, Snaider and driver will go to Mapou to pick up supplies,
 and be back Monday night, Lord willing.

   This evening I talked to an orphanage near the Port au Prince airport
 that needs water, was it callous of me to ask if they have any
 survivors living there, so that I can justify it as relief? But I am
 trying to bring help to the neediest at the moment, and pick up the
 others later. Just so much need, Haiti was so needy before the quake,
 I wonder how things will look a year from now?

 curt king
 Port au Prince, Haiti
 jan 30, 2010



This is the latest letter from Curt.



      Left at 7am today so we could lead another pickup out to the main road
   to a bakery where they had a meeting with a pastor. As we passed the
  Caribbean Market, the road was blocked as they are starting to tear it
  down. The smell around that place is not at all pleasant; I wonder if
  they have an estimate of the amount of deaths; it was a big
  supermarket, undoubtedly filled with shoppers when it collapsed. It
  was our favorite place to shop for groceries, they even had fresh milk
  most of the time!

   We went to Quisqueya School, where our kids went to school many years
 ago. The US Army special forces special operations are occupying the
 schoolyard and it is filled with tents, vehicles, generators, and many
 other things for their operations. We were soon deeply involved over
 maps of Haiti, showing them locations of hospitals and NGO
 organizations. We have offered them our Mapou house and yard as a
 staging area, and hopefully helped them understand more about the
 country. They are ready to help, so we will have food, water and some
 fuel available for our work. We were assured that if we have any
 problems, just call and they will be there to help. A great
 reassurance for us.


 We passed a survivor camp along the road, hundreds of people down off
 the edge of the road. I climbed down the bank into the camp and was
 immediately surrounded. We talked for a long time. If they can
 organize enough to clear a road down into the camp, I told them I hope
 to be ther by midweek. A scene of chaos, with an occasional old man
 or woman just staring blankly as I walked by. What a dry, dusty needy
 cluster of humanity.


 We had to run back to the house to drop off the food and water, as it
 is not good at this time to be hauling this in the back of a pickup.
 We took a shortcut down a mountain trail to avoid heavy traffic, and
 on the way past a huge UN complex, Kevin Kate spotted a drill rig over
 the fence. Between Vahan's special forces id badge and my Creole, we
 talked ourselves into another heavily fortified and armed compound,
 and found the rig, parked amongst dozens of vehicles. It is the
 Brazilian contingent of the UN, so it took awhile to find an English
 speaking man. I told them I was there to beg, borrow or steal that
 rig (not too smart of a thing to say around well armed men!). Then
 cannot loan it, and have been able to do a little work with it.


 We went to the rig and worked on it for a couple hours. Once again I
 was discouraged about the old rig, perhaps even a little angry at
 having to work with old worn out stuff again. But you know what, I
 could be sitting on our boat house in Seattle complaining because I
 didn't have any way to help in Haiti. I just need to learn to quit
 complaining and be thankful for what we have, and the opportunity to
help!

 There is an orphanage not far from the international airport that we
 visited to see if we can drill a new well for them, since the existing
 well has a pump solidly stuck in it, and may be dry. We will try to
 get the pump out or drill a new well. It's hard for them to get water
 hauled in right now, but no buildings were severely damaged.


 We got back to the house just before dark today, and
had a good time of discussing how to try and be more effective.

 Oh, some other good news. On the way down the back trails to the main
 road we have been passing 2 500 gallon water trailers, and wondered
 how we could get the use of them. Today we stopped to put a note on
 them asking to rent them, since we could not find anyone around. A
lady walking down the road saw us, she just happened to know people we
 know, so she set about to find who owned them. This evening I got a
 call from the Haitian man who owns the trailer; I asked to rent them,
 he said that if it's for the needy, just use it. Now if we can just
 find a water pump to fill it, we are in business. And if not, we will
 fill it with buckets. We are determined, with God's help, to get
 water for these people.

 We still cannot get tires for the rig but
 tomorrow we will try the customs house again, pray we can push our way
 in and get what we need. Without papers it may be a challenge, but we
 must try.
 Today is a special day, Mary and my 40th anniversary. How we miss not
 being together, but what joy to be serving our God and trying to help
 these desperately needy people.

 curt king
 Port au Prince, Haiti
 Jan 31, 2010



There you are.  If you can help in anyway with the drill rig sitting in Miami, or have a suggestion of who to contact, please leave me a comment

Thanks for reading.....cs