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By 2nd Lt. Victoria Brayton
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Navy Seabees, deployed from Little Creek Amphibious Base, Va., built three tents Jan. 27 at the Quisqueya Christian School to help store medical supplies and provide more space for staffers sleep.
Various non-governmental organizations have been living at the school compound since the Jan. 12 earthquake. Doctors and nurses from relief organizations also use the site as their starting point before going out to the various clinics in Haiti.
"These tents are so very, very appreciated," said Mary Dekoter, wife of Quisqueya's elementary and middle school principal and a retired registered practical nurse. "It's a very good setup for all of our supplies."
Prior to the tent construction, medical supplies were stored in the school's chapel. Moving the supplies out to the tents enabled the chapel to be used to hold classes again, she said.
Dekoter has been volunteering as a nurse at the school for the past four years, but now she runs the medical tents for all of the NGOs and doctors.
The tents have electricity and air conditioning to help maintain the integrity of the medicines they store. Inside are thousands of different medicines and equipment from dressings to orthotic supplies, Dekoter said.
When the school asked the Seabees if they could build storage tents, saying yes was easy.
"Being presented with the opportunity to help these doctors was awesome," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Kauffold, a construction electrician. "They're the real heroes, you know."
Petty Officer 1st Class Phillip Brown, also a construction electrician, agreed that helping out the doctors and school managers was exactly what Seabees do.
"Whatever we can do to add to the relief effort and make life easier for these people, that's what we'll strive to do," he said. "We're in the business of customer service. Whatever is needed, we give it. As long as we've got the materials and the tools, we can build it."
In addition to setting up the two medical storage tents and one berthing tent, the Seabees have regularly checked in to see if they can offer any other services.
"They're so helpful and polite, we're well cared for," Dekoter said.
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2010 11:31 |
| Story ID: | 45051 |
| Location: | QUISQUEYA, HT |
| Web Views: | 415 |
| Downloads: | 391 |
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