Under the Sun: Haiti Stories After the Quake

Series produced by Under the Sun

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Image by: Zoriah 

This series addresses the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti and its impact in that country and on life in South Florida, the region with the largest Haitian population in the U.S. Stories will be uploaded throughout the month of January, 2011.

In this series, Under the Sun on WLRN looks at how the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 changed life in that country, and in South Florida, the region with the largest Haitian population in the U.S. The series explores questions about immigration, education, survival, and faith. We tell stories from a school that absorbed quake survivors, from a church whose reverend calls it "the living room" of the Haitian-American community, from the homes of Haitians applying for a coveted and complex immigration shield, and from a hospital tent where tired doctors were surprised and uplifted by a song. All of these stories are accompanied by additional online content at wlrnunderthesun.org.

In "Calling Home" which was reported during the first days after the earthquake, we follow Haitian families as they try desperately to reach loved ones back home.

In "TPS: Long and Winding Road" we look at how a long sought after special immigration status granted to Haitians was a bittersweet victory but not playing out as immigrant advocates had hoped.

In "Faith in the Aftermath" Reverent Reginald Jean-Mary of the Notre Dame D’Haiti Catholic church in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood, talks about the role of music and faith in his community.

In "After the Quake: Patients and Healers" a group of medical professionals from South Florida recall a remarkable moment in a crowded, makeshift hospital tent.

And in a separate piece on healing, "Two East" focuses on the relationship between a doctor and his nine-year-old patient.

For "Teens Buddy Up with Quake Survivors," we turned our recorders over to a group of high school students in Lauderdale Lakes, FL. After the earthquake, many children and teenagers who survived came to the U.S. and entered South Florida classrooms. At one school, Haitians students who were here before the earthquake helped the newly-arrived students adjust to their new lives.

Still to come:

"Haitian Radio": Because of the increased international presence in Haiti after the earthquake, Haitian radio journalists suddenly have a freedom to say things on the air that might have gotten them killed not so long ago.

"Reconstruction": South Florida's proximity to Haiti has local construction firms lining up to help rebuild the shattered country. So far, in the year since the quake, what those firms have done is wait.

"Twin Sisters": A follow-up to "Patients and Healers." After the earthquake, one medical professional left her life in Miami to help Haiti rebuild. She also left behind her identical twin sister. What Carmen Maria Romero learned in Haiti is that having a twin made it possible for to go to Haiti, and made it impossible for her to stay.

"Moving Home": A young Haitian woman moves to South Florida as a 17-year-old. She builds her life in the U.S. 20 years later, the earthquake devastates her home country, and she decides to move back. This story is reported from both countries, during her journey back to Haiti.

About Under the Sun on WLRN:

Under the Sun is a radio series produced by South Florida affiliate WLRN and ZG Public Media. We tell the extraordinary stories of everyday people in South Florida, bringing you the perspectives, passions, accents, and sounds of this colorful and complex part of the country. We produce documentary-style features, host interviews, audio postcards, personal essays, and original fiction. The series airs during morning and afternoon drive time in 4:00-8:50 (length) segments on WLRN in South Florida and WKWM in the Florida Keys. We also produce hour-long specials. All of our stories are accompanied by additional online content at our website (wlrnunderthesun.org) and available as free podcasts on iTunes.

Under the Sun on WLRN was co-created and is co-hosted by Dan Grech and Alicia Zuckerman (ZG Public Media). For more information, visit wlrnunderthesun.org. Hide full description

In this series, Under the Sun on WLRN looks at how the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 changed life in that country, and in South Florida, the region with the largest Haitian population in the U.S. The series explores questions about immigration, education, survival, and faith. We tell stories from a school that absorbed quake survivors, from a church whose reverend calls it "the living room" of the Haitian-American community, from the homes of Haitians applying for a coveted and complex immigration shield, and from a hospital tent where tired doctors were surprised and uplifted by a song. All of these stories are accompanied by additional online content at wlrnunderthesun.org. In "Calling Home" which was reported during the first days after the earthquake, we follow Haitian... Show full description


8 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Carmen Maria Romero & Isabel Maria Romero, Credit: Romero Family
Carmen Mario Romero was one of the four medical workers in Haiti whose voices you heard in "After the Quake: Patients and Healers." We followed th...

  • Added: Jan 21, 2011
  • Length: 09:20
Caption: Radio journalist Makenson Rémy walks through Saint Martin, the slum where he grew up. He follows tips that sources send him by text message, Credit: Charles Eckert
A year after Haiti's massive earthquake, there's one bright spot: a safer environment for local reporters. We follow the Haitian radio journalist k...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Jan 13, 2011
  • Length: 08:46
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pictures of missing loved ones on a board at the Haitian Relief Information Center, Credit: Ruth Morris
Long after Haiti's earthquake hit the headlines, many South Florida families were still searching for the news they wanted most: information about ...

  • Added: Jan 12, 2011
  • Length: 06:58
Caption: Dr. Chad Perlyn, Peterson Exais (left of Dr. Perlyn), and other children and staff from 2 East., Credit: Miami Children's Hospital
Doctors make their patients better. That's how the story always goes, right? Niala Boodhoo explores the relationship between an American doctor and...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Jan 11, 2011
  • Length: 08:43
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Dr. Richard LaMour, a third-year orthopedic surgery resident, Credit: Dr. Dave Pitcher
In this piece, four medical professionals recount how their patients broke into song in a makeshift medical tent, despite the desperate circumstanc...

Bought by KZYX


  • Added: Jan 11, 2011
  • Length: 08:30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Boyd Anderson High School students James Celestin and Michel Philco take a self-portrait.
High school is hard enough already. Imagine facing a foreign language, culture, and school system. Haitian students at Boyd Anderson High in Laud...

  • Added: Jan 11, 2011
  • Length: 07:26
Caption: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Building in North Miami, Credit: Alicia Zuckeman
After the earthquake in Haiti, the U.S. government made Temporary Protected Status (TPS) available to Haitians living in the country before January...

  • Added: Jan 10, 2011
  • Length: 08:49
Piece image
Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary, of the Notre Dame D'Haiti Catholic Church, narrates what happened in his congregation after the earthquake, and how music ...

  • Added: Jan 08, 2011
  • Length: 04:32