Hi everyone,

We still have no news on Katie.

There have been countless emails, Facebook postings, and phone calls internally, Katie's family, and other victims' families over the last two days. As part of this, we have been trying to find out to what extent rescue operations are continuing at this point, and I am glad to say that they are still in rescue mode at the Montana. Sounds like they will go into recovery mode after Sunday, i.e. after tomorrow. Heavy equipment is now at the site and there now is some Canadian involvement at the Montana, but they don't seem to be involved in rescue operations.

As of Friday, our donations to Lifewater add up to about $8,000. Thank you everyone, this is really great, and as you will see further down in this email, they need the money!

Tonight, I was copied on an email which is an eyewitness account of the situation in Haiti from Jim Gehrels, volunteer president of Lifewater and Director of the Ministry of Environment in Thunder Bay, directly from Port-Au-Prince:

Appreciate your prayers and support. Lyn, pls pass on to L. Petlier @ MOE, family, L-Can board etc etc. Love you lots. Jim

Communication is still hard here. Some brief updates.

Wed: Cramped, swaying, bouncing, horn-blaring all-day bus trip into Haiti. Exhausting border delays, rumours but no news. Declined rice and chicken warm meal served on bus based on reports of GI illness that follow for desert. Bus full of folks looking for loved ones. Arrived in Cape Haitian after dark, picked up at bus station and driven to Plaine du Nord for the night. Learned that OMS continuing daily water deliveries into Pap.

Thurs: Worst night of our lives... and Les has been in Haiti 40 years! Really hot and hordes of mosquitos, no power. Up with roosters @ 4:30 AM. Paid for chartered bus, filled with food, medicine and water and headed into PaP. Plan to assess options to help and see if we could help find Katie Hadley, Franz Environmental consultant who checked into Montanta hotel just before it colllapsed. Delivering aid to a guest compound in PaP full of refugees. People have been drinking the water from the swimming pool and it is nearly drained. Grabbed Promax Power bars, bottles with Gatoraid to ensure we are self-sufficient for food and drink so we do not become a burden on others. Arrived in Pap @ 10 PM. Tent cities on the outskirts. Few damaged buildings that was a surprise. Became very eerie as we moved deeper into the city. Some brightly lit UN posts, more buildings and walls down, isolated fires on street corners... and absolutely no one around anywhere. The only sign of life was a few stray dogs. Off bus @ 10:30. First aftershock at 11 PM. Pretty freaky. Spent night in Haitian Contractors home... well built solidly on rock foundation with no cracks anywhere (we looked carefully).

Friday: Up at 6 with aftershocks at 7 AM. Relief supplies distributed in the morning and then off to the Canadian Embassy. Hugh crowd of pressing people (500+), all pressing for visa's and Canadian soldiers ringing the gate area keeping people back. My white cane and Canadian passport got us to the front of the line and we were quickly in contact with head official to pass on Katie's photo and physical description. We waited while it was compared to photos of the living and dead pulled from the Montana hotel. No match. Then drove to the Montana, talked our way through the security perimeter and were able to go right to the hotel where they were excavating. Talked to folks there until we were able to determine exactly where her room had been, made sure the emergency rescue people knew where she had been and that she was still missing. It has been over a week and the air was full of intense odour and the collapsed buildings were very hard to look at. Mission here done we were back at the Contractors house by dark. Sombre reflection, small aftershock, good cry, tried to wash smell of with several cups of water, double dose of sleeping pills and off to bed.

Saturday: Woken up at 1 AM with a series of category 4 aftershocks. Ran to bathroom with plans to dive into tub but everyting settled down again. Better understanding of wailing from Hatians whenever the ground moves. Up by 6, one last ground shake, loaded 30 seat bus with 60 refugees and began long drive back towards Plaine du Nord, near Cape Haitian. It cost $6,000 to rent and fill bus with relief supplies but if there is enough donations will do it again early next week (without us on it). Stopped at Chris and Leslie Rolling and gave $$ so they could deliver another load of biosand filters into PaP. Back up north moved over to OMS compound where Les has been based for 40 years.

Grateful to hear that CIDA will match all donations to Lifewater for Haiti made over the next 3 weeks. Thanks to all for prayers, support and thoughts for the island, the people and all who are trying to help here. Next week focus on drilling and pump repair. 5,000 refugees leaving PaP daily.

Love Jim
Please go to our website (www.franzenvironmental.com) for more information.

Sincerely,
Thomas Franz, M.Sc., P.Geo.
President
Franz Environmental Inc.