ANITA EXANTUS (24) has spent much of the past 48 hours in tears.
The Haitian student, who is studying social justice at the Milltown Institute, came back from work on Tuesday night to hear that her home city of Port-au-Prince had been reduced to rubble. But with all the phone lines cut and no way to communicate with her family, she had to endure hours of torment before finally finding out her immediate family had survived.
“I didn’t hear from them for a day and half and was crying a lot,” she says. “I finally spoke to my mother for only about half a minute at 7pm on Wednesday. She told me the family home had not been damaged but they were all sleeping outside in a big football field near my home.
“My family live in the suburb of Pétionville, which isn’t far from the airport. A hospital collapsed there and buildings rented to UN personnel were damaged.
“My mother was traumatised, suffering from shock and in a rush. She was trying to say as much as possible as quick as possible. She was helping other people who were injured.”
Ms Exantus, who is engaged to an Irishman, says she wants to go back to Haiti and help as soon as possible.
“The country needs me so I’ve been checking flights . . . but I’m not sure when it’s best to go or how long it will take to find a flight. I will talk it over with my fiance,” she says, adding: “I’d like to find some other Haitians to talk to about the earthquake here in Ireland.”