PADDY DOYLE is 29 and originally from Waterford. He moved to Haiti three years ago and manages the Irish firm Taxback.com's Port-au-Prince office. He managed to get out of the city by plane yesterday and spoke to The Irish Timesabout his experiences.
“I’ve been on the streets for three days helping out – trying to get people water and making houses safe. But you are looking at society breaking down in Haiti. There is death everywhere.
“At the moment the looting isn’t too bad, but there are some people walking around with machetes.
“Foreign assistance needs to get in much quicker. We got out of Port-au-Prince via the airport today and it was pretty chaotic. It is completely jammed with people trying to get out and in.
“From the dead bodies I’ve seen on the streets I think the death toll will go up past 50,000.
When the earthquake struck I was in Port-au-Prince’s tallest building on the 11th floor. It was mental. People were screaming and trying to get out.
"I need to get home to Ireland now. I tried to ring my sister and mother and could hear them but they couldn't hear me. None of the phones were working. I've lost a number of good friends. "It was case of having a cigarette with a friend at 4pm and then at ten past five they were buried under rubble. I'd say half of my heart is now in Haiti. I don't think this will be the last time I will be in Haiti."– JAMIE SMYTH