Tè Tremblé: Remembering the Earthquake in Haiti.

One year ago today, January 12th., 2010, Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake, what Haitians call Tè Tremblé, the earth trembles. Nearly a quarter of a million people were killed and more than 1.5 million were made homeless. It was one of the worst natural disasters in history. I arrived in Haiti two weeks after the earthquake with longtime client Operation Smile of Norfolk, VA, and spent a week in the surgical compound set up at the Love A Child Health Center in Fond Parisiene, about 5 kilometers from the border of the Dominican Republic. I managed to spend my last full day of the mission in the capitol, Port-au-Prince. Here's some of what I witnessed then... ~cg.

*To view more of my earlier work in Haiti, including an in-depth slide show from last year's emergency mission with the trauma surgeons who volunteered their time for Operation Smile, click HERE. (just scroll down beyond this post, as it'll show up again). ~cg.

REWIND - Images from the Archive.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN. An Afghan man with an automatic weapon guards the waiting area of the Charasyab health clinic approximately 20 kilometers outside of Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, May 26, 2002. A humanitarian mission organized by The Geshundheit Instititute, founded by Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, Lufthansa Cargo, and DHL Worldwide Express collaborated to ship medicines, food and orthopedic supplies to the Indira Ghandi Children's Hospital, clinics and orphanages in Kabul. The German NGO (Non Governmental Organization) Hammer Forum supervised the distribution of the donated supplies from various non-profit organizations in the U.S. and The Netherlands. (26 May 2002. Photograph © Chet Gordon / The Image Works)

*I'd been thinking about this image a lot lately and others from my work in AFG back in 2002. Particularly in light of world events in that part of the world today, both militarily & in the civilian sector. Afghanistan. Pakistan. Baharain. Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE (United Arab Emrites). It's been eight years already, and I remember that initial call on my cell phone from a contact in Washington, like it was just last week; asking if I'd be interested in accompanying an airlift of humanitarian aide from Frankfort to Baharain and connecting through to Kabul... ~cg.

REWIND - Images from the Archive.
A showcase for some of my favorite images here on the blog that aren't particularly in the working portfolio. Look for this occasional feature where I'll highlight a single image that's meant a lot throughout my career. Enjoy. -cg.