Los Angeles native and Coast Guardsman Elias Gomez recounts in a touching audio/visual montage his experiences as a health technician in the days following Haiti's devastating recent earthquake. (The video requires Windows Media).
Gomez, interviewed from Port-au-Prince, the wrecked capital city, arrived within 48 hours aboard the cutter Mohawk, based out of Key West, Florida. The ship's crew joined local and foreign doctors and nurses providing medical aid in a makeshift clinic after the 7.0-temblor, helping rescue dozens of injured and orphaned children as well as badly injured men and women.
"Some of them had open fractures and they were being brought in on doors and whatever they could use as stretchers," recounts Gomez, a Petty Officer 2nd Class Coastie from East L.A. "...whatever their friends and family members could scrounge around from the street to move their family member to this clinic."
* The Coast Guard plans to post a high-resolution version soon.
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,
covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and
pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port.
He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”,
appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video
and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working
men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
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