The catastrophic earthquake that has destroyed much of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, had a personal impact on several Haitian professional athletes who reside in America. Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers, Pierre Garcon of the Indianapolis Colts and boxing champ Andre Berto share how the disaster has affected them. –a.r.
Pierre Garcon
Indianapolis Colts
“Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews — we still have not heard much from them and my mom is still trying to call them. I’m keeping in contact with my mom. It’s tough to get in touch with people down there because of the phone lines. It’s terrible. It’s probably the worst thing that could ever happen there. It’s a nightmare. It’s a poor country and it’s going to take a long time to rebuild.”
Samuel Dalembert
Philadelphia 76ers
“I can only imagine what people there are going through. It’s really killing me right now. It’s unthinkable. Imagine all the people inside, and the building just collapses. You’re going out of your mind. You feel like you’re in a cage. You cannot move. You cannot do anything. I’m trying to be tough. But anybody who knows me, knows that deep inside, I’m hurting.”
Andre Berto
WBC Welterweight Champion
“Like many other Haitian-Americans, my family and I are working to reach my loved ones. From what we have learned to this point, some of my family members are still missing, and we have already been informed that members of my family have passed away in the earthquake.”
