I have no idea where to start. I was picked up from the MAF hangar about 10 AM Monday morning. The people from World Concern picking me up couldn't bring their vehicle into the airport area. But they were able to get in, and get a ride over to the hangar. We found someone who would help us take us and our gear out to the World Concern truck, but they dropped us off in the wrong place. I sat with the gear in front of the main terminal, watching C-17s taxi in, helicopters come and go, and huge forklifts shuttling pallets of food and supplies. Finally they came back with a different vehicle, and we loaded up in the back of a pickup, which was able to take us past a huge crowd at the front gate, and over to the World Concern vehicle. From there we drove across town to the World Concern office.

With the help of a few local men, I set up the GATR. Their help was to bring me cement blocks to use in anchoring the GATR. They also assisted me by telling me the elevation angle of the GATR while I was acquiring the satellite signal. I had to really struggle to remember any French I had studied back in 7th grade, and I didn't do very well. By 1:30 the GATR was up and running on solar and battery power, but there was nobody there to use it. The World Concern office will be used as a hub for the members of the Global Relief Alliance, and they are just now starting to ramp up efforts. So when I heard there was a ride available back to the airport, I headed back that way.

The US Air Force has purchased some GATR antennas, and brought some to Haiti to provide communications for special forces. I was able to walk down the full length of the airport to get to them at the far end, to see how they were doing and see if I could help. I bet they never imagined that GATR customer support would be available in Por-au-Prince, Haiti!!

By 5 PM I was back at the World Concern office, and had to take down the GATR, as there was no electricity to keep it running all night, and nobody to use it. I felt so bad, as I knew it hadn't been used all afternoon, and now all night, when so many down at the airport would have loved to use the high-speed connection. That morning I had been asked by Eric Rasmussen, CEO of InSTEDD, if we could provide bandwidth for his efforts. I had told him that I needed to stay my course with the GATR, and provide services to those we had committed to, but that I would see what I could do. By dinner on Monday night I knew I had to take the GATR back to the airport on Tuesday to work with Eric.

After a hot night in a stuffy hotel room, with no working toilet, mosquitoes, and a snoring maniac of a roommate, I headed down to the airport at 9:30 AM. I should mention that Dirk Kaiser was with me, having had arrived in Port-au-Prince Monday afternoon. He is here to take over operation of the GATR when I leave.

Eric was more than a little surprised to see me roll up with all the gear, and very excited at the prospect of having a donated high-speed internet connection to use. He and his team had been using a BGAN satellite terminal, which is not high-speed, and is very expensive. In just two and a half days he had racked up a bill of over $6000!

We have been able to support InSTEDD's work through out the day and evening. I won't try to explain it, and you should read about it here. Suffice it to say, they are a clearinghouse of information that has helped rescue lives from the rubble, using a combination of SMS text messages, e-mail, high-res Google imagery, and mapping software.

I sit now in the dark by the GATR, catching up on e-mail, going through photos, writing reports, and re-hydrating after a very hot day. Eric and his team continues to work on the other side of the GATR. Tomorrow they will be done, as the effort here in Haiti now transitions from one of rescue, to that of relief. There were only two live extractions today, and it is now a week since the earthquake. It is highly unlikely that any more people will be found alive. All around me there are search and rescue teams packing up and pulling out.

Early Wednesday morning Dirk and I will take down the GATR and move over to the UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assistance and Coordination) office and provide them with the high-speed connection so they can download the satellite imagery they need. The plan is to use the GATR there until Friday or so, and then take it back to the World Concern office for use by the member groups of the Global Relief Agency. Of course, all plans are subject to change, so we'll see how it plays out.

I uploaded some new photos today.