What a difference from only days before! It was hard to imagine what the quake must have been like in this area. There were places where such a thing as a "slab" of concrete no longer existed. Just rubble- an endless sea of rubble, mixed with rebar tangled in a carefree weave. Walls that used to be security for a culture that must lock everything up, were completely destroyed. The razor wire that used to wind along the tops of the walls like a crown, now became the greater setback for rescuers working frantically, hoping to find some one alive, but now telling themselves that it was too late. This truly was hell on earth.
Life for some was starting to return to normal- little "stores" on the side of the road, selling snacks or sugarcane, or paintings; but for most life would not be the same, at least for a very long time, a generation at least. Life goes on.
We passed countless tent cities, except there were no tents. The term "sheet city" does not exist; though soon it probably will. There are hundreds of thousands of people living in the open spaces with only a thin sheet to keep the sun off of them, and thin sheets separating each "home". Culture changed in a period of 10 seconds for an entire country. There's five months before the hurricane season hits full swing, and not much will have changed by then.
. . . . .
The sun was beginning to set as we arrived at the PAP airport. The U.N. solders let us in without to many questions.
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