Survivors of Haiti earthquake slowly adjusting to new life in Canton

By Kathy Anderson

When Gaetane and Alain Jean stepped off the plane at Logan Airport from Haiti on January 26, they were experiencing a conflux of emotions ranging from relief and joy to sadness and residual fear.

L-R) Gaetane, Alain and their cousin Samantha Fabien of Canton enjoy a laugh. Mary Ellen Cahill photo

Sixteen-year-old Gaetane and her 10-year-old brother Alain were on their way home from school when the devastating earthquake nearly leveled their world on January 12. The two were fortunate to be able to fly out of neighboring Dominican Republic to stay with their aunt, Irlene Fabien, and 15-year-old cousin Samantha Fabien, Canton residents for the past five years. Gaetane and Alain are currently preparing to begin school in town — she as a junior at Canton High School, and he as a fifth grader at the Hansen School.

While Gaetane and Alain are relieved to be away from the destruction of their native country, the harrowing memories still haunt them.

“At first I thought someone was shaking the car,” Gaetane said, explaining that a family friend was driving them home and was nearly there when the terrain began to shake at 4:53 that afternoon. “Then when I turned around and saw that no one was there, I realized what was happening.”

“I was scared,” Alain said. “I saw a house falling down.”

Gaetane and Alain ran into their house, where they lived with their parents, grandmother and uncle. Their mother, Marilyn, was traveling to Montreal with her oldest daughter, 19-year-old Tricia, when the quake struck.

“My grandmother was on the floor because she knew what was happening,” Gaetane said.

Marilyn, a business owner, and her husband Edrige, a banker, were lucky in that their house survived the earthquake intact; however, Marilyn’s auto parts business was leveled and most of the bank Edrige worked at was reduced to rubble. Gaetane’s best friend, Kurly Jean-Baptiste, was killed in the quake and Kurly’s mother’s legs were both crushed. She found it difficult to talk about.

Alain and Gaetane stayed inside their house for 14 days, fortunate to have food, water and a generator for electricity. Irlene recalled how frightened she was while awaiting word on her family’s safety.

“For three days we had no communication and I was so worried; then Gaetane called from her cell phone,” she said. “Gaetane has a heart problem and I thought it was best for them to come here; I’m always afraid because so much has happened to her already.”

Since the family members all had legal visas, Edrige took his children by bus to the Dominican Republic, where they flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then on to Boston.

“It was really hard to say goodbye to him, but we talk every day,” Gaetane said.

Adjusting to their new home — and the cold — are challenges both children are tackling head-on. Neither had ever seen snow before, and they are slowly getting to know Canton children their own age.

Mary Ellen Cahill, a neighbor and acquaintance of the Fabien family, happily accompanied the children to school events to help them get acclimated, including a CHS hockey game and the Hansen School Flashback. Her 15-year-old daughter, Kathleen, is friends with Samantha, and that helped to break the ice. “It’s fun having the kids around,” Samantha said.

“They are the sweetest kids,” Cahill said of Alain and Gaetane. “Alain met some kids his age at the Flashback and they all wanted to be his friend. There is also a great group of girls Gaetane’s age who catch the bus at the end of the street, and they’ll be saving a seat for her. [The Fabiens] are the sweetest, nicest family I’ve ever met in my 12 years in Canton. You can see how a person this warm can open up her home for them.”

Gaetane said her favorite subjects at school are math, chemistry and physics, and she loves to play volleyball. Alain isn’t sure what his favorite subject in school is yet, but he enjoys karate and playing soccer and has already developed a reputation as an outstanding arm wrestler.

But the memories still linger for Gaetane and Alain. Irlene said they couldn’t sleep the first couple of nights at her home, and one day when she was doing dishes she dropped a cup and Alain panicked and she had to reassure him that it wasn’t another earthquake.

Gaetane said she is hesitant to watch the news, as it just serves as a reminder of how terrified she was.

“I’m shocked at how bad the damage was,” she said. “When we had the aftershocks I thought it was happening all over again.”

Irlene said she anticipates the children will be able to begin school after February vacation, and they are settling in very well in their new surroundings.

“It seems the earthquake has affected everyone you know,” she said. “Whether it’s your family, friends, house, business, or you know someone there — everyone’s affected. I just want them to start school now because they’ve been in the house for two weeks, but I’m very relieved that they’re here and safe.”

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