January 12th 2010 – a large scale earthquake, magnitude 7 – hit Haiti -the earthquake was of an enormity not seen since the 18th Century. The exact death toll proved elusive in the ensuing chaos but was estimated at 300,000.
We were delighted to welcome Rob Wilkinson of the Rotary Club of Skegness who gave an account of his experiences and role in the rescue operations.
Lincolnshire Fighters, of which Rob was one, played a significant role in the rescue operations. The team was deployed to Haiti to assist with life saving and recovery efforts, utilising their trained emergency search and rescue techniques. They faced numerous challenges including high temperatures and the smell of dead bodies. Despite difficulties the team from Lincolnshire were the first international rescuers to venture out of the capital, Port Au Prince, reaching victims in the flattened coastal town of Leogane.
An extremely interesting and sometimes harrowing talk from Rob.