Matt Marek

Local Red Cross volunteer describes earthquake aftermath

By Kristen Gaydos (Staff Writer)
Published: January 15, 2010

When Tuesday's earthquake shook Haiti, Matthew Marek found himself so wrapped up in the relief efforts it took him about five hours, and several missed calls, to find a minute to speak to his parents.

Using the Internet voice-call program Skype, Raymond and Mary Jo Marek of Plains Township had about a minute and 15 seconds Tuesday night to talk to their son, Matthew Marek. The conversation lasted just long enough for their son to tell his parents he was alive and uninjured before he had to get back to work, Raymond Marek said.

See Matt Marek interview with Anderson Cooper 10 post below, in the post called "Flood" from January 14, 2010 at 11:50 AM

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the capital city Tuesday destroyed the American Red Cross building where Matthew Marek, the director of programs, worked. From about 10 miles away at his home in Petionville, Matthew Marek told his father later that it looked like a bomb had been dropped on Port-au-Prince.

"So much dust and rubble from the concrete ... the dust actually covered the city like a cloud. You could not see the city, make out buildings...it was just destroyed," was how Matthew Marek described the immediate aftermath of the quake, Ray Marek said.

As the Haitian people struggle to regain some stability and control in the wake of the disaster, Matthew Marek has found himself thrust into the national spotlight. The 36-year-old spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night while hundreds of Haitians fled from the public park in Port-au-Prince, where they had been spending the night, after rumors of an impending flood washed through the crowd.

"I think what everyone has faced over the last 24 hours, they have reason to panic at the slightest threat, and that's what we're seeing," Matthew Marek said.

While the rumors seemed to be unfounded, Matthew Marek told Cooper that chaos like that makes it harder for groups like the Red Cross to help the people, especially when national organizations such as the police force have been crippled by the quake.

"The more chaos there is, the less help we're going to be able to give the population," Marek said. "It can get dicey very quickly."

Ray Marek and his wife visited the country themselves two years ago. The earthquake has only compounded a desperate situation for the many Haitians who live in poverty.

"When you have nothing, and you lose that … God, what do you have?" Ray Marek said.

Matthew Marek's dedication to the people of Haiti doesn't surprise his parents. Ten years ago, the Penn State University graduate gave up a well-paying job at Salomon Smith Barney, an investment banking firm, to join the Peace Corps.

Marek arrived in Haiti in 2000, spending much of the next decade doing his part to combat the poverty and poor living conditions the people there face everyday.

"Here's a kid who could really be doing so many things but he just feels that this is his humanitarian call," Ray Marek said.

The Mareks have received numerous calls from friends and relatives who have seen Matthew on television, including one special anonymous call, Ray Marek said. An elderly woman, who did not give her name, called their home this morning and told Mary Jo Marek the couple had raised a wonderful boy.

"That's worth a million dollars," Ray Marek said.

Photos Matthew Marek took of the chaos and devastation after the earthquake were picked up and published by the Associated Press and other news outlets. Ray Marek said he and his wife have been watching television news stations attentively to see how Matthew is doing and make sure he is safe, including the CNN interview.

"I'm surprised Anderson (Cooper's) so small because my son's not very big," Ray Marek said. "That's the first thing I noticed, I thought he was bigger than that."