Michaelle Dorleans was minutes away from stepping on a U.S. Air Force transport to be evacuated to the United States with her children and mother the day after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. Instead, she stayed.

Why would she remain in the country when the situation remains tenuous, when food, water, medical care, and housing remain scarce? When people are being forced to sleep outside for fear of continuing aftershocks? When looting and violence has been commonplace in some areas?

“I realized that I will be more useful here,” she says simply. “So, I decided to stay in Haiti.”

Dorleans, deputy director of Banque de la République d'Haiti in Port-au-Prince, is one of three Haitian Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) members reached via e-mail on Jan. 20, the same day a 5.9 aftershock rocked the tiny Caribbean country just a few hundred miles south of the United States.

They’re alive, though they’ve lost family, friends, colleagues, homes and personal possessions. But these Haitian SHRM members say they are thankful they have survived, and they ask for continued prayers.

Here are their stories, in their own words.

‘I Decided to Stay in Haiti.’

“At the Central Bank, the governor ordered to open the cash department,” Dorleans says. “This is a good decision because financial activities cannot stop—even when the situation is like hell. So I am back to work since Monday.

“We have created a small group of people to manage the situation. We worked on the bank sidewalks and the parking lot because we can't get inside the building at the moment (until we get approval from experts). The human resources department has been destroyed; the roof has collapsed. Hopefully we will be able to retrieve the files.

“We have lost more than a dozen of our staff members. Others are wounded; some of them have lost their dependents (spouses and children). This is a big mess. The HR department is going to be loaded with different employee cases or cris[e]s to solve: stress, despair, lack of motivation.

“This is going to be hard to handle, but it's our job to help employees and to have them engaged in their job as soon as possible. I predict that job performance will be low for at least six months. So, we'll see.

“The international aid has arrived here. Hopefully we'll get back on our feet soon. I'm still scared because this morning’s (around 6 a.m.) [Jan. 20] aftershock was strong … and lasted about 5 to 10 seconds.

“I'll keep you posted. I'm hanging in there.”

—Michaelle Dorleans

How to Help

Tens of thousands of people have donated millions of dollars online and via text messaging to Haiti, and relief agencies are continuing to accept donations. Food, water, medical supplies and heavy equipment are still being sent.

SHRM is working with America’s Charities to provide SHRM members and others interested in helping in a reliable, secure way to donate to disaster relief organizations on the ground in Haiti and provide assistance to those in need.

Aliah D. Wright is an online editor/manager for SHRM.

How St. Vincent & the Grenadines is helping:

· NEMO

· Red Cross

· C.K. Greaves Supermarket

· Bonadie Supermarket

· P.H. Veira Supermarket

· Various Service Organizations (Lions, Leos, Rotary)

· Nice Radio