Haiti, Alcohol, and Me

Today is the anniversary of the 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010. The Eye Are Es had killed my baby, the non-profit corporation The Medicine Cabinet in 2006, so I had no medications or medical equipment to send them. But I HAD to help.

A few years before the earthquake, I collaborated with a fellow nicknamed “Zelph” to create a durable but lightweight alcohol stove for camping. One of the tragedies of the earthquake was contaminated water, especially in the 45 cities. So I ca
me up with this idea: Why not send them there so the folks could sterilize their own water?

I bought a large box of the stoves from Zelph who sold them to me at 50% of the retail price. I advertised on the Internet for someone local going there for relief work to carry the box with them. An RN replied but said that she was already taking a boatload of stuff with her so it'd cost more. The box was big but the stoves were light so I paid for them. Once in Haiti, she distributed them for free.
Despite food shortages, alcohol is always plentiful in Haiti. I use HEET but rum, Everclear, vodka, and tequila also suffice. It is called the "Mangold Mamba”:
“A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the nation on Jan. 12, 2010, and is considered to be the country’s deadliest event, with over 200,000 people killed. Damage estimates topped $7 billion, with over 1 million people who became homeless”.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Magnitude, Damage, Map, & Facts | Britannica
britannica.com