As the Haitian earth rolled and buildings around them crumbled, the sisters of Longview’s Abdias Calixte did what they knew best: They clung to their children and extended family, riding out the disaster.

Following the 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 10, Abdias’ five sisters — ages 20 to 31 — are living in a temporary shelter in Port au Prince. Their “tent” is an unsteady structure with a tarp roof and sides made from sheets, rugs and any other large sections of cloth they could get their hands on, said Amber Collins, Abdias Calixte’s wife.

The shelter is barely adequate for the family, which also includes five children ranging in age from 1 to 11. Those living in the tent include extended family and friends. The rainy season, with its torrential downpours, soon will make the city a muddy mess, and then the hurricanes come in April.

The women and their daughters live on rice and beans. Prior to the quake, the family sold these supplies at market. Now, protein is hard to come by, “sometimes aid food will come in, but there are no guarantees,” said Amber, 29.

One of the two trucks the Longview couple sent to Abdias’ sisters, who used them to run a taxi service, was crushed by a falling wall during the earthquake. The other is taking injured Haitians to hospitals and the homeless to the countryside.

The earthquake crumbled Haiti’s prisons, freeing thousands of criminals into the cities and making already-vulnerable survivors there fearful to walk what is left of the streets.
With their relatives facing famine and danger, Abdias and Amber are trying to bring his sisters and nieces — all 10 of them — to America on a humanitarian visa.

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