By Ivan Pereira
One South Ozone Park family breathed a sigh of relief over the weekend after they learned that a missing relative was rescued from a destroyed Port-au-Prince government building.
Dr. Augustine Delante praised God and rescue workers for finding his brother, Frantz Gilles, alive and not seriously injured Saturday after days of no contact following last week’s earthquake in Haiti.
Delante, an internal medicine physician, said he and his wife could not sleep last week as his uncle searched desperately throughout the ravaged city for Gilles, who works for the Caribbean nation’s tax collection agency.
“It was four days …. I thought he was dead,” Delante recalled.
After hearing about the 7.0-magnitude quake, Delante, who works in Harlem, desperately called Haiti, where his brother, sister, uncle and some cousins still live, but due to the damage he could not reach anyone. On the day of the disaster, Gilles was having a board meeting with his agency in its offices and Delante learned that the tax collection building was in the midst of the devastation in the capital.
After two days of attempts, Delante said he got in touch with his uncle, who was safe along with Delante’s sister, but he still did not know the whereabouts or condition of Gilles.
“I asked him what was going on. He could not give an answer because he did not know,” the physician said.
One of Delante’s friends in the Caribbean said he heard that his brother was in alive in a hospital, but Delante’s uncle could not find him in any of the medical centers. The Queens physician said he began to worry.
“I thought, maybe he’s dead because you watch the news,” Delante said.
Hope came on Saturday afternoon when the South Ozone Park father received another phone call from his uncle, this time with good news. Gilles was found alive in the rubble of the tax collectionbuilding and rescued that morning.
Gilles, who was treated for some bruises but had no broken bones, called out to responders and soon he was taken to safety. Delante said he was exhilarated when he heard his brother’s voice — especially after he had learned that not everyone made it out of that building alive.
“You can’t imagine what it was like. It was joy … happiness. Everyone was crying,” he said.
Delante said he would like his brother to come to the United States to continue his recovery. Until then, the Queens physician said he was grateful his family survived the quake and he would continue to pray for the others who are trapped or lost loved ones.
“If we have to say thank you to anyone, it’s him first,” he said pointing up to the heavens.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
