County Family Mourns Haiti Loss
--By Greg Wright
January 12 was just another day for Ronald Cameau until he happened to glance at the television news and noticed an earthquake had hit Haiti.
“I was on my way out to work,” said Cameau, 31, an American of Haitian descent who lives in Hyattsville. “I didn’t' think anything. I was thinking it was just a slight tremor.”
Ronald Cameau of Hyattsville lost his uncle to the quake in Haiti
Photo By: Yodith Dammlash
But it soon became apparent that it was not a minor quake at all, but something much more serious. So like thousands of other Americans with family in Haiti, Cameau was soon on the phone, trying to learn the fate of his relatives who live in the now ruined Haitian capital of Port au Prince.
In the next few days he learned his mother's brother, Louis Fedna, had died after being hit by falling concrete during the massive, 7.0-scale quake. And one of his father's uncles, Cavous De La Tour, perished as well.
One of the few bright spots is that Fedna, who was playing an afternoon game of dominoes with his seven-year-old grandson, managed to get the boy out of the house uninjured.
Cameau's mother, Marie, who also lives Prince George’s County with his father Roland, did not wish to be interviewed about the loss of her brother. Fedna had also immigrated to the United States in search of work but returned to his homeland over his sister's objections.
“She is trying to put on a game face,” Cameau said of his mother.
Now, in the days since the earthquake, Cameau is trying to do all he can to help family still in Haiti. He has collected hundreds of dollars from friends and co-workers at ManTech International Corp. in Fairfax, where he works as an analyst.
Cameau is also in the Army reserves and volunteered to go to Haiti. While he is fluent in Creole, his computer services are not needed there now. Still, he urges other Prince George’s residents to do all they can to help Haiti recover.
“Right now, donate to a nonprofit,” he said. “Or donate your time and resources if you are a doctor or engineer.”
Cameau's parents immigrated to the United States in the mid 1970s not knowing a word of English but eager to escape the poverty of Haiti. Cameau was born in Boston, but the family later settled in Prince George’s. His parents learned English, gained an education, and got good jobs with the federal government.
While growing up Cameau sometimes visited Haiti and his parents spoke Creole at home, but he used to be ashamed of his background because of negative stereotypes about Haitians. Now he is proud of his heritage and proudly tells his friends he is a Haitian American.
He is confident the land of his ancestors will recover.
“I read a couple of reports that Haiti has oil,” he said. “We can sell it to the United States.
And people there are willing to work.”
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