Beverly Nonprofit Faces Hurdles Aiding Victims Of Haiti Earthquake

A Massachusetts charity has run into obstacles helping victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti over the weekend and killed at least 1,300 people.

Jim Ansara, co-founder and managing director Build Health International of Beverly, said it has been difficult to reach victims by road because of rampant violence in the hardest-hit areas. Gangs control a portion of the main road leading out of the peninsula, so transportation by boat, plane, or helicopter are the only options.

“There are rival gangs that are supported by rival political groups and rival interests,” Ansara said. “We simply can't get through.”

Ansara also said it’s been challenging raising donations for relief efforts in the Caribbean nation.

“There's a lot of fatigue about Haiti," Ansara said. "Especially given the assassination of the president and all the news that makes Haiti really sound like a three-ring circus to people who don't know it."

Now, Tropical Depression Grace is battering the nation, threatening heavy rainfall and mudslides as search efforts continue.

Build Health International built the largest hospital in Haiti and pitched in after a 2010 earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation.