January 22, 2010 9:08 PM

Mother and Son Reunited in Haiti

By
Katie Couric
(CBS)  After 36 hours of desperate and unanswered calls to Port au Prince, 31-year-old David Pierre-Louis left the safety of Seattle for quake ravaged Haiti in hopes of finding his family.

"I'm just walking, trying to find my mom," he said.

He walked through the skeletal remains of the neighborhoods he once knew, to the block where his mother's house once stood - not knowing what he'd find.

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric reports there was an emotional reunion for mother and son. His mom screamed and cried, "David!"

How to Help Victims

A lucky survivor, Augusta Pierre-Louis had been sitting outside in her garden that afternoon when the devastating quake demolished her home.

"Thank God I'm here," she said. "I not die."

"It was very surprising to see her there, the way the house was," he said. "She shouldn't have survived.

Complete Coverage: Devastation in Haiti

But the joy quickly faded as Pierre-Louis realized the magnitude of tragedy all around him. Facing a sea of injured, he quickly grabbed a bag of medical supplies he had brought in for his family. Doling out bandages, first aid creams and antibiotics, with the help of a neighborhood nurse, Pierre-Louis' mission changed in an instant.

"For whatever reason, medical supplies are not getting to the country like they should," David said.

Haiti Earthquake: Stories of Survivors

As word spread, the injured streamed in to the makeshift street clinic seeking treatment from the one man helping to fill the void left by governments and relief agencies.

Quickly, supplies began to run out. So David started making lists of everything he needed to bring back in to save more people.

David's haunted by some of the things he's seen, that he can't get out of his head. "I can't just forget that."

Lucid Jazz Lounge, Seattle

Four days after his joyful reunion, David returned back to Seattle to raise more money for Haiti. With the help of friends, he organized an earthquake relief fund raiser at the jazz clubhe's been running for the past two years.

"I want to thank everyone for coming out," David told the audience. "This past week has been an eye-opener - a reality check."

His club, along with six other venues in the Washington University area, raised over $4,000 that night- which will translate into much needed medical supplies for Haiti.

"I'm going back," he said. "This is just the beginning."

He hopes to return there next week supplies in hand, with the mission of saving one soul at a time.

Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved.
Add a Comment
by mary-miami January 23, 2010 12:45 PM EST
Thank God. Amidst the rubble, a moment of joy. Imagine what a relief the mother and son felt when they saw each other and knew that the were not alone in the world.
Reply to this comment
by billkol January 22, 2010 10:56 PM EST
This effort on televison is great and should be commended, however, I have to tell you about an incident that happened in Haiti today. Two boys were riding their motor scooter down a road in Porta-au-Prince, in their colorful outfits, when 5 bags of rice fell off a passing truck. The got off the scooter and were told by the driver that they could keep the rice. At this same time the Haitian police saw what was happening and saw these two boys picking up the rice. One police officer, alarmed at what he saw, shot both boys in the back. One of the boys could still speak although paralized but could not move. The other boy lay on the ground, obviously dying, as he was bleeding from the eyes and mouth and his hands and arms were trembling. Meanwhile, this was all being filmed by CNN crews, as they just happened to arrive at the scene as this whole thing unfolded. They made no attempt to help the boys but they kept filming, recording this for posterity. They may have film of the policeman who shot them, but I do not know. I tell you this because I saw this boy die on CNN and I cannot forget the look in his eyes. I hope someone, who reads this,and feels as I, that this boy did not die in vain and we will remember him always.............
Reply to this comment
by Lisa_Rinewalt January 23, 2010 4:49 AM EST
OMG How horrid ..
.
Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook