By Samuel Newhouse
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN – Although Brooklyn has been profoundly affected by the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti, most of us can only help by sending financial donations.

But one young man from Brooklyn Heights found a way to do more.

Warren Cohn, a special assistant to Congressman Ed Towns who works in Towns’ Downtown Brooklyn office, came up with the idea to form a delegation bringing supplies to Haiti, along with a friend from Miami, Dr. Aman Sabharwal.

“I surely wish that there is never a need like this again, but if there should be, I hope and pray that I will have the opportunity to do something like this again,� said Cohn, who is the son of noted local attorney Steve Cohn.

After two weeks of feverish planning and phone calls, on January 31 the two men boarded a plane bringing 100 boxes (2,000 pounds) of medical supplies to Haiti. They coordinated their efforts to join the 19,000 American troops on the ground in Haiti with various government agencies, including USAID (the United States Agency for International Development).

Flight to Santo Domingo

Both Cohn and Sabharwal have written brief narratives of their experience that they shared with the Eagle, beginning with a flight to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti.

“We checked the supplies as if it were regular baggage and then had to claim it in Santo Domingo and stuff it into a van that we rented,� Cohn wrote.

“We drove the supplies to the hotel which we were staying at [arranged by the U.S. Embassy] and waited the night so that we could then travel to Haiti. The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove to the U.S. Embassy and headquarters of USAID, where we were met by some incredible, friendly and helpful individuals.�

The team drove to Jimani, the border town between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a full cargo of medical supplies.

“These supplies included intravenous fluids, sterile irrigation, tubing, intubation equipment, ambu bags, surgical supplies, and many other items,� Dr. Sabharwal wrote.

Sabharwal continued, “Upon arrival to one of the many field hospitals, we delivered the supplies to the makeshift hospital. I was truly impressed to see how well organized the operation was. The supply rooms were completely barren; they were lacking many of the supplies used in hospitals every day. We were able to replenish this field hospital to some degree. The nurses and staff who were volunteering cried in joy when they saw the supplies that we brought.�

As Cohn wrote, “It was an incredible experience to hand deliver the supplies and hear the nurses there say that there were some operations and procedures that could now be performed because of the supplies that we brought. We aided them in stocking the supply room and pharmacy with the aid that we brought and other supplies and then toured the camp.�

Sabharwal wrote, “I was heartbroken to see how they were coping with their injuries and post traumatic stress. Many patients were crying continuously, due to the pain from their injuries. There were not enough analgesics to go around. Many patients went without any sort of pain control. In any organized healthcare delivery system, this would be considered inhumane.�

Cohn wrote, “We saw many broken limbs, amputees and terribly wounded people, but amid all the pain and anguish we were able to bring smiles and joy to many people’s faces and slightly change the dynamic of a very horrific and dismal situation.�

Speaking to the Eagle afterward, both men were still shocked by the devastation they witnessed in Port-Au-Prince. Asked how long he thought repair would take, Cohn guessed possibly as long as “two decades.�

“Their cultural infrastructure was horrendous beforehand,� he said. “Just bringing them up to par with the Dominican Republic would take years.�

Dr. Sabharwal said, “It’s not going to be over anytime soon.� he continued. “We’re looking at the U.S. and U.N. having to be involved at a minimum for at least a year – and I’m being very conservative with that.�

Sabharwal has been a doctor for 10 years at Jackson Health System in Miami and said he’d worked previously with hurricane relief in Miami-Dade County, which provided him with only very slight preparation for what he would see.

“The disaster in Haiti was far more in-depth and unpredictable,� Sabharwal said.

Asked if he planned to go back, Cohn, who graduated from Tulane University in June, said that he has been using his experience organizing the trip to help local non-profits and charity groups seeking to perform similar missions. Maybe Cohn will join one of them.

“I would love to go back,� he said.

Cohn and Sabharwal both said the delegation would not be possible without the support of Congressman Towns, donations of supplies from New Jersey company DealMed Inc., and donations of flights and cargo space by JetBlue Airways.

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