Hamilton Aid worker tells of Haiti quake terror

Humanitarian aid worker Debbie Berquist Jules was quietly working in her office in Port-Au-Prince when the building suddenly started breaking apart around her.

"Items from book cases, shelves and tiles from the ceiling were raining down on myself and another person who was also working in the office. All I can remember is thinking (we) had to get out in case the roof collapsed," the 57-year-old school administrator from Hamilton said in an e-mail interview from Haiti.

Berquist Jules -- who had just returned to the Haitian capital after spending two weeks over Christmas in Hamilton with her family -- says, "I kept losing my balance as the shaking of the floor was so great." But she was not injured.

She said the scene yesterday was of people desperately trying to find loved ones in the rubble.

"Many people (are) still trapped in buildings and rescue attempts (are) going on; the hospitals are overflowing and many have run out of supplies; people are being encouraged to remain calm and to share valuable resources such as drinking water."