UTV News - NI woman's husband lost in Haiti quake

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NI woman's husband lost in Haiti quake

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The husband of a Co Down woman is missing in Haiti following last week's deadly earthquake.
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    Haiti response a 'disgrace'

Andrew Grene, 44, had been working in the capital Port-au-Prince as an advisor to the head of the UN peace keeping operation when the building he was in collapsed last Tuesday.

Mr Grene's family posted information of the Family Links Red Cross website in a bid to restore contact.

His son, Alex Grene, has told UTV they had not lost all hope.

"There's always hope, but we're aware that time has passed," he said.

"Last thing we know he was at the top floor of the UN headquarter building in a meeting with Hedi Annabi (the head of the UN mission) and Luis Carlos da Costa (his deputy)". That's all we know", Mr Grene told UTV.

"I know they are numerous rescue teams out there both from the UN and from various independent countries that are digging and trying to recover their own nationals. They're trying to keep us updated with news regarding our father and people they pulled out of the rubble."

"We've been receiving pretty regular updates but news is slow."

Andrew grew up in Co Cavan with his twin brother Greg where he attended Fairgreen school.

"This is devastating news, we all feel affected by it because they were a lovely family. They were really friendly with everyone. They were just loving and lovable," former teacher Jessie Jones told UTV.

The US general in Haiti has warned that 200,000 people may have died in the disaster.

Tens of thousands of people are living on the street and relying on each other to try to survive.

The UK Government has trebled the amount of money it is giving in aid to Haiti to more than £20m.

But a University of Ulster scientist believes the international community should have been better prepared.

Professor John McCloskey, who led the analysis of the earthquake that started the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, said the quake in Haiti was "an absolutely massive event".

"It's going to be one of the biggest in history in terms of the death toll, but at the same we probably could have reduced it significantly with better forward planning," he told UTV.

"It seems to me that the mobilisation of international medical support has all been organised after the event."

© UTV News

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At 23:42 on 18 January 2010, Ruth Grene wrote:
Well done, Alex!
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