EXCLUSIVE AUDIO INTERVIEW: 'Heroes' Star Reveals Haiti Devastation From His Trip Home
Jan. 18 2010, Published 5:41 a.m. ET
In an exclusive audio interview with RadarOnline.com Haitian Heroes star Jimmy Jean-Louis tells of the devastation of his homeland from his first hand eye witness perspective.
Read Full Recap Of Jimmy Jean-Louis' Heartbreaking Interview
Armed with a video camera Jean-Louis is delving deep into the horror and destruction that has befallen Haiti, reporting back to RadarOnline.com in the hopes that the world will rally around the impoverished nation and send the support it so desperately needs.
Jean-Louis is on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as he thankfully reunites with his parents, that he initially feared were dead, only to then go on and see the destruction that has been wreaked on the developing country and on his fellow Haitians as they struggle to come to terms with their mind numbing heartbreak and disbelief.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake ripped through Haiti last week, the largest earthquake to hit the country in the past 200 years. Behind it it has left a trail of destruction and devastation that one is not even able to imagine or comprehend.
Heroes Actor Jimmy Jean-Louis Reunited With Family in Haiti
Jean-Louis says that initially when he arrived it was wonderful to see his parents alive and relatively well but then the reality of the situation that his beloved homeland is now in, hit him, and hit him hard.
"It was nice and it was peaceful to see my parents in a sense. We had already come to terms that I was coming. It was just a nice relief to see just each other. It was calm and very emotional but just nice to be able to actually see them and hug them - a genuine simple hug. That was great.
"As I said their house had collapsed, I had a house that had collapsed completely and another house next door and there are people underneath the house. From going around the neighborhood, from where we are everyday, I don't know how many times a day, I don't know how many times they come and they bring dead bodies - just to burn them. You see them being burned, you smell them - the most horrific picture I have ever seen."
VIDEO: Heroes Star, "There Is Nothing Left To Live For" In Haiti
Describing the obvious horror of the situation, Jean-Louis says it is impossible to imagine the scale of devastation without witnessing it in person. "It is so terrible what just happened to Haiti. I think people still don't have any idea with all the pictures you see, with all the videos you see, you still have no idea of how bad it is, you really don't. It is extremely bad."
Obviously emotionally overwhelmed, Jean -Louis goes on to say that he believes the destruction is actually worse than anyone is estimating as there are many areas that have been hit where rescue crews and news media have still not ventured.
"So far people concentrate around the airport but then there are other cities where in some of them 80 percent of the city is down, the entire city, and they haven't received any help."
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Hero's Star Jimmy Jean-Louis Heads To Haiti: "I Need To Be With Them"
Going on to say, "Everywhere you go the buildings are just flat on the floor sitting there, what I mean is they are flat and whoever was inside the buildings are inside and they can not have any help because nobody would know how to get underneath. So you pass by these buildings and they smell of bodies. I feel so sad about this situation."
Jean-Louis continues to describe the obvious horror, telling a heartbreaking story of a close friend who has lost his entire family, including his two young children and wife. And a bewildered and distraught man he encountered in town that tells of his wife and three children being trapped under his house - begging for help, but there's nothing anyone can do.
Jean-Louis asks, "What can you do? What can anybody do? Where do you start?"
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Chillingly he says, "They are estimating it is probably 100 - 200 Thousand. All the people though think it could be a lot more - a lot more."
One thing that you can do to help the poor people of Haiti is donate. The Haitians are in desperate need of medical and financial aid. Please help by donating to Jean-Louis' charities of choice: Hollywood Unites For Haiti and The Pan American Relief Fund.
