It's been nearly a year since the small country of Haiti was devastated by an earthquake.
A local humanitarian says the Haitian people are just as in need as ever, and he is heading back this Thanksgiving to help.
On January 12th, 2010, these images introduced the world to the widespread devastation in Haiti.
At a magnitude of 7.0, experts called it the worst earthquake in 200 years.
Now local humanitarians say conditions there have improved only slightly since that day.
"It's 1.5 million people living in tents and under tarps in Port-au-Prince. The conditions there are very deplorable," said Dr. John Carroll.
Carroll is founder of Peoria's 'Haitian Hearts', a charity that has brought Haitian children to the US for heart care for years.
He says a recent cholera outbreak there has people, again, in desperate need.
"Cholera is very deadly in Haiti without infrastructure, and without re-hydration salts and antibiotics quickly enough," he said.
Carroll's connection to the Haitian people goes beyond work.
Three years ago, he and his wife adopted their son Luke from Haiti.
Thanksgiving day, Carroll will head back to Haiti for two weeks.
He will arrive amid high political unrest, as many there blame United Nations troops for the cholera outbreak, which has now killed more than 1,300 people.
Carroll says though the media spotlight on Haitian people has dimmed, it's more important than ever...
"To not drop the word Haiti from our vernacular. The people in Haiti are even more needing now, than they were in January with the earthquake," said Carroll.
You can still donate to relief efforts in Haiti through organizations like the Red Cross and Unicef.
During his time there, Dr. Carroll will be sending us video updates of the situation there.
Be sure to watch for those on WEEK/WHOI.
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