Heading back to Haiti

A large group of doctors and nurses are leaving for Haiti this week. I'm going with them.

The doctor I covered on the first trip, Dr. Will Conner of Matthews, is returning on Thursday, and this time he's got company. He's inspired about dozen more medical professionals to join him, found a hospital, and got a plane (donated by Hendrick Motorsports).

His team will join another Charlotte group of more than 20 medical professionals and volunteers who arrived in Haiti today. Many of them are native Haitians going back to help their countrymen.

I left this morning. I'll meet the group in Cap-Haitien, the second largest city in Haiti. About 80 miles from Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien was not damaged like the capital, but it has been overwhelmed by thousands of evacuees who have converged on the region.

The Charlotte team picked the region thinking it could make an immediate impact. They’ve named their mission “Charlotte goes to Haiti.”

I’ll be telling stories about the Charlotte group, but also writing about the collateral damage from the earthquake that has cut across the country. I hope to use this blog to give a more personal account of some of the experience.

I’ll be updating the blog as often as I can, but you can also follow my stories and updates in the Observer at charlotteobserver.com, and at twitter.com/francoordonez.