Nelson Ryman continues to help island nation
By Kyle LoJacono
National attention may have shifted from helping Haiti to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but Zephyrhills resident Nelson Ryman is continuing the fight to rebuild homes on the island.
“We’ve got six houses pretty well completed now since the earthquake,” Nelson, 71, said. “Some of them are totally finished and others are at least 65 to 70 percent done.”
Ryman has received thousands of dollars through people donating to the Jesus in Haiti Ministries. Much of the money came through a boot drive conducted by the noon and daybreak Rotary clubs of Zephyrhills. The drive brought in $7,083.50 in just two days on Jan. 22-23.
“Different clubs and people really helped us in the rebuilding with donations, but it is still slow going,” said Ryman, who is a member of the daybreak club. “It takes about $3,000 to rebuild a house down there. The homes are smaller, usually one or two rooms because they spend more time outside than we do.”
Ryman, who owned H&R Interstate Mobile Homes, has been to the island twice since the 7.0 earthquake devastated that nation Jan. 12. He returned June 1 from his most recent trip, which was four-days long. While he was happy with the progress of the homes, he is still concerned with the number of homes especially with the 2010 hurricane season already here.
“The rain is the biggest problem,” Ryman said. “There are too many families outside and they can’t live that way with the weather and sun on them all the time. There are thousands of tents and tarps set up where old towns were and they are starting to disintegrate from the rain and sun. They need something to protect them from the elements.”
The American Red Cross last estimated there are 1.1 million homeless survivors in Haiti. The organization also estimates between 200,000 and 250,000 deaths related to the disaster and $7.2 to 13.2 billion in damages.
Despite the amount of devastation to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Ryman’s resolve has not been shaken, according to his son Kevin.
“He is trying to do whatever he can down there,” Kevin said. “There’s still a lot of chaos and government corruption, but he’s still doing everything he can to rebuild. I don’t think he’ll ever stop helping.”
Ryman’s connection with Haiti started many years ago when some clients of his were looking at developing part of the island. He had been to other Caribbean and Central American nations, such as Honduras, Guatemala and Jamaica, for similar reasons. However, the level of distress in Haiti touched the 40-year Zephyrhills resident.
“I’ve never seen such poverty as what is in Haiti,” Ryman said. “I’ve been to the Dominican Republic and while there is a lot of poverty there it is nothing like in Haiti. I’d say the Dominican is 10 times better off than Haiti, which are on the same island. Other places have pockets of poverty. Haiti is almost completely poverty stricken.”
Ryman started funding an orphanage called Tytoo Gardens in the village of Simonette, located several miles north of the capital of Port-au-Prince. He was visiting the orphanage in January when the earthquake hit. It took Ryman three days to leave the island after the earthquake and he wasted little time in organizing the boot drive.
In the future Ryman may not be the only one in his family making the trip to Haiti. Kevin said he would likely join his father to help with the rebuilding this summer. Kevin operates Ryman Construction and his construction skills will be valuable in the rebuilding process.
“A lot of people have helped with donations,” Ryman said. “Of course we could use some more help if anyone is willing and able to donate whatever amount they can.”
To help Ryman rebuild some of the homes in Haiti, send checks made out to Jesus in Haiti Ministries to CenterState Bank, 6930 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills.
