Md. man trapped in earthquake comes home

Rick Santos, the head of an international aid organization, came home Saturday to Silver Spring after being trapped for 50 hours in a hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that was demolished by Tuesday’s earthquake.

He said he and colleagues experienced a “lot of highs and lows” while confined by rubble in a space that was eight feet by 5 feet by three feet. But, he said, the small group, who had been at an aid conference, talked to each other, comforting each other “as much as we could.”

Finally, he said, early Friday, they were brought to safety by French firefighters, who had spent hours cutting away concrete.

He said he recognizes that years of rehabilitation and redevelopment will be needed in Haiti. And, he added in an interview Saturday night, “I’m going back to Haiti.”

--Martin Weil