“I felt sick to my stomach, at times I wanted to cry. I saw some things I don’t know if I’ll ever care to talk about, but in my short time there [Haiti] I tried to see beyond the tragedy and find stories of hope,” said Biola University alumnus Andrew Mollenbeck (’07) during the opening segment of his 30-minute Haiti special on KNX 1070 NewsRadio.

Just one week after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, Mollenbeck, a graduate of Biola’s Department of Public Relations and Strategic Communication, left for Haiti as KNX 1070’s on-location reporter. Mollenbeck was in Haiti for about one week — long enough for him to experience the tragedy and sorrow in the remnants of homes and buildings in Port-au-Prince. But he also found hope there.

He flew in and out of Haiti on relief missions with the Navy, reporting daily with interviews from relief workers and Haitians. On Thursday, Feb. 4, a special commercial free 30-minute program, titled “Hope in the Ruins,” produced by Mollenbeck aired at 7:30 p.m. The segment provided a raw look at relief work and current needs of Haiti while inspiring hope and revealing the strength of Haitians as they look towards restoration.

“Around Haiti it seems like there is just a tension between two powerful emotions — you have miraculous rescue stories of heroism and relief coming from nations in every part of the world. But there is also tragedy, losses so overwhelming they cant adequately be described,” said Mollenbeck.

Listen to Andrew Mollenbeck’s report, “Hope in the Ruins,” and view photos of his time there.  

Written by Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator. Jenna can be reached at (562) 777-4061 or through email at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Mollenbeck.