Honolulu police detective Gary Lahens was a frightened 9-year-old when he fled his native Haiti one night in 1967 to escape the infamous dictator Francois “;Papa Doc”; Duvalier.

Lahens and his family sought refuge in America, moving first to New York, settling later in Miami. Lahens moved to Honolulu 35 years ago. But his homeland of Haiti has always remained close to his heart.

So immediately after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, Lahens flew to Miami to join relatives on a medical mission to Haiti.

Lahens learned some cousins died, three relatives were unaccounted for and others lost their businesses and homes.

On his father's side, many are fruit growers who own orchards and homes in the mountains.

“;Till this day, I haven't been able to find out about them,”; he said.

Lahens' relatives, including a sister who is a nurse and an uncle who is chief of anesthesiology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, have gone back to Haiti to help those in need of medical care.

“;We fare well in America, so we always give back,”; he said of Haitian expatriates.

One cousin, who owns a food wholesale business in Haiti, lost a lot of inventory when a wharf collapsed.

His company “;provides food for the country,”; Lahens said. “;That's why there was no food.”;

The 54-year-old said he had also planned to fly to Haiti, but there was no guarantee he could find a flight back in time to return to work in Honolulu.

“;It's easy to get in, but trying to get out is hard,”; he said.

Although unable to provide hands-on help, Lahens, who owns his own business manufacturing and selling tourist and gift items, has helped relatives financially.

“;When I looked at the destruction of the palace, I was so sad,”; he said, recalling visiting the National Palace as a child. “;That place was so beautiful.”;

Lahens moved to Hawaii in 1975 after earning his master's degree in business administration and joined the Honolulu Police Department. He said he fell in love with the islands on a visit in 1974 with a college buddy from the Big Island.

“;Little by little, the Haitians are going back,”; said Lahens, who hasn't been back to Haiti since 1974.

“;Haitians are resilient,”; he added. “;We are very smart, able to adapt in any type of environment.”;