An entire month has passed since the devastating earthquake rocked the country of Haiti, and now Union College in Lincoln is sending their third group of students to help with rescue and relief.

The 11 students are all leaving at various times Tuesday, flying into Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Then they'll hop on a bus, and travel across the devastating scape of Haiti, a country still struggling to bury their dead and help the living cope with unexpected disaster.

Graduate Assistant Aaron Kent says they don't have plans as to exactly what they'll be doing, but they'll go where they're needed.

"We don't have any idea what we're doing until we actually get on the ground and figure it out, but there will probably be a very high medical emphasis," Kent said.

All the students have gone through extensive EMT and survival training with the International Rescue and Relief Program at Union College, including a variety training in specified fields. Many of them are working towards a bachelor's degree in the field.

"So far our teams have done a variety of tasks, everything from doing search and rescue missions to recovering bodies and to working at clinics with doctors already in place," said Kent.

And they're willing to rough it, not knowing whether or not they'll have a safe place to sleep. Kent says students have been sleeping in the ruins of fallen buildings and other shelters that stayed standing, but they're prepared for whatever comes their way.

"The accommodations in Haiti are rough at best and there's a lot of basic accommodations that we take for granted in the states that we can't guarantee down there... We're all traveling self-contained so we're taking all the food that we can use for ourselves, and we're all carrying sleeping mats and sleeping pads to sleep wherever, whenever and however they want us to be staying," Kent said.

Team member Pierre Omeler has family in Haiti. He says it was scary until he learned they were safe, and now he hopes to reunite with them, as they help with relief efforts as well.

"It has a special place in my heart because these are my people, this is my heritage, and it means a lot for me to go," said Omeler.

The work won't be easy though, "The bodies and so forth might get to be a little bit of an issue, but I think I can handle it, and we'll do what we can," Omeler said.

With their team of only 11, they hope to make a big difference.

"We just want to go ahead and aid the country of Haiti as much as we possibly can and use the skills that we've been training with to their maximum potential," said Kent.

The International Rescue and Relief Program at Union College sends their relief students on trips through the support of donations only. If you'd like to donate to their efforts or learn more, just click on the link below and scroll to the bottom.