Iowa families get good news about adoptive daughters

For two Iowa families awaiting adoptive daughters from Haiti, Tuesday's earthquake meant long nights and frantic phone calls waiting to see how the girls were doing.

The Minor family in Kalona said the quake has extended the adoption process for the girl they are adopting, Claudia, 2. They were just two months from finalizing the adoption when the earthquake hit, but now Bill Minor said he's not sure how long it will take.

The orphanage home of the Minor's daughter is 10 miles outside the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, where the damage was the heaviest. Because of the distance the building was damaged but not destroyed, and two wells at the site were still providing fresh water.

For the Poulter family in Pella, the hours since Tuesday's quake were tense. The girl they are adopting, Maya, 4, was at an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. Phone lines were down, and Matt and Mandy Poulter were desperately searching for word on Maya's safety.

An ABC-TV News crew located the orphanage Thursday, following Matt Poulter's directions, Mandy Poulter said by telephone from her home. Members of the crew called Mandy Poulter at home to tell her they'd found the orphanage, and a few minutes later she received a Skype message from “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts, who was standing beside a sleeping Maya.

“It was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life,” Mandy Poulter said.

The Poulters were scheduled to go to Haiti to finalize the adoption and bring Maya home on Feb. 8. Mandy Poulter said those plans are still in place, although they've had to make some arrangements for Maya's passport. The office in Port-au-Prince collapsed, so the Poulters are working on getting their daughter a humanitarian or refugee visa.

Justin Foss, KCRG-TV also contributed to this story