7.0 Earthquake in Haiti

Parent Cafe
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<p>schmaltz and michone - with all due respect, this was an unanticipated earthquake (as all are), and every disasater expert I’ve heard interviewed has said that the timing of getting help in there is what is to be expected, especially given the port is destroyed and the airport is almost non-functioning. Unfortunately, it does take time to coordinate such large efforts, and really can’t be compared to hurricanes and snowstorms where the residents can be somewhat forewarned. </p>

<p>Regarding the ‘expired’ food, they were speculating that people were telling the people who had it, that it was expired so that they would drop it, and others, who had nothing could pick it up. I don’t think that was the fault of the distributors.</p>

<p>That being said, I’m sure everyone wishes the whole process would move faster, but I can’t imagine how that could be done given the state of the transportation centers and roads.</p>

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<p>Report in today’s paper, Madonna donated $250.000 to Partners in Health.
And, Not on Our Watch, advocacy group founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and others donated $1 million to Partners in Health.</p>

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<p>@MagnoliaMom,
In reference to an entirely different thread that has now been closed … I think you’ll know which one I’m talking about … I couldn’t agree MORE!!! You spoke my thoughts exactly! Thank you for saying it like it was … something I was too cowardly to do. Though had I read your post prior to the thread’s closing, I swear, I would have taken your lead and chimed in! Good for you.</p>

<p>And now I’ll get off this thoughtful thread about a very serious topic.</p>

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<p>Teriwitt, the “experts” with their flow charts and timelines and checkoff lists are the ones keeping things from getting done. They are allowing all the extraneous concerns (like expiration dates) they studied in their training classes to clog up the process. You see the same thing in business when somebody starts justifying his position by implementing convoluted CYA procedures some professor with no business experience taught him in his MBA classes. To get ALL the food and water to ALL the people is a monumental task. To get SOME water and SOME basic food to at least SOME of the people is as simple as having military helicopters (either from ships or from the airport) place big slings of bottled water and crackers in any open spaces near the city. They don’t even have to land the helicopters if they don’t want to.</p>

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<p>I just saw on CNN that some US Navy helicopters based on ships are just swooping in and dropping loads of pre-packaged meals (like those foil-wrapped “meals ready to eat”). The video showed the people on the ground quickly grabbing the supplies. It wasn’t organized or pretty, but it got the job done. The retired Army general who was commenting on the scene said that it’s all well and good that they have convoys of trucks loaded with materials at the airport, but until the roads are cleared, they need to just get the damn food and water to the people “by any means possible.” He speculated that the Navy helicopters were NOT part of any larger organized effort, but were probably just a result of commanders on the Navy ships offshore getting tired of waiting for the more-organized relief efforts to unfold. I was a Navy officer for 10 years, and the Navy prides itself on being able to respond to emergencies quickly and alone if necessary, so the Army general’s speculation rang true to my experience. Other organizations could have been doing this days ago if they wanted to.</p>

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<p>The food drops are not getting the food/supplies to the people. When the food is dropped from the air, the strongest fight to grab the food. It’s basically survival of the fittest mode out of desperation. Reports have come out that some of the strongest men who fight off the others and grab the food turn around and sell it. The women, children, aged, weak, sick, and injured are not able to get to the dropped food. </p>

<p>Organizations are doing the best they can with the situation they have to deal with.
They need to clear the roads before the vehicles can get through with the supplies. They need to protect not only the people in need, but the volunteers handing out the supplies.</p>

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<p>The fact that some of the stronger people get more than their share is the type of problem that paralyzes some of the bureaucrats…so what if they get more than their share or sell the food? At least SOMEBODY will get the food. It’s a typical liberal hangup that a plan is no good unless it benefits the weakest people. Even if they sell it, it’s better than nobody getting it. It’s not like a load of water or crackers costs a fortune. And the key is to deliver more in this manner, so much that the street thugs can’t claim all of it. Again, I’m not advising this “quick and dirty” method for the entire aid effort–just the first few days until the more organized method can get going.</p>

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<p>Here is the latest from Partners in Health</p>

<p>Since Tuesday evening, PIH staff has been working around the clock to bring relief to the people of Haiti who are suffering immensely in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake. You have seen the images on the news, read the updates on the web, and responded in a profoundly generous way to our calls for help - we are indebted to you for your quick mobilization and generous contributions.</p>

<p>Our team, because of our deep roots in Haiti, was able to be among the first to respond with emergency medical services. Since the first days, our staff has stepped up to take on the challenge of serving the most vulnerable in Port-au-Prince and of providing comprehensive care ranging from basic primary care to complicated surgical services at our sites in the Central Plateau and Artibonite Valley. Co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer wrote yesterday, “We find that years of investment in building a strong local partner organization mean that we are again in the position of responding effectively to a natural disaster. We are very proud of our team.”</p>

<p>All of this work-our years of investment and our ability to respond is made possible because of people like you who do not become paralyzed in the face of suffering but rather stand up and help serve.</p>

<p>Yesterday, Dr. Farmer arrived in Port-au-Prince to check in with our team and to meet with Government and UN officials. Since his visit, we have already seen the tide begin to change - this morning, the PIH/Zanmi Lasante team was designated by the World Health Organization to serve as the coordinators of the public hospital, Hopital de l’ Universite d’Etat d’Haiti (HUEH), where thousands are suffering in need of medicines and surgeries. In this new role, we will be supporting the administration and staff and recruiting other NGOs to help restore services, particularly triage, nursing, and surgical, at the city’s central hospital. Our priority is to increase stock of medicines and supplies, ensure steadily functioning operating rooms, and guarantee sufficient medical staff is available, particularly for nursing care to help with post-op recovery, iv management, and other care that has had to be self managed over the past three days.</p>

<p>With supply chains in place and flights arriving more consistently in Port-au-Prince since the air traffic control has been reinstated, today has already been a turning point in our ability to respond to the enormity of the devastation and really get the field hospitals and public hospitals up and running. We have two planes of surgeons and surgical supplies arriving within hours, we have fuel on its way to Haiti through the DR, and we are reallocating supplies from our ten sites to where they are needed most on a regular basis.</p>

<p>It is clear to us all that relief for Haiti must rely on our collective immediate response and our sustained long-term commitment to building back better. Our approach to health care delivery in resource-poor settings-partnering with the public sector, employing locally, and investing for the long-term-is a key part of the solution for Haiti now and in the future. We hope that you will continue to stand with Haiti now and in the months and years to come. </p>

<p>Thank you for your solidarity during this crisis,</p>

<p>Ophelia Dahl
Executive Director</p>

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<p>[msnbc.com</a> Video Player](<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34899251#34899251]msnbc.com”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34899251#34899251)</p>

<p>Schmaltz, I understand your frustration but you should understand the situation is very complicated. The food drops don’t allow for dispersion of the food to the people who need it. Groups and thugs are armed and will do everything possible horde the food.</p>

<p>Hopefully the video link will play. It’s in regards to breaking news of 2 relief workers being shot while trying to distribute food.</p>

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<p>No, it’s not complicated. There are hungry and thirsty people. There are helicopters. There are tons of food and water. Load the food and water on the helicopters and dump them in the town. Some will no doubt get into the hands of the thugs, but not all of it. Even if only 10% gets into the hands of common people, it’s better than nothing. I saw video of it today…common people with foil-wrapped meals dropped by Navy helicopters. “It’s complicated” is an excuse only for those looking for an excuse.</p>

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<p>Will any organizations ever have the ability to send volunteers to Haiti to help?</p>

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<p>schmaltz, what is your background in disaster relief/Haitian society? I suspect none. It’s the opinion of experts who have spent their lives overseeing disaster relief or attempting to assist the basket case that is Haiti that you can’t feed millions of Haitians by dropping food and water into an environment where violence, lawlessness and government corruption were the norm long before the earthquake struck. It’s easy to carp from your easy chair, especially when your true agenda is to dump on the current administration. I find the worldwide effort in the face of an unprecedented catastrophe to be absolutely astounding and soul-restoring, and I am profoundly proud that the US, as always, did not hesitate to lead the way.</p>

133

<p>DH is changing a burned out light bulb on the front porch. DH does not like anyone see him crying… We just turned on CNN and found out that the 11-yr old girl who was rescued from the rubble died…</p>

<p>Costco is accepting donations to the Red Cross at the checkouts, just like they did after Katrina. We bought some food for us and some for the people of Haiti. Shut the **** up, Rush.</p>

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<p>The US Navy alone can stake a claim at being the world’s largest humanitarian organization. When combined with our Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, our military is second to none at dealing with these types of situations.</p>

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<p>France must take some responsibility to help Haiti.</p>

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[Haiti</a> Makes Its Case for Reparations](<a href=“http://www.nathanielturner.com/haitimakescaseforreparations.htm]Haiti”>http://www.nathanielturner.com/haitimakescaseforreparations.htm)</p>

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[Why</a> Haiti’s Earthquake Is France’s Problem - The Daily Beast](<a href=“http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-14/why-haitis-earthquake-is-frances-problem/]Why”>The Daily Beast: The Latest in Politics, Media & Entertainment News)</p>

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<p>Paul Farmers letter printed in Miami Herald- “about what must be done in Haiti”,from someone who clearly knows.
[If</a> Haiti is to `build back better’ - Breaking News - MiamiHerald.com](<a href=“http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1429930.html]If”>http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1429930.html)</p>

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<p>It’s called triage. You deal with the sickest and most needy first because if you don’t, you might as well hold a gun to their heads and shoot them… they will die. Those who are strongest can afford to wait a few days yet. One thing that disturbs me about some of the media reports is the statement that people can only go three days without water. Wow… if I believed that, I could predict exactly when some of our hospice patients are going to die based on their last sip of water. The reality is, the weakest, and the ones whose bodies are already in the fight of their lives, will only last a day or two; those who are strongest can last longer without water. </p>

<p>Please start your own thread in the P & E thread if you want to bash liberals. Those of us here want to be of support to one another and those in Haiti as this crisis unfolds. Posts like #129 are more helpful than the garbage you spew (by the way scalum, I’d already read the letter - I’m now on PIH’s email list since I contributed, and they sent it out).</p>

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<p>Engineers Without Borders unfortunately doesn’t have the resources to deal with disaster-relief situations. I have several friends who have served as chapter presidents for major metropolitan areas, so I’m quite familiar with the program. EWB does, however, have the network of engineers on file to request help on behalf of other organizations.</p>

<p>The American Society of Civil Engineers is also sending out an APB to its members on behalf of AIDG ([AIDG</a> - Home](<a href=“http://www.aidg.org/]AIDG”>http://www.aidg.org/)) to try to find French- and Creole-speaking structural engineers to send to Haiti immediately.</p>

<p>I speak only English and Spanish, but I’m ATC-20-1 trained and ready to be deputized for duty by any local authority that requires post-earthquake structural triage work.</p>

<p>I’ve already forwarded the information on to the engineers at my firm. Monday I’m going to the company president or anybody who will listen to me. I’m planning on making a plea for our company to donate travel expenses and engineers’ time if there’s anybody who is willing to head down there, and if the AIDG will take me and my company will let me go, I have my gear ready to roll.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, I’m going to try to learn enough French to claim “rudimentary knowledge of French” on my resume. They say it’s required. We’ll see…</p>

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<p>Good luck, aibarr! Dh volunteered to help after 9/11, but they ended up having enough engineers in New York. I hope your firm agrees to help.</p>

<p>Our little church in Maine had a special offering this morning and raised over $1,600 to send to Haiti. I was really surprised! That’s a lot for people in this economy.</p>

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<p>and for us non-engineer people, this means… what? (I’m sure it’s impressive).</p>