Haiti
Posted by: gone on 19 January 2010
I'm surprised there hasn't been any comment here on the disaster in Haiti, unless I've missed something. Perhaps, like me, people are shocked at the whole thing.
Watching the news unfold over the last week has taken me through such a range of emotions, at the enormity of it all, the worldwide response, all the individual suffering, the impotence I feel at not being able to help (other than freely donating to DEC), the shock at the looting, the incredible bravery of people having operations without anaesthetic, the field doctors and their dedication, the black market in water and food, the terrible loss of friends and family, the villages who have lived with nothing for over a week, it just goes on and on.
All I can do is hope that some organisation comes out of the chaos in the end, but it is completely beyond me at the moment. I am lost for words.
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by Mike-B
Agreed Nero, nice words,
Reg. why no one has already posted something, I think yr right, we are all in shock.
I was there a couple of times. The first time was in mid 70's a few years after the Papa Doc bad times. The last time was 1993. To say the country was a basket case at that time is an understatement, from what I know of it just prior to the quake it had not changed much. So I can fully appreciate the chaos, poor infrastructure & local organisation.
All we can do is helplessly watch the carnage, suffering & tragedy unfolding on TV & to support whatever aid organisation we can.
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by Mike Dudley
I have heard that that there are "sensitivities" about the USA wanting to "take over" the country and that this is one of the reasons why aid is slow to leave the airport, as it contributes to the lack of overall control.
The USA "taking over" the country is probably the best thing for it.
In my opinion. Go Uncle Sam...
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by BigH47
It seems an incredible place, the poverty is numbing. A reporter the other day saying something like "the average wage is $3-4 a week, for the people in the country is MUCH less. What's that then almost nothing?
You have next to nothing and it gets taken from you. It's enough to make you believe in a deity not.
We probably waste more in $ keeping our kit switched on than these people earn in a year.
Of course there is the hugely huge and expensive Presidential palace, which it would seem was as well built as the UN building and most of the shanty towns. I wonder which multi national had the contract for that Palace? All built to code no doubt?
SWMBO has done the make us feel better donation, what chance it has of getting to source who knows(I nearly said heaven knows).
H
Posted on: 20 January 2010 by MilesSmiles
My wife's aunt visits Haiti twice every year on aid missions. She is an ER nurse and just returned after her whole ER team was dispatched for a week to Haiti.
The situation is very bad and I just hope that aid can effectively be deployed over the next few years to help this country.
Everyone they treated had lost family members, the scale of this disaster is shocking.
Posted on: 21 January 2010 by rupert bear
There's a very well-written and thought-provoking piece on the Independent website about the aid effort - by Andy Kershaw, who seems to have got over his little local difficulty.
Obviously I can't post a link.
