7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti Hospital Collapses

[Blue_Dolphin308]

I have already donated money, but am wondering about donating specific supplies. I know of a person travelling to Haiti in the next two weeks. I will post the link.
Is it better to give him cash or medical supplies at this point?

If you are in Oregon or Washington and you can, please help Yve..:woohoo:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindbeaversbeat/2010/01/ex-oregon_state_running_back_y.html

Cash right now I would say.

 

[songline]

Cash right now I would say.

I think it was Pres.Clinton, (not sure) said the same thing. SEND MONEY.

 

[Brwnigirl]

It really really bothers me that planes are coming in and taking people who are healthy back to their countries so they can tell us all about how traumatized they were during the whole ordeal.

Why don't these planes carry some of the injured to a hospital where they can be saved from broken bones? It cannot be about red tape as some children have been transported to Miami. Why aren't more kids getting out. Anderson Cooper said "These are stupid deaths"

Life should be the priorty right now, not citizenship. Save lives now! Who cares who will be there January 20th? Who is there NOW?

I would rather sit uncomfortable at an airport with limited supplies if I was healthy and it would save another person's life. I am tired of seeing these healthy people from other countries complaining about getting home. The sick and elderly I totally understand.

Where is that hospital ship based? How friggin long does it take to get there?
And I just don't understand what is taking so long for doctors to get set up there, especially from the US.
Israel did it, why can't North America?? GRrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[songline]

It really really bothers me that planes are coming in and taking people who are healthy back to their countries so they can tell us all about how traumatized they were during the whole ordeal.

Why don't these planes carry some of the injured to a hospital where they can be saved from broken bones? It cannot be about red tape as some children have been transported to Miami. Why aren't more kids getting out. Anderson Cooper said "These are stupid deaths"

Life should be the priorty right now, not citizenship. Save lives now! Who cares who will be there January 20th? Who is there NOW?

I would rather sit uncomfortable at an airport with limited supplies if I was healthy and it would save another person's life. I am tired of seeing these healthy people from other countries complaining about getting home. The sick and elderly I totally understand.

Where is that hospital ship based? How friggin long does it take to get there?
And I just don't understand what is taking so long for doctors to get set up there, especially from the US.
Israel did it, why can't North America?? GRrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

This awesome post made me cry.
I wish they would send you and me down there - we'd make order and prioritize in a way that matters.

 

[songline]

Jimmy Jean-Louis is touching my heart too.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Heroes Star Says His Dad In Haiti Cried
"There's Nothing Left To Live For"
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusiv...-his-dad-haiti-cried-theres-nothing-left-live

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Hero's Star Jimmy Jean-Louis Heads To Haiti:
"I Need To Be With Them"
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusiv...r-jimmy-jean-louis-heads-haiti-i-need-be-them

 

[AlwaysShocked]

Hopital ship "Comfort" sailed from Baltimore, I believe it was reported.

 

[gitana1]

1st bbm - That' a lot of money. What do the Haitian's do with the money they receive I wonder? It's a fair question. Between all the foreign aid the country receives and the money being sent in by their relatives how come they are reportedly living on $1.00 a day?

A reporter stated yesterday that the Haitian mindset is that they just want to live in organized poverty. Huh?
Sounds like a welfare state to me.

Aside from being hit by a natural disaster, there comes a time when people need to learn to stand on their own two feet, sink or swim, etc. I know it's a complicated issue and a person is hindered if their environment does not support their progress.

As we know, the US was founded for the purpose of people having freedom within the laws, the opportunity to progress as far as their individual capability, effort and talent allows. In recent times, I sense there's a feeling of resentment in the air about the idea regarding freedom when people are successful. Financial constraints/burdens (due to everyone else's needs) are making it harder for one to excel. If a child is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, it is because someone before him paved his way (if he turns out capable enough to expand on his good fortune). In the US nobody should dictate to anybody else what they should or shouldn't give imo. Be happy if someone is successful at taking care of their own so as not to become your burden. As we can see, many very wealthy individuals are generous beyond what most of us will ever be capable of earning let alone give away. If a wealthy individual is greedy, that's their choice imo.

What I feel strongly about though is the tolerance of corruption, trickery or holding another down due to specific people/group greed, control or threats. That is wrong and causes much harm within societies. Whenever you have a group of individuals and one or two are not willing to do their share to accomplish the task at hand, a problem emerges. Every situation can be broken down and examined on a small scale and then be applied on a larger scale in order to get the big picture. Sometimes people get what they get because they deserve nothing more due to their own unwillingness to contribute in the first place.

When others point a finger at the US, I become defensive. I feel we want to help other countries and do so continually. When we are criticized, I want to retreat. Good thing I'm not in charge. We owe no one really. That said, generosity is good.

It troubles me when people tear down prosperity. What do they want? For us to become like Haiti and be unable to help anybody let alone ourselves.

Thank you woebegone. Far from pointing a finger at the U.S., the Haitian people view us as saviors. They tend to absolutely love America.

What do the Haitians do with all the money sent back to Haiti by immigrants? Try to survive. It's not that they squander it. The government and the establishment there is extremely corrupt and the people basically are victims of it and try to survive despite it.

And, the Haitians do not simply sit by and allow corruption to exist. They have a long history of uprisings and struggle to overcome the forces of corruption. Few people understand the fragile stability and economics of the third world. I don't completely. But, what I do understand is that the third world countries that tend to do better then others are those that have some kind of resource that first world countries need or want and hence, the first world countries provide a lot of assistance, financial and otherwise, to those countries. Haiti is not one of them. So while most other countries of the third world in the western hemisphere receive abundant assistance from the rest of the world, Haiti has been much ignored, except for by charity groups.
In fact, it is my opinion that we have actually made things worse in the past. Our government aided certain coups, especially one that ousted the democratically elected president (Aristide) who was not, according to the populace, aligned with corrupt forces.
Bottom line, I refuse to believe that any one group of people is lazy, or corrupt or refusing to help themselves due to their race, or other demographic category. I think it is an excuse for others to not feel pain when faced with that group's devastation and I think it is an excuse that allows those who feel guilt about not wanting to give, a reason not to.
I also tend to think some of those generalizations are quite racist or classist and frankly, I don't much feel like defending the need as humans to provide emergency aid to little suffering babies, or any group of suffering people, anymore. Look into your own hearts and determine what you can or should do as the member of the human race. Leave me out of it.

 

[gitana1]

Haiti does not sit on the island of Dominica. Dominica is another island, much further south in the Carribbean. Haiti and the Dominican Republic sit on the island of Hispaniola.

The UN peacekeeping force prior to the earthquake was 9,000, not 90,000.

The Haitian people are not "uncivilized", voodoo-practicing, machete wielding thugs. (And when did how many TV sets a nation has become the measurement of a "civilized" vs. an "uncivilized" society???) The Haitians I've met when I visited are friendly, caring, loving human beings - just as most Americans are. The majority of Haitians are very, very poor. They are also very religious, with the majority practicing Roman Catholicism.

Are there thugs in Haiti? Of course. do they wield machetes? Well, since they can't afford to purchase the GUNS that our American thugs use, most likely.

Oh, and most Haitians speak at least three languages - Creole, French, and English.

How many languages does the average American speak?

I guess I just take umbrage at seeing the word "uncivilized" used to describe and dismiss a kind and loving people who have just suffered an unimaginable horror.

LOOK at what you are seeing in front of your eyes. People who are devastated, grief-stricken, crying, tired, hungry, homeless, without food and water. And the UN "peacekeepers" are GUARDING the stockpiled food and water supplies, awaiting more "security" so they can "distribute things in an orderly manner" and "make sure none of the supplies end up on the black market".

Oh, forgodsake. We, as American citizens, should be rising up and clamoring for ALL donated supplies to be distributed immediately! The BLACK market?? People are DYING, people have NO WATER and NO FOOD and someone "in charge" is worrying about orderly distribution and the black market???

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!! I can't stand it anymore! I'm so sick of these strange excuses for why these poor people "deserve" what they get, which is essentially what I think some are saying. You are a human being. A beautiful one. If more of us were like you, we would have an almost perfect world. Thank you!

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Senegal offers land to Haitians

Senegal's president says he will offer free land and "repatriation" to people affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

President Abdoulaye Wade said Haitians were sons and daughters of Africa since Haiti was founded by slaves, including some thought to be from Senegal.

"The president is offering voluntary repatriation to any Haitian that wants to return to their origin," said Mr Wade's spokesman, Mamadou Bemba Ndiaye.

Tuesday's earthquake killed tens of thousands and left many more homeless.

Buildings have been reduced to rubble, the distribution of aid is slow, and people have been flooding out of the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince.

"Senegal is ready to offer them parcels of land - even an entire region. It all depends on how many Haitians come," Mr Bemba Ndiaye said.

"If it's just a few individuals, then we will likely offer them housing or small pieces of land. If they come en masse we are ready to give them a region."

The spokesman emphasised that if a region was given, it would be in a fertile part of the country rather than in its parched deserts, the Associated Press news agency reported


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8463921.stm

 

[songline]

Thank you woebegone. Far from pointing a finger at the U.S., the Haitian people view us as saviors. They tend to absolutely love America.

What do the Haitians do with all the money sent back to Haiti by immigrants? Try to survive. It's not that they squander it. The government and the establishment there is extremely corrupt and the people basically are victims of it and try to survive despite it.

And, the Haitians do not simply sit by and allow corruption to exist. They have a long history of uprisings and struggle to overcome the forces of corruption. Few people understand the fragile stability and economics of the third world. I don't completely. But, what I do understand is that the third world countries that tend to to better then others are tho0se that have some kind of resource that first world countries need or want and hence, the first world countries provide a lot of assistance, financial and otherwise, to those countries. Haiti is not one of them. So while most other countries of the third world in the western hemisphere receive abundant assistance from the rest of the world, Haiti has been much ignored, except for by chairty groups.
In fact, it is my opinion that we have actually made things worse in the past. Our government aided certain coups, especially one that ousted the democratically elected president (Arsitide) who was not, according to the populace, aligned with corrupt forces.
Bottom line, I refuse to believe that any one group of people is lazy, or corrupt or refusing to help themselves due to their race, or other demographic category. I think it is an excuse for others to not feel pain when faced with that group's devastation and I think it is an excuse that allows those who feel guilt about not wanting to give, a reason not to.
I also tend to think some of those generalizations are quite racist or classist and frankly, I don't much feel like defending the need as humans to provide emeregency aid to little suffering babies, or any group of suffering people, anymore. Look into your own hearts and determine what you can or shoudl do as the member of the human race. Leave me out of it.

While we must never refuse to help human beings. government can and many are corrupt. And while Haiti does not have oil or gold or diamonds or agriculture they have a beautiful sea and could have built a wonderful tourist trade and did not. So yes they could have done more but did not.
HOWEVER when it comes to a Natural disaster or any kind of a devastation, it would not matter if the land was lined in gold with palaces everywhere; Many still would have perished and those who survived need help that is it, in a nutshell. regardless of all else they need help and we must help them.
GOD BLESS THEM and may they heal fast. I think this kind of a shock will require psychological and spiritual help too.
This healing will take a long time.
but I think the world did show up for Haiti and I think like President Clinton said We will rebuild Haiti. But navigating through the rubble will take time. They are still finding people alive, Thank God.

 

[gitana1]

I think it was Pres.Clinton, (not sure) said the same thing. SEND MONEY.

It was Pres. Bush.

 

[LinasK]

While we must never refuse to help human beings. government can and many are corrupt. And while Haiti does not have oil or gold or diamonds or agriculture they have a beautiful sea and could have built a wonderful tourist trade and did not. So yes they could have done more but did not.
HOWEVER when it comes to a Natural disaster or any kind of a devastation, it would not matter if the land was lined in gold with palaces everywhere; Many still would have perished and those who survived need help that is it, in a nutshell. regardless of all else they need help and we must help them.
GOD BLESS THEM and may they heal fast. I think this kind of a shock will require psychological and spiritual help too.
This healing will take a long time.
but I think the world did show up for Haiti and I think like President Clinton said We will rebuild Haiti. But navigating through the rubble will take time. They are still finding people alive, Thank God.

Ummm, they Did have a wonderful Tourist Trade from Cruise ships alone, let alone the people that fly to Haiti as a vacation destination. Cap Haitian and Port- Au-Prince are frequent ports of call for many cruise ships...

 

[songline]

It was Pres. Bush.

I have not heard Bush speak yet...Avoiding him on purpose so that I don't get upset.
So maybe they are both saying it.

 

[gitana1]

While we must never refuse to help human beings. government can and many are corrupt. And while Haiti does not have oil or gold or diamonds or agriculture they have a beautiful sea and could have built a wonderful tourist trade and did not. So yes they could have done more but did not.
HOWEVER when it comes to a Natural disaster or any kind of a devastation, it would not matter if the land was lined in gold with palaces everywhere; Many still would have perished and those who survived need help that is it, in a nutshell. regardless of all else they need help and we must help them.
GOD BLESS THEM and may they heal fast. I think this kind of a shock will require psychological and spiritual help too.
This healing will take a long time.
but I think the world did show up for Haiti and I think like President Clinton said We will rebuild Haiti. But navigating through the rubble will take time. They are still finding people alive, Thank God.

I agree with you Songline. But, what I have learned it that the difference between poverty and destitution in third world countries is often whether they have a resource other countries can use. Tourism does not rank high as that kind of resource. On the other hand, having such resources can often cause such countries even more chaos as more powerful countries come in to loot it.

On another note, reading the beautiful posts by you and LadyBass, Feddup, hockeymom, arielilane and all the others on this thread has seriously restored my faith in humanity.
I just found myself this evening in a huge fight with a stranger who was trying to say that the holocaust did not exist and that Jews were the cause of the Armenian genocide! I am never in the mood for such trash and I lashed out, albeit without reducing myself to his level.
With what I feel is some kind of undercurrent of apathy towards, or fear of, the "other", that has been delaying aid to some degree to the people of Haiti, I was at the end of my rope.
Then...I came here. I really love you guys!!!!!

 

[songline]

Ummm, they Did have a wonderful Tourist Trade from Cruise ships alone, let alone the people that fly to Haiti as a vacation destination. Cap Haitian and Port- Au-Prince are frequent ports of call for many cruise ships...

hmmm...then they should have been in better financial shape NO?
Separate topic from having to help them now regardless to their finencials.....but if they did use that commodity well, and they are a small island, I think they should have been doing better. all I hear is poor, poor, poor.

 

[gitana1]

I have not heard Bush speak yet...Avoiding him on purpose so that I don't get upset.
So maybe they are both saying it.

LOL. I understand! But, I did hear him say it, a few times on the news. he said, "Some of you may want to help by sending blankets, water. Just send cash. We will make sure your money goes to the right place."

I am grateful to him, Clinton and everyone else who is trying to help. Bipartisan coalitions can only be a good thing, I think.

 

[LinasK]

hmmm...then they should have been in better financial shape NO?
Separate topic from having to help them now regardless to their finencials.....but if they did use that commodity well, and they are a small island, I think they should have been doing better. all I hear is poor, poor, poor.

What I don't understand is why their immediate neighbor- the other half of the island- the Dominican Republic hasn't been of more help. Why do people have to be flown to the U.S. for treatment? Why can't they get the victims to hospitals in the Dominican Republic and get water and food more immediately from them faster than countries further away can provide???:waitasec:

 

[LinasK]

hmmm...then they should have been in better financial shape NO?
Separate topic from having to help them now regardless to their finencials.....but if they did use that commodity well, and they are a small island, I think they should have been doing better. all I hear is poor, poor, poor.

Tourism alone won't solve the massive poverty there or the infrastructure, the shoddy building construction, or corruption in the government.

 

[songline]

I agree with you Songline. But, what I have learned it that the difference between poverty and destitution in third world countries is often whether they have a resource other countries can use. Tourism does not rank high as that kind of resource. On the other hand, having such resources can often cause such countries even more chaos as more powerful countries come in to loot it.

On another note, reading the beautiful posts by you and LadyBass, Feddup, hockeymom, arielilane and all the others on this thread has seriously restored my faith in humanity.
I just found myself this evening in a huge fight with a stranger who was trying to say that the holocaust did not exist and that Jews were the cause of the Armenian genocide! I am never in the mood for such trash and I lashed out, albeit without reducing myself to his level.
With what I feel is some kind of undercurrent of apathy towards, or fear of, the "other", that has been delaying aid to some degree to the people of Haiti, I was at the end of my rope.
Then...I came here. I really love you guys!!!!!

:blowkiss: :angel::angel: you are a love child.
Being Jewish LOL we have been blamed for many things throughout the ages, and you never get used to it.
Thank you for standing up and saying the Holocaust did happen, while not getting to upset with the idiot you were talking to. :blowkiss: That is one sign of greatness, a willingness to stand up in the face of injustice.

Lets hope Haiti will be rebuilt sooner rather then later, and lets hope the people will heal sooner rather then later.
I still feel like going to get a baby and take one or two home wish I can afford it. Or going to hold them and help them heal. I still cant get over the pain and sorrow they are going through. O do hope their tourist trade will resume soon enough, because if that is all they can do to make money, that is what we have to help them rebuild, but first thing first.

 

[LogicalMinds]

Ummm, they Did have a wonderful Tourist Trade from Cruise ships alone, let alone the people that fly to Haiti as a vacation destination. Cap Haitian and Port- Au-Prince are frequent ports of call for many cruise ships...

??? I have been on many cruises, and live in south florida...been to Haiti once...only to Labadee...which is a small "private beach" owned by Royal Carribean...only a small number of Haitians are allowed in there to serve the guests, to set up chairs, sell crafts etc..
NO tours outside the "fence" were offered....no one ventured out of the lovely beach area just for the cruisers
it is good for them but just one small area

RCI is already going back to Labadee...it is 100 miles from Port au Prince and not near the earthquake/fault line

but that is about IT for tourists...the other cruise lines do not go there
They did NOT have a "wonderful tourist trade" ...they had ONE cruiseline that had a few ships per week come to ONE small fenced off beach


and no one really vacations there....they had one good hotel I think and it sadly is pancaked.. The Hotel Montana....so sad

a friend/aquaintence of of mine is missing there...he had just arrived from Lynn U with Food for the Poor....Dr Rich Bruno....please pray for a miracle for him

Very little tourism in Haiti....please show a link that says that other cruiselines went there (they didn't) or that many people vacationed there

I know...I live in South Florida and we have "specials" to every island, and can go to any of them pretty cheap and this is where many of the island airlines fly out of ....and no one goes to Haiti unless they were an art/crafts wholesaler or on a "mission" or with some relief agency...
these poor folks were so poor before...the poorest place in our hemisphere...and now it is just devastating

We have a lot of Haitians here, so many people who are looking for lost loved ones...and our kids from Lynn and Rich and the other professor missing
It really is so sad...I don't see how anyone can begrudge them whatever help we can give them, I just pray it is not too late....the misery must be unbearable there

This is so much worse than a hurricane...I have lived thru many of them..I am so happy we don't have earthquakes here
and I feel so bad for these people

I would like someone to show me "travel/tourism" info from Haiti before the earthquake...it just wasn't happening