January 17, 2010

U.S. RUSHES TO HELP IN HAITI EARTHQUAKE

The 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti last week is said by the Red Cross to have affected three million people -- and estimates the death toll to be 50,000.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon appealed to the international community for $550 million to help earthquake victims' most urgent needs.  Right now, the most important priority is getting water, food and tents to survivors.

Mr. Ban said he would go to Haiti this week to see the destruction for himself. “Preliminary estimates from U.N. emergency teams show wide-spread damage to infrastructure in Port-au-Prince, the capital city  -- with as many as 50 percent of buildings in the worst-hit areas damaged or destroyed.” Other cities are equally damaged and in need of help.

WORLD  FOOD

The World Food Program is at the forefront of that effort.  The agency began feeding 8,000 people the day after the quake.  The number is expected to rise to one million within two weeks, and two million people within a month.

Dead bodies litter the streets of the Haitian capital.  Estimates of the death toll have ranged from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands.

Fears of disease are growing.  The U.N. humanitarian chief, John Holmes, said 9,000 bodies were collected Thursday.  Those efforts are continuing.

The U.N. has a large presence on the island.  The head of the United Nations organization in Haiti was killed.  When all their missing personnel are accounted for, the organization will likely have suffered its biggest loss of staff ever.

HILARY CLINTON

U.S. American Secretary Of State Hilary Rodham Clinton arrived at Port-au-Prince  Saturday and immediately met with President Rene Preval.  She assured Haitians that “the United States will be here today, tomorrow and for the time ahead.”

It is noteworthy that Mrs. Clinton spoke over President Preval’s head and directly to “Haitians.”

Shortly thereafter, U.S. President Barack Obama, stood for a television appearance with former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who will lead a national drive to raise money to help Haitian survivors.

U.S. TROOPS ARRIVE

Under agreement with Haitian authorities, the United States is now managing air traffic control at the airport.  Helicopters are flying relief missions from warships off the coast.  It is expected 9,000 American troops will arrive by Monday to support relief efforts.

The World Food Program was able to land flights of food, medicine and water Saturday.  Those flights had been diverted briefly so the United States could land troops and equipment, and lift Americans and other foreigners to safety.

The United States Agency For International Development is helping choose sites and clear roads for 14 centers to distribute food and water.

Rajiv Shah, administrator for the agency, said the United States has moved $48 millions worth of food supplies from Texas – and distributed 600,000 pre-packaged meals.  Also, it has installed three water systems to purify 100,000 gallons daily.

SOME  CRITICISM

Despite the tons of food delivered to the disaster area, American support efforts are criticized.

The New York Times reports that while 180 tons of relief supplies have been delivered to the airport, delivery is perceived to be slower than needs to be.

Starving people cluster around the airports seeking food and hampering unloading.

Fuel shortages are mounting.  At several gas stations around Port-au-Prince, attendants or customers said that even though the station had fuel left in their tanks, there was no electricity to activate the pumps.

HAITI  UNDER  SIEGE

Michel Chancy, appointed by President Preval to coordinate relief, said that much of the aid to Haiti was coming to a government that was itself already under siege.

“The palace fell,” he said, “Ministries fell.  And not only that, the homes of many ministers fell.  The police were not coming to work.  Relief agencies had collapsed.  The U.N. collapsed.  It was hard to get ourselves in a place where we could help others.”

All in all, Haiti was a political basket case before the earthquake hit.

The United States of America, and the United Nations will help in a recovery.  However, the road ahead is rocky and needs repair.

PARTING SHOT

One of the hardest things to appreciate is a good example set by someone else.

By Lindsey Wilger Williams, retired newspaper publisher and syndicated columnist