03:05 pm
Haiti: Devastation Beyond Comprehension
Imagine, for a moment, that 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina had devastated not merely New York/Arlington or New Orleans but the entire country. That’s what the people of Haiti face today: a tragedy almost beyond comprehension, one that may dwarf any other recent natural disaster.
If some reports are accurate, hundreds of thousands may be dead as many may be missing today because a devastating 7.0 earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince and most of the country on Tuesday. The loss of life, widespread devastation, and collapse of government and society on a national level is nearly complete. Those who could have responded to this tragedy — including the UN Mission to Haiti and international relief NGOs — are among its victims.
Such devastation is almost beyond our comprehension, especially in a place like Haiti, a star-crossed island country of sheer misery and destitution on a good day. The world is now responding with a massive outpouring of emergency aid, rescue teams, and mobile hospitals. They must move quickly to rescue thousands who are alive but trapped in the rubble, and do so when almost all infrastructure has disappeared.
President Barack Obama announced yesterday morning that the U.S. government will provide its full support to the people of Haiti in assisting in rescue and recovery of hundreds of thousands of people and provide food, water and medicine immediately. Using the Joint Southern Command to manage logistics, USAID, led by its new administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah, will lead and coordinate the USG’s humanitarian response.
Hillary Clinton, who had just left for a week-long trip to the Pacific rim, cancelled her trip, but not before heading to a military base in Honolulu to coordinate the State Department’s response. She soberly remarked that Haiti had just come through some terrible events of “biblical proportions” in recent years, including hurricanes and mudslides, only to be victimized again by another unimaginable and devastating natural disaster.
President Rene Preval, the president of Haiti, now homeless himself, was able to notify his ambassador to the U.S. reporting that he and his family were alive, but he was unable to contact his cabinet members. Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince has been described as virtual dust, with the Presidential palace in total collapse, as well as most of the government buildings. Preval described the macabre scene in an interview with the Miami Herald:
“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,” he said. “There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.” He said the Roman Catholic archbishop of Port-au-Prince is among the dead and that the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, Tunisian diplomat Hedi Annabi, is missing.”
Most hospitals are believed to be non-functioning, and water and electricity are virtually non-existent, according to media reports. Injured persons and other survivors are said to be lying in the streets, afraid of returning to their homes, due to strong after shocks, while others have been digging people out by hand to rescue those trapped in the rubble. Police, medical personnel and ambulances have been noticeable by their marked absence on the streets.
The European Union is sending 3 million euros in relief aid; China is providing search teams and the Swiss Red Cross is sending one million Swiss francs. Canada, France and Germany are contributing search teams and money. Hundreds of non-governmental relief agencies from around the world are responding to the crisis.
The Fairfax County, Virginia Fire Department was one of the first responders to fly into Haiti. Fortunately, the airport is functional, but the road between Port au Prince and the airport is still unpassable. U.S. Army engineers will be attending to the airport damage, minimal in comparison to the overall devastation. I know the Army engineers will provide some relief to the Haitian people who are existing in one of the most desperate situations on Earth.
If you haven’t taken action yet, please do what you can. CBS has put together a comprehensive list of agencies you can support.
Photo: UNDP Flickr photostream using CC 2.0
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