Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief

BTW folks;

EVERYBODY VOTE FOR THIS ARTICLE SO IT HITS HARD AND STAYS UP!!!

There is no "minimum" required for donations folks; just fill in your name, select a charity and hit the button!!

Thanks!

I just went and donated. Alas, there wasn't much because lately I've been commenting more than seeding (imagine that!).

Calvin,

is there a way for us to see a running total of what Viners have contributed?

Thank you for the reminder Calvin. A painless way to help the people of Haiti.

DONE.. Ray.

Yay Viki!!! ♥

Thanks Calvin, I had no idea about the earnings thing... alas, I haven't earned much, but at least what I did earn went to a good cause.

Perhaps it's time for me to start writing more articles.

I have always donated my earnings to the Red Cross and will continue to do so. Thanks for this post and letting us all know that they will be helped through them. Hek (My total earnings were 24.74 and just donated the rest happily).

$3.71 from Newsvine added to the $500 annual through the Combined Federal Campaign. :)

My little bit added to the tally!

I didn't make much but it's all theirs.

Donated

Great suggestion... Will do!

Is there a way to donate to Haiti relief on the earnings page? I can make it another $100 but I don't see the place to do it.

There is..... It is being processed through the American Red Cross with specific earmarks for Haiti. You need only to donate it to the Red Cross, and they will automatically flag it from Newsvine as aid for Haiti.

Duh! Answered my own question. Sorry.

Spammers Suck! (Sorry about the off topic)...

A new NV Group has been created-- Haitian Life:

This group is for seeds and discussions regarding issues related to Haiti. Let's talk about the people, the earthquake, the land, politics and more.

Krishna,

Excellent. As this strife in Haiti will take such a very long time to overcome, count me in.

I'll try to provide updates from people I know who have worked with Haitians for almost two decades, and continue to do so. My heart just weeps.

Krishna,

Excellent. As this strife in Haiti will take such a very long time to overcome, count me in.

Actually I didn't start the group-- Zap did. I am just helping her let people know about it.

And, btw, if anyone is interested, please click the "Join Group" button there-- the "Invite Members" feature doesn't always work well.

I'll try to provide updates from people I know who have worked with Haitians for almost two decades, and continue to do so.

First person accounts from people who have worked therte would be very informative.

My heart just weeps.

Yes, the scale of the tragedy is mind-bogglinng.

Hey!

The 25$ limit threshold is only if you are taking the money OUT through paypal!!

We want that .50 donated!! ];-}

Hey Calvin;

Just for "Grins" can we move your article to a prominent posting on the Front Page; and maybe do a running update tally?!!?!

(I mean you are the co-founder after all; and I don't think too many folks would mind!!)

Calvin can correct me if I'm wrong. But I think you can donate your Newsvine earnings even if they are a very small amount. I believe the $25 minimum applies to requesting a payout to one's PayPal account.

Thanks GA GUY! You posted as I was writing. Sorry for the duplication!

I'm new so didn't have any newsvine earnings to donate. But Thank you for making donations!

Instead I made a donation on the Red Cross site. http://www.redcross.org/

I saw it for the first time last night on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show...

GMA this morning and I trust them as pretty reliable (Roberts, Stephanopolus, etc.) Just checked and my call seemed to go thru fine.

That method came out of the White House twitter feed last night, it's been all over Twitter.

Calvin, latest numbers earlier this a.m. show the Red Cross has raised over $2,000,000 dollars via its text Haiti to 90999. I'm sure Viners are responsible for a very good portion of that in large part due to your column. Thank you.

Whoohoo, my anniversary at newsvine was in November. On checking my account I had $20.42 Available! I am poor, this is the only way I have to donate to Haiti! It's on its way, and I am grateful!! Yay Newsvine! ♥

Gee! Some comments deserve more than one vote!!

Thanks G.H.!!

P.S. Calvin, Since nv is affiliated with MSNBC, maybe someone can "strong arm" them to do like other businesses do with their 401K, match donations? That would add up fast! :-)

Calvin:

We released November earnings a little early for exactly this reason.

Just noticed. Thanks.

Newvine donations would be a great Countdown or Maddow spot...(downside is more trolls would show up).....

Thank you!!

Thanks "Doc"!!

This is a country where a significant portion of the population exists on <$2 a day...

You did GREAT!!

Kudos & Great Thanks!

And not to forget that small amounts collectively add up to big amounts.

I gave $168. Going to check for November earnings.

I donated $156.83 to the American Red Cross and challenge Viners to match or exceed this amount.

Epic Fail.

I only had $22.71 in my account. But I did donate it !!!

River it is not an epic fail. It is not the amount that counts, I only had $3.15 and it went to them.

It's cool, Dave. My bit is actually almost 25% of a week's pay for me right now, so I'm alright with that. I was only playing with Neron. Hey, between the two of us, we covered the expense of at least 50 bottles of water !!

:)

Every little bit helps! And adds up. :)

50 bottles of water

You absolutely helped...good job!

On a more serious and tragic note, while listening to the radio, one doctor on the ground had a bleak assessment on food and water. He predicts there will be patients who'll die of thirst...

So, yes, those water bottles is the difference of life and death, River, and thankfully you've provided them...thanks.

On a more serious and tragic note, while listening to the radio, one doctor on the ground had a bleak assessment on food and water. He predicts there will be patients who'll die of thirst...

I saw that, too. It truly troubles me to think of such an end to any person in a species as wealthy and intelligent as we are. There have been so very many ways to have already eliminated these types of sufferings....

same here..I didn't even know I had earnings...it wasn't much but every little bit helps...kudos to Newsvine...

prayers for Haiti

Calvin, while the media wants to make the point of Haiti being the poorest country on the globe, nobody seems to want to address the issue of why this is the case. They have had very poor government leadership, without a doubt. But the real reason Haiti is in the condition it is in, should be the responsibility of the United States Government. Since the turn of the century, instead of educating the population and teaching them skills, we have just sent cash and rice with beans. There are 3rd and 4th generations there that only know to stand at the dock with their hand out, waiting for the next aid shipment.

If there is ever to be real progress in Haiti, things can't remain the same way they have been for a century now.

Mike, all you say is true...kinda like most of Africa, too. How I hope this changes now.

Calvin, this is a great idea. Thanks for doing it.

Ellie-did you see the Carl Vinson carrier and the Battan (large deck amphib) are on the way. Because Haiti is so close, we can get a tremendous amount of assets there very quickly...thank God for that.

I did. Lucky Gitmo is also so close and ramped up,too. That will be a big help. What a job, though...

They just had a devastating earthquake. Nobody right now cares why they are poor. Worry about that later.

Common Sense Mike, there are missionaries who regularly visit Haiti, as you have noted in post #26. I would think that they are the key players in educating the people.

It's extremely interesting to watch these responses unfold among Newsviners. When the chips are down, there are those that really care, and those who never truly cared to begin with.

How many bottles of water can we pay for now, Calvin? Bandaids? Bleach? I am imagining that the need is immense there. After all, there ain't no WalMart just around the corner for them. (There's no WalMart in Haiti, is it?)

Not sure which category you are putting yourself in? One who really cares or one who truly never cared?

I am simply trying to make people aware that only 2 million of the population live in Port-au-Prince....while another 7 million live outside the capital and are probably just as desperate if not more so.

The why they are poor is important, as this is an opportunity to rebuild the country and not continue to make the same mistakes.

...this is an opportunity to rebuild the country and not continue to make the same mistakes.

Mike, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. just made a similar statement this morning. Port-au-Prince was built to sustain a population of 40,000 - 50,000, but has a population nearing several million. The goal, as I heard it, is to rebuild and decentralize Port-au-Prince. With international support and assistance, Haiti can emerge strong...right now the focus is on aid.

Hillary Clinton addressed it this morning, too.

Just got a report directly from Haiti and the situation there is getting desperate. The majority of the people have had no food or water for two days now, and while we are being told the aid is pouring into Haiti, it is not being distributed to the people. Apparently it is sitting at the airport doing nobody any good.

The orphanage that we have worked with suffered damage, but has enough food and water for the children to last about two weeks, but they are fearful of being robbed and really have no way of defending themselves if the camp is over ran. It is painful for them as they want to share the food and water they have, but the reality of the situation doesn't allow them to do so. If word got out that they had food and water they would probably be killed for it. All the children and workers that were there are safe at the moment, but they can't relax for a moment.

We are putting together a trip to deliver water and food, and attempt to inspect and repair the damage to the buildings. They are all sleeping in tents because they are afraid an after shock might collapse the buildings.

It is not a good situation there and if they can't figure out how to get all that aid sitting at the airport out to the population soon, it is going to get ugly.

I just thought I'd share what I heard.

#26.12: I just thought I'd share what I heard.

Bless you, Mike. What I'm hearing is that gasoline is getting scarce - black market price, when available, is $20/gal.; the problem is now that there are few vehicles with fuel to deliver supplies; many roads are impassable; bodies are being bulldozed deliberately to block streets in order to call attention to the desperation...

Supplies are sitting at the airport with no way to deliver them... someone really needs to bring in horses, mules, and wagons...if you have connections, perhaps you can start that ball rolling...?

Thanks again for your updates...

Thank you Mike, for the update.

The shipments are sitting at the airport? Is there too much infrastructural damage, and structural damage, to move it? Are people really not being allowed to have it? If that's the case, WHO is the fool in charge of it?

Simply not kosher....

#26.14: WHO is the fool in charge of it?

Well, after watching even more reports from Haiti, it looks like the situation is even worse than lack of infrastructure... there is virtually no coordination of effort. There is, to quote the report, "...no Department of the Interior." Even Haiti's President is homeless; there is no one in charge, so all the various aid agencies and shipments are not leaving the airport for lack of instruction as to where to go. There is but one hospital standing, and even that is operating outdoors for fear of aftershocks. I watched as they showed a child being held down by its mother while a doctor was stitching a laceration on its leg without any anesthesia.

Wonder why I'm up so late? How do you sleep with those images in your head?

The worst of it is that you cannot just point a finger and blame someone... there is no longer anyone to blame for the sorry state of a country that didn't even have building codes that might have saved lives... blame won't fix the crisis. 50,000 dead bodies are piling up, decomposing... living victims have no food, and even water has become a precious commodity. The reporter said that money is worthless because there is nothing to buy.

I'm CERT trained... the training includes practice scenarios for disasters like this one in Haiti, and I perhaps understand a little about what needs to be done and how to do it, but I don't think anyone can be trained for the situation that exists in Haiti. Volunteers are down there doing the best they can with what they have, lacking leadership except on a very small scale in isolated groups, because there is no government structure to handle oversight, and any outside help has to be very careful as to what they do and how they do it in order to avoid unpleasant incidents that can make the situation even worse.

The people are desperate, and there is a very real concern that if supplies are not distributed properly and in enough quantity, equally, there will be violence as desperate people fight other desperate people for a share of what there is.

I realize that now, the most we can do is pray... and hope "someone" is listening...

Excellent post, bitemore, and very informative, thought-provoking. I could not be the one at the airport guarding fresh water and food from those in need. Just would not do it, commander or foolish control freak be damned. I'd be finding me some able bodies, and setting up an assembly line three miles long, if that was what it took. (I can't sleep either. )

Well said bitemore and sadly too true Haiti has imploded from its own poverty Humpty Dumpty and the all the worlds help shall not be enough in the end.

I'm not so sure I can see where you are coming from with this. Hurricane Katrina's victims were certainly not any better cared for in the initial hours, and poverty had nothing at all to do with that. This can be chalked up to a lack of organization skills, a lack of critical thinking skills, questionable priorities, and time wasted on negotiations.

When there are starving dying babies, you give them water. You give them food. It does not matter who the water belongs to. It does not matter who the food belongs to. You simply do the right thing and see to it that the children are cared for. When that is done, you move forward to the older children. When those are tended, you help the women and then the men.

The chain of command that has been established by trumped up laws and overzealous military personnel is just about the largest travesty of mankind. If they can't do any better than what they have been in times of crisis as well as war, then they need new jobs. Taxpayers aren't paying for half-assed results when they get around to it. Taxpayers want results now. I've noticed both Spanish and Belgian rescue workers in pictures. Haven't seen any Americans rescuing anybody just yet. It's not that nobody can get in, it's that some of them aren't trying quite hard enough.

#26.17: I've noticed both Spanish and Belgian rescue workers in pictures. Haven't seen any Americans rescuing anybody just yet. It's not that nobody can get in, it's that some of them aren't trying quite hard enough.

Actually, according to the report I saw, some American volunteers are in - there is a contingent from Fairfax County, VA that have made it in and another contingent is being sent down there. Small groups of volunteers actually are getting things done, but again the problem is that there is no coordination of the entire mass of volunteers from wherever they come. Every group is entirely on its own.

With so many dead and injured, and with the damaged infrastructure, without some kind of mass oversight it's pretty much anarchy. For volunteers accustomed to coordinators (a government that can point them in the directions they are most needed), it isn't easy to show up at the airport and have no clue where to go, who needs your assistance the most, how to avoid duplication of effort, and how to avoid the kinds of blunders that can cause an "international incident."

Then there is the issue of safety for the volunteers, and the protection of volunteered resources so that they go to the needy, and not rogue "robber barons" who inevitably crawl out of the woodwork.

Add to all that the fact of high temperatures and the state of the dead who have been laying there since Tuesday, and the fact that there are not enough cemeteries to handle 50,000 dead... and now you have the serious risk of deadly diseases to contend with.

My heart goes out to victims and rescue workers alike... I hope that the depth of the publicity and ongoing reporting this is getting will help to get things done. Reporters are getting to where help is needed... and that is probably the only good thing that can be said for the situation. They may very well be in the best position to know where and how to get the help through the mess to those who need it.

That said, it is heartening to see how much help is arriving there from all over the world.

In reply to those who question why aid is not being distributed: Logistics are apparently a big problem.

The two articles linked to below discuss some of the difficulties that aid workers face in getting supplies in and distributed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8460787.stm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704363504575003351571629776.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLENews

If ships can't dock at a damaged port, a small airport lacks fuel to refuel planes or mechanical equipment to unload planes, etc., it creates major problems. Damaged roads, communications problems, etc., add to difficulties.

I think that once the US military gets fully established on the ground in Haiti you will see a big improvement in the logistical problems they are dealing with. They are trained to keep supply lines open in a war zone, and this is war zone just without the shooting.

I saw a report on Fox this morning pointing out that since the US has taken over complete control of the airport, the situation there has improved dramatically but they are still having problems getting supplies from the airport to the people in the city and surrounding areas, but helicopter are starting to arrive in large numbers and that should help in getting supplies distributed since many of the roads are still impassible.

Saw a US Military officer on TV last night - he said that the #1 priority now is to clear the docks at the port so they can bring in the heavy equipment to clear a path through the streets of debris - so they can move the supplies to distribution points.

Think about it - If the people at the airport started handing out supplies to any who showed up, within a day or less those supplies would be sold on the street at black market prices and only the well-to-do would be able to afford them. This would lead to anarchy as the poorer people took up arms to kill the rich people.

The US Marines are guarding the airport, and between them and the USAF planes of supplies are being cycled through - landing, unloading, taking off.

The USS Carl Vinson arrived yesterday afternoon with a ship full of helicopters, and the USS Bataan brought the MARINES in - on their helicopter carrier. So I'm betting that supplies will begin to be distributed today, if they're not already moving out of the airport.

In a disaster of this magnitude it takes TIME to get things done! The earthquake is only the BEGINNING of the disaster!!! The aftermath will continue to play out over at least the next year. We have instant coffee, instant communications, we live in an "instant" world. But life continues to move one minute at a time no matter how fast we want it to move! And although it seems that time is an enemy in this situation, it is really an ally - the time delay is allowing them to build up the supply bank so that once distribution begins, there will be enough to hand out to all, and with the port and docks open, the flow can be sustained.

With US control of the airport, the supply situation will improve quickly. We fed and provided coal for heating for Berlin for a long time. We can and will do this!

Good Post Nofluer;

Calvin, can we get an update on the tally?

Thank you all for great posts for me. I do see it a little more clearly now, and also see a few solutions to setbacks. It's going to take them days to clear roads, and that's after they get machinery unloaded.

Thanks too, bitemore, for noting the report that there have been American rescue efforts already in place. That should have reached my headlines, I think, but it didn't. At least I have you !!!

Have to post an update. The Vinson was delayed a day - now supposed to arrive today, but the Baatan is there.

I seeded an update from Military.com (from the CSM) that brings things up to date.

http://nofluer.newsvine.com/_news/2010/01/15/3762164-why-so-long-for-us-aid-to-reach-haiti

There has been some looting and people running around with machetes already. The Prison collapsed and now about 4,000 convicts are running around on the streets.

And one point that I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around - there are water sources there - yes? Why are people going without water?

One source I read earlier said, "We need pure water!" No. You DON'T need "pure water." You need "fresh" water that doesn't have salt or toxins in it. Any stream or pond or swimming pool or toilet flush tank will do. There is also lots of drinkable water in any hot water tanks that may be in hotels, or homes. Open source water (streams & etc), you burn some trash and boil the hell out of the water (full rolling boil) for ten to fifteen minutes and you have potable water!!!

Isn't anyone telling these people that? They just had a hurricane last year - weren't they told then?

1 thing we must keep in mind about bringing aid to the victims is that we are all guest in another sovereign nation, unlike Katrina, we need permission from their Government to 'take over'....

Actually, the President of Haiti gave permission for the US military to take over in much less time that it took the incompetent Governor of LA to do the same during Katrina.

Governor’s Indecision Cost Precious Time

Just before midnight on August 26, three days before Katrina was to make landfall, Kathleen Blanco received a phone call from George Bush. The president had been through a series of briefings from Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin and knew the potential dangers to New Orleans and the surrounding area from a storm the size of Katrina. Now he was attempting to convince the Governor of Louisiana that she needed to take immediate action. His pleas fell on deaf ears. It seemed that the Governor was more concerned with the legalities of accepting federal assistance, and the appearance that her office could not handle the emergency.

----------------------------

On Thursday, September 1, amid a growing clamor of questions about the lack of action being taken in New Orleans, Blanco finally signed Executive Order KBB-2005-23, giving permission for the federal government to enter Louisiana with military assistance.FEMA began to move supplies into the stricken parishes along the path of Katrina. The Red Cross was finally given permission to deliver the food and water it had stockpiled in the area. Lt. General Russel Honore arrived and began to take command of the military assets which were already in place. As he barked orders, things began to happen, rapidly. Mayor Ray Nagin said, "He came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving.” Nagin called Gen Honore a “John Wayne kind of dude!” In the first 12 hours after Governor Blanco relinquished control of the rescue and relief effort in New Orleans, military helicopters flew more rescue missions than in the previous three days. Un-official count of those taken out of the flooded city topped 10,000.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1102792.html

Oh I remember that Katrina debacle well.....I'm on the Gulf Coast....so it was personal. Horrfied would be an approiate statement.

The difference is Katriana devastation was largely because of man, the earth quake in Haiti was random.

The difference is Katriana devastation was largely because of man,

No...it was largely because of an incompetent woman, not allowing the Fed's and the Red Cross permission to enter LA and give assistance until days after the hurricane hit and the levies broke!

The devestation caused by Katrina was because the levys failed and the storm surge that was much higher than it should have been because of our messing with the Mississippi.

We messed with Mother Nature and got spanked.

But--I won't derail this thread into partisan bickering.

To each their own on choice of charity. I prefer the Red Cross over the S.A. for reasons I'm not going to get into right now, but in the end, it's more important that we just donate.