US Accused of Annexing Haiti Airport

The supply lines of aid to Haiti are apparently incredibly splintered right now.

The airport at Port-au-Prince has been handed over by the Haitian government to US military control, the UN mission is Haiti is under the control of Brazil however. But while US Military flights are getting prioritised to the airport non-US flights, often carrying aid, are being diverted to the Dominican Republic. This is what has happened to Médecins Sans Frontières and Red Cross supply flights and is leading to tensions with the US over the control of access to the airport and therefore the people who need the aid. The turning away of supply flights is leading to 24 hour delays of these resources getting where they are needed.

When Ban Ki-Moon was in Haiti yesterday he said that the UN were feeding 40,000 people and hoped to raise this to 1m within a fortnight. Problem is that many of that million will be needing such support a whole lot quicker than that. That case is evidenced by the population turning on itself to try and feed itself, and the swift and brutal retribution carried out against looters. Currently the US Military presence has been barracked at the Airport but it needs to be spread out amongst the people to help the 3,000 Haitian police maintain law and order.

The Long Term Need for Haiti

The above cartoon from Peter Brookes in yesterday's Times sadly speaks a lot of truth.

Following the tropical storms that hit much of Haiti in 2008, the shanty areas of Port-au-Prince were swiftly rebuilt. Those that had died were reburied. In one of the early news reports I remember reading that the buildings in Haiti of course weren't built like those in Japan, ready to withstand earthquakes. You only have to look at the various buildings that have been destroyed to see that, the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the UN Offices, hospitals, schools. Key parts of the nations infrastructure what because of cost are not built to withstand earthquakes, this in a county that occupies half of an island that straddle the fault line between the Caribbean and Atlantic plates.

I know this is early days in the post earthquake relief, as I blogged myself earlier the latest need is clean water. But the worlds attention as with all these disasters will be fleeting, therefore now is a time we should also think of the reconstruction of Haiti. The last disaster, those 4 severe tropical storms that swept over Hispaniola were still being sorted out when the earthquake struck and of course the tropical storm and hurricane season will come again later this year, long after the world's media, the worlds attention will have gone elsewhere. We may well be later on this year woken up to the fact that Haiti, oh year they had that, what was it, if we are not careful.

Brookes' cartoon may well be the truth but why should we let it be? Once this immediate need to feed, water and give some shelter the people of Haiti, we need to look at the permanent solution for their needs. Our world leaders are more than happy to give aid to help these people but maybe we should also be writing to them asking them to help the long term.

Remember the scene in season seven when CJ Cregg meets with Fred Hollis and is given an option of what she wants to do next. A single problem she wants to solve. The things she picks on that in "not sexy" because nobody will ever raise money for it. She says highways in Africa, but the same could well apply for infrastructure for Haiti, currently we are all giving money to meet the immediate need, but we'll not be doing much to help in the aftermath.



UPDATE: It was good to see that the thrust of this post was taken up in Monday's Guardian as well by Paul Collier a former UN special adviser on Haiti.

The Need for Water in Haiti

You can survive for weeks without food, but you can only survive a few short days without water.

Dehydration is a major issue now in Haiti, but on top of that there is a need for clean water. With infrastructure ruined a lot of the water that comes from pre-existant sources is now contaminated. So the option for many is either to not take the water and dehydrate or drink contaminated water and risk disease.

The DEC appeal lists some of the amounts that you may be able to contribute and what difference it makes.

If you haven't already please give.

The Convenient Shifting Earth Beneath Pat Robertson

I've had an interesting day of certain news stories being thrust my way via friends either on Twitter or Facebook.

First the shock, later you'll see what else I received, far right former Republican candidate for the Presidential nominee Pat Robertson has come out to say that the Haitian earthquake was because Haitian's made a pact with the devil to release them from French colonialism. One has to ask what the United States did to be rid of the dreadful Brits? Now seriously, how low can this man go.

His actual words were:

"You know ... something happened a long time ago in Haiti. … They got together and swore a pact to the Devil.

"They said, 'We will serve you if you get us free from the French.' True story." That's right: Robertson seems to suggest the Haitians brought the earthquake on themselves, in a deal with Satan.

"And so, the Devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out," he went on. "You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another."

I'll let you gather your jaw up from the table or floor.

So the tectonic plates in the Caribbean are God's retribution on Haiti for being free from France via a slave uprising? Compare that to what Robertson has said about the Tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2005:

"I don't think He [God] reverses the laws of nature. The reason for that tsunami was the shifting of tectonic plates in the Indian Ocean. I don't think he changes the magma in volcanoes and I don't think he changes the wind currents to bring about hurricanes. So, I don't attribute that to God, or his lack, or otherwise. But in terms of human affairs, I do think he answers prayer and I think there have been literally millions of people praying for a change in the Supreme Court. The people of faith in this country feel they're on a tyranny and they see their liberties taken away from them and they've been beseeching God, fasting, and praying for years. So, I think he hears and answers their prayers."

Woah! So in 2005 Robertson didn't think that God could have reverses the laws of nature, that was just tectonic plates. Haiti straddles a fault between two tectonic plates. It did so when Haiti was under French rule, indeed 200 years ago when the last earthquake of this magnitude struck they were.

In 1998 Robertson again a little messed up on his natural disasters and God's influence warned the people of Orlando, Florida about flying rainbow flags from their lampposts for Gay Days at Disney World:

"I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you. ... [A] condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs, it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor."

Of course in the 80s Robertson said that AIDS was a punishment from God for homosexuality. So you really must wonder how Robertson is taking the news that while the National Cathedral in Port au Prince is in ruins, the Archbishop lies dead that the AIDS clinic still stands and most of its staff are alive. One wonders how such destruction justifies he previous stance above.

Of course Robertson is full of contradictions, he has to be to keep himself square with such sayings. Here is what one American commentator has to say on the issue.

Haiti what the Papers are Saying

The news story of the day has to be Haiti. I'm not going to do anything else this morning but round up what the papers are saying.

The Times calls Haiti the unluckiest country after it is struck by the 7.0 force earthquake while many parts of the country are still recovering for the 4 major tropical storm that hit the island in 2008.

President Préval, whose presidential palace was wrecked, described stepping over dead bodies in the parliament building and hearing the cries of those still trapped.

The Guardian leads with Préval's claim that the death toll could reach as much as 100,000 and quotes him saying:

"Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed. There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them. All of the hospitals are packed with people. It is a catastrophe."

The BBC tells of Haitians sleeping on the street last night for a second night either because they have no home to go to, or are scared of what the aftershocks will bring.

The Scotsman tells of how Haiti is now the focus of the world's attention and resources are being sent there

President Barack Obama was joined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, international aid groups and the United Nations in promising large sums of money and expertise to rebuild the country.

Calling on all countries to join together to help Haiti, the United States president said: "We are reminded of the common humanity that we all share. We have to be there for them in their hour of need."

At the top of my side bar is the British Red Cross emergency appeal number. DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) will be launching theirs tomorrow across the channels.

Haiti Earthquake Emergency Appeal

Here is the Red Cross's YouTube appeal for last night's Haiti Earthquake and its victims. Please watch and give what you can.



The Disasters Emergency Committee will be launching their appeal on Friday across all the terrestrial channels.