Haiti

It seemed appropriate to write about Haiti in my first blog. It is definitely at the top of the news right now. Last Tuesday an earthquake hit Haiti killing what some believe is 100,000's of people. Even the ones who have survived are still at risk of dying. The people have crushing wounds and are still dying due to the lack of medical care. I honestly didn't know much about Haiti before this happened. I don't understand how these people lived prior to this tragedy without a working government. How is it that the president lived in what looks like an equivalent to our White House and yet now people are living in the parks surrounding that building? I have not seen their president speak since last Tuesday. Where is he? Who is he? Where is anyone in the government? I believe 75 or so people from the UN have died so there is NO ONE to step up and coordinate the humanitarian efforts. Every day and every night I hear Anderson Cooper on CNN talk about the orphanages and the people living in tents. He talks about people still being saved from the rubble and yet the "government" of Haiti called off all search efforts today. If an old lady can survive this long in the rubble, can't a younger, stronger person survive just as long if not longer??

I remember a woman who was standing outside what used to be her house and she was begging for someone to go in and save her child. After hours of using listening equipment and tapping they left telling her the child was no longer alive. How could they know that for sure? I heard on one of the news stories that when one rescue group left a site, another group came and pulled out someone who was still alive.

Like Anderson Cooper also said, in the beginning no one was logging the dead, taking pictures or trying to get ID. He said when he covered the tsunami that there were photographers taking pictures of the dead so at least relatives or friends could identify the bodies and know where they were buried. That's not happening in Haiti. Why every day does the news cover the story of the elderly who lost their retirement facility with the same results? Everyday they are still reporting that these people have no food or water and that they are going to die. Why isn't anyone bringing them supplies? I don't get it!