While my expectations were pretty low having closely followed the clusterf#ck that was the US Government's reaction to Hurricane Katrina, I find myself amazed and horrified by their absolute failure to make a true difference in Haiti within the window of time required.Barely 600 miles from Miami, we allowed approximately a million people to go without food or clean water for 5 days. Meanwhile, I watched and listened to the US media pat themselves on the back for the incredible speed with which they were able to mobilize and dispatch Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the like to Haiti within hours of the quake. And don't get me started on the “feel-good” news story of the year – donations by text message...
While I hardly am reproaching the generosity of the hundreds of thousands of Americans and Canadians who dug into their pockets during an economic crisis to help out, (I wonder how much Goldman Sachs is sending to Haiti) I am absolutely criticizing the people who had the power to make the real required difference when it mattered. President Obama gave a nice press conference the day after the quake, but ultimately he, his secretary of state and his military commanders failed to get the job done.
Every news crew on TV stated the facts – they had 48-72 hours to search for survivors before dehydration would begin to set in. As well, it was clear by midnight of the first night that hundreds of thousands were out in the streets with no food or clean water.
Can someone please tell me how the largest military industrial complex in the world couldn't get a couple of transport aircraft loaded up with clean water, a few hundred men and some helicopters, and get them 600 miles from Miami within the first 24 hours? They couldn't get the Army Corps of Engineers saddled up with a few bulldozers and backhoes into there to open the roads and begin moving rubble by day 2?
Instead we were told that “advance teams” had been sent to “assess the needs on the ground.” Funny – the news stations seemed to know what was needed...my dumb ass sitting at home seemed to know what was needed. Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta could definitely tell you what was needed.
The next day the excuses started piling in – the roads are blocked...the airport is congested... roads? Helicopters don't need roads. A helicopter with a decent pilot can take a 2-ton pallet of bottled water chained to it's winch and land it softer than a butterfly on a target the size of a dart-board. If he's has been told to do so that is. Take 4 helicopters and a full days work, and a pallet could have been dropped into every neighborhood by day 2.
So now, day 6 and the aid is finally starting to trickle from the airport into Port-au-Prince. I guess the “advance teams” have finished their work. Time for the photo ops of Hillary Clinton handing out biscuits....
On a more positive note, I am truly proud to be Canadian when I see the incredible numbers our small country has put up in donations to various organizations. Even prouder when I read today that Canadian Tire is filling the cargo hold of a 767 with as many tents, sleeping bags, flashlights and batteries as they can get their hands on.
I would like to highlight the organization that we donated to here at home РM̩decins sans fronti̬res/Doctors Without Borders will most likely play a larger role in this disaster than any other in their history. This due the the tragic fact that a huge number of of Port-au-Prince's medical community was devastatingly killed when their hospitals and clinics collapsed on them.
If you would like to make a donation to MSF:
msf.donorportal.ca
That's my opinion and it should be yours too.
"They don't give a damn..."
I admit Katrina was a cluster. But since when is the US responsible for every aid mission in every country in every corner of the world. Isn't that the responsibility of the UN? And doesn't Canada have an air force and Navy? Why weren't they there leading the charge -since the Canadians clearly have this all figured out.
ReplyDeleteI love people who sit in their arm chairs in anger how those other people should be doing more. Or even better, those who try to leverage a natural disaster like this to continue the soap box shouting regarding a government that is clearly not your preference.
For the record, Canadian Forces have been on the ground in Haiti working with the UN Humanitarian efforts there. Also, 4 Canadian C-130 aircraft carrying soldiers, doctors and supplies were amongst the first planes to land the afternoon after the quake. However Canada does not nearly have the ability to mobilize the same numbers of troops or hardware that the US can...to imply so is ignorant.
ReplyDeleteAs for the soap-box, I simply am hear to share my opinions as to why I think the United States repeatedly fails to live up to it's responsibilities to both it's own people and to the global community.