Oct 31 2010

Haiti: Yet Another Disaster Lurks

(9AM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

Hasn’t Haiti suffered enough?  Centuries of grotesque exploitation and purposeful neglect.  And most recently, the devastating earthquake.  Then an inadequate relief effort that has left thousands and thousands homeless or stuck in makeshift, flimsy camps, without adequate housing, food, medicine or sanitation.  An outbreak of Cholera.  And now, on top of all of that, the unimaginable: a possible Hurricane this week.  And a very big one at that.


The model predicts the storm will make a right turn.  In fact, almost all of the models say it will make a right turn.  And when it does, it will come ashore in Haiti.  This will cause loss of life, flooding, further outbreaks of disease, loss of even temporary shelter, unavailability of food.  A nightmare for those living in Haiti.

I’ve asked before that we contribute to Doctors Without Borders, specifically for Haiti Aid.  Now I’m asking again.  What else can be done?  What else can I or you do?

Money for specialized aid is extremely important.  As important, and perhaps more important in the long run, I think is for US citizens to being to know Haiti’s history and the story of its relationship to the US, in other words, the story of how it got to be the way it is now.  I’m sure we all realize that Haiti didn’t get to its present horrendous situation all by its self, without a lot of US and European “help.”  To ferret how all of this has happened, a great starting point is this dailyKos essay by allie123. It’s part of a series.  Each piece is important on its own.  Please take the time to read them.

For now, though, please consider an immediate, small donation to Doctors Without Borders.  It might save some lives in Haiti.  It might alleviate some of the suffering.

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cross posted from The Dream Antilles

2 comments

  1. May all in Haiti be well.  May they be free from suffering.

    Thank you for reading.

  2. If the powers that be truly wanted the best for these souls, who have suffered so long and so hard, they would not still be living under tarps, with no real sanitation, adequate food, medicines, etc. after all this long time since the earthquake.  

    If there are those who make contributions to Doctors Without Borders, you may wish to add in brackets after your first name [Haiti Cholera Crisis] as there is no “area” in which to firmly designate your donation and where it should go.  (I decided to do just that last week, when I made a donation to DWB, as well as one to the International Medical Corps.)

    The International Medical Corps does have a specific page for donating (the donate button is to the right of the news) to Haiti cholera emergency here  Some update from them:

    Port-au-Prince, Haiti — International Medical Corps has deployed 12 doctors and nurses, and is establishing Cholera Treatment Centers (CTCs) in and around Artibonite, where a cholera outbreak has killed 305 and sickened another 4,649.

    “International Medical Corps teams are supporting health facilities in St. Marc, and working to prevent new cases from occurring in the area and in Port-au-Prince by prepositioning supplies and training medical personnel and community members,” says Dr. Jojo Cangao, International Medical Corps Medical Director in Haiti.

    The first cholera treatment center is being established at Verretes Hospital and medical personnel will support both Verettes Hospital and Albert Schweitzer Hospital, which have both requested nurses.  International Medical Corps is also supporting St. Marc Hospital, the largest referral hospital in the area, with supplies.

    To prepare for the possibility of an outbreak spreading to the displacement camps in Port-au-Prince, where more than a million people have been living since the January 12 earthquake, International Medical Corps is pre-positioning supplies, such as IV fluids, oral rehydration salts, and water purification tablets. Community Health Workers in the camps are being mobilized to provide cholera prevention training as well. . . . .

    Can you just imagine the despair these dear souls must feel, davidseth?

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