U.S. officials appealed for patience Sunday as delays continued in distributing desperately needed aid for survivors of last week's earthquake in Haiti, saying that violence and looting have impeded rescue operations.
Responding to criticism that supplies and medical assistance are not reaching Haitians who need them quickly enough, U.S. military and civilian officials insisted they are doing all they can, including clearing transit routes and finding other means for delivery.
"We are trying to dramatically expand the in-country distribution network," said Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). "We now need to expand alternate routes, including port-sea access."
Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command who was in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, during Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake and heads the relief effort, said the U.S. military "is relying principally on aviation off the carrier the USS Carl Vinson" because of the airport's limited operability.
"We are going to be here as long as we are needed," Gen. Keen said on CNN, adding that one of the challenges in the coming days will be the security situation.
"There are increasing incidents of violence," he said on Fox News. "We are looking at that very closely. We do need, obviously, a safe and secure environment to continue and do the best we can with the humanitarian assistance."
In Port-au-Prince, prayers of thanksgiving and cries for help rose from a roofless cathedral and the huddled homeless Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
"The government is a joke. The U.N. is a joke," Jacqueline Thermiti, 71, said as she lay in the dust with dozens of dying elderly outside their collapsed nursing home near the airport.
Pregnant women gave birth in the streets. The injured arrived in wheelbarrows and on people's backs at hurriedly erected field hospitals. Authorities warned of looting and violence. In downtown Port-au-Prince, where people set bonfires to burn uncollected bodies, gunfire rang out and bands of machete-wielding young men, their faces covered with bandanas, roamed the streets.
Cabinet minister Carol Joseph told Agence France-Presse that the government had declared a state of emergency and a period of mourning until at least the end of the month. Mr. Joseph also said 70,000 bodies have been buried in mass graves across the country.
More from The Washington Times.
17 comments:
Look at those upstanding citizens. How can you help a people that refuses to help themselves. Help to clean up and help the injured then leave them alone. To try to help their economy is futile.
I understand helping other Countries... Explain to me, did any other country offer help with New Orleans?
Just curious?
the picture in this story looks like the west side of salisbury!
watched 60 mins last night they interviewed doctors and nurses who went there to help. they all stated not one doctor or nurse from haiti has shown up to help. Now they are worried about disease spreading because the haitians are going to the bathroom where ever they please. Somone please expalin to me just how you fix a people as incompetant as this?
No amount of money will ever fix haiti, patch em up and leave em to their own stupidity!
8:30. Yes, other countries did help durring Katrina. at last 90 countries came to our aid. some of which (like Cuba) we refused help.
but yes. other countries did come to our aid. Simply google this phrase and you will see for your self:
"countries that came to the aid in hurricane katrina"
Hoe many countries donated $100,000,000.00?
I read that the Hatians are mad because the food and water hasn't shown up fast enough.
I try not to generalize....so I won't. I'll just say that the commenters on this blog make folks here on the Eastern Shore look like total dumb@$$es.
To all the "the Haitians are terrible and violent people": Americans trample and kill each other each year just for black friday sales. What do you think would happen if we had a similar disaster happen here and aid didn't arrive?
Joe: we are fortunate to have the assets and credit value in this country that most other countries don't have. How many countries do you actually think can afford to send 100,000,000 and why would they when we already have the resources?
9:12 thanks for the info. But as I've stated several times, the people up here draw conclusions then they MIGHT take a minute to look up some facts, once Rush and Beck have told them where to look.
Anon 8:30 AM
YES. over 50. cool?
I hope the ignorant comments come from NY and not from the Eastern Shore. I'd like to think we are better people than this. We hear a rumor of a Noreaster or snow and every loaf of bread, gallon of milk and package of pampers is gone. We have never (thank God) had something so devistating take place here! These people are desperate to survive. You have no idea what you would do to help your children if you were in their shoes. So try to understand, pray for them, send your help and keep your ignorant comments to yourself!! To the Haitian people, we will help you!
Joe does it really matter?! thats less than 40 cents per person... you telling me you don't have 40 cents?
So far approximately $733,707,082 has been donated, not counting man hours. Leave it to conservative America to be greedy at a time like this.
Sometime I think people on the eastern shore forget they are dangling out in the Atlantic, waiting for the next big hurricane to decimate the peninsula... I know Beck & Rush don't exactly teach you humility but you are really embarrassing yourself here.
anonymous 1:29, aka, Wet Pants Liberal, I'd even bet you'd applaud Obama if he created a whole new tax called, relief fund. Every human being in America would be taxed to send unknown amounts of money to other countries to help in relief efforts. OMG, did I just give the democrats another tax idea. Sorry Folks.
They act like animals! HOW can you help those whom act this way? It will make it bad for those who are willing to accept help!
It is what it is... their own Government has let them go hungry & steals from them!
DEMOCRACY? YEAH RIGHT!
Well, I guess its WAY easier for you to just concoct some COMPLETELY made up scenario than it is to answer my assertions. (I know, isn't it HARD to think?!)
also, myself and many others have noticed- when you are backed into a corner- you often resort to childish name calling. This is a perfect example.
Not a shred of substance in your reply, just make believe and name calling. I pity you Joe.
Wait! There are a lot of very conservative people who are good people who want to help the Haitian people. This is NOT the time to be conservative or liberal, we just need to come together for the common good of people who are starving and dying. They are NOT animals 1:37. We have people who are hungry in America too, you know! I'm not giving anyone an excuse but there is a lot of crime in America that is due to a parent stealing to try to feed their children. Of course in Wicomico county, we crucify them too. Oooooops! Hungry and desperate people do desperate things to survive. Why don't you take yourself and your family over there for just TWO WEEKS pal and see if you don't change your attitude! People like you embarrass Americans in front of the rest of the world. If you are from the Eastern Shore, you are an embarrassment to US too! We value human life without the name calling.
Anon 1:29 It's like the democrats are going shopping with someone else's credit card. Oh crap they are! The fact is until the economy turns around damn right I'm going to be greedy. I love to give but my bills got to be paid first. Do you hear me America.
2:21 is NOT AT ALL like that- its relief, federal relief! You pay taxes either way.
The fact that you're all up in arms over helping an impoverished devastated country is paramount to your own selfish narcissism, not the state of our economy.
If you truly believed in what you claim to believe in you would be in favor of our own countries social welfare programs. Social security, Medicaid and Medicare, welfare etc...
But lets face it- you really just have a hard time being selfless. You cant get over the fact that if you don't get a hand out then no one should.
"welcome to life on Hellmarva"
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