Haiti update
I haven't really been following the mainstream media coverage of the disaster in Haiti closely. A story here and there to supplement what I have been following of first hand reports. But what little I have been watching, and the consumer responses to it, seem to be little more than armchair quarterbacking, finding fault with a system like there is a quick fix and "if only this would happen everything would be peachy."
I've read complaints that the US military should not have taken point on this disaster operation (even though, you know, Haiti is within a--very dangerous--raft ride of the coast of Florida). That the US military should back off (even though the US military has sent three carriers that are acting as floating hospitals for the disaster). How the US military is treating this like an invasion because that's all they know how to do it (even though all the prisoners from the national penitentiary escaped when the prison was destroyed and are now at large, and the vulnerable quake victims--namely women and children--are at even greater risk of violence and foul play). I've read that the US should give up their operations to an international humanitarian effort, even though it is the US that has gotten the airport up and running and supplies filtering in to the country.
In short, the US is Haiti's neighbor. It is closer than any European country, and we've had US representatives working with the people for decades. Yeah, this is nothing new to us. To the rest of the world, and the mainstream media at large, it's like they just now figured out what truly desperate straits Haiti is in.
The reason I felt the need to vent about this a little bit is because of this insightful report from a doctor who has been working with Lifeline Christian Mission in Haiti for the past two weeks or so. Please visit the website for the full and on-going reports of the progress that's being made toward recovery from this terrible quake.
I read a posting tonight by a team that had just returned from Port au Prince. They were maximally frustrated because the blitzkrieg trip they'd planned was filled with unmet expectations and obstructions. The hospital they were expecting to work at was destroyed, the backup hospital had no water or electricity, the anesthesia machines didn't work, their relief supplies were hijacked, they couldn't get resupplied, their "exit strategy" had to be changed, etc. By admitting their failure to plan adequately and exposing the flaws in the "system" - the complete absence of an viable infrastructure, etc. they hope to help others avoid the same pitfalls. It is worth reading - but it demonstrates the difference between having highly laudable intentions, or having a relationship with people.
One working definition of a disaster is to have one more patient than there are resources to handle. By that definition, Haiti is a mega disaster on its BEST day. Veterans of Haiti know there is no reliable "system" - ever. For a hospital in Haiti to be without power, to be so inadequately equipped as to defy the definition of "hospital", for equipment and supplies to be stolen by a minority of desperate, starving people who see an opportunity to be able to eat one more night by selling their booty, to have crowds angry because they sense abandonment - all this IS Haiti - all the time.
It's fantastic that this disaster has brought all this attention to this very needy country. But the country has been needy for decades, generations, and will probably continue to be needy in the future. When all the hoopla and news bites and media coverage are gone, Lifeline and other such missions will still be there for the people, building relationships and providing stability for these people.
Yes, open your hearts (and if you can, your wallets) to these people. Just remember that this kind of need is an on-going, never-ending thing. And if your generosity for Haiti is a one-time thing, please consider choosing a worthy cause closer to home to donate your money and/or time to.
This is an article from the local paper back home about a group of women from my old church who were in Haiti at the time of the quake. I've worked with Carole. Andrea and her husband occasionally provide the special music for the church service. It is not the article that was printed in the paper, which I can't seem to find. But the News-Sun website has several articles chronicling the series of events as circumstances unfolded.
I've read complaints that the US military should not have taken point on this disaster operation (even though, you know, Haiti is within a--very dangerous--raft ride of the coast of Florida). That the US military should back off (even though the US military has sent three carriers that are acting as floating hospitals for the disaster). How the US military is treating this like an invasion because that's all they know how to do it (even though all the prisoners from the national penitentiary escaped when the prison was destroyed and are now at large, and the vulnerable quake victims--namely women and children--are at even greater risk of violence and foul play). I've read that the US should give up their operations to an international humanitarian effort, even though it is the US that has gotten the airport up and running and supplies filtering in to the country.
In short, the US is Haiti's neighbor. It is closer than any European country, and we've had US representatives working with the people for decades. Yeah, this is nothing new to us. To the rest of the world, and the mainstream media at large, it's like they just now figured out what truly desperate straits Haiti is in.
The reason I felt the need to vent about this a little bit is because of this insightful report from a doctor who has been working with Lifeline Christian Mission in Haiti for the past two weeks or so. Please visit the website for the full and on-going reports of the progress that's being made toward recovery from this terrible quake.
I read a posting tonight by a team that had just returned from Port au Prince. They were maximally frustrated because the blitzkrieg trip they'd planned was filled with unmet expectations and obstructions. The hospital they were expecting to work at was destroyed, the backup hospital had no water or electricity, the anesthesia machines didn't work, their relief supplies were hijacked, they couldn't get resupplied, their "exit strategy" had to be changed, etc. By admitting their failure to plan adequately and exposing the flaws in the "system" - the complete absence of an viable infrastructure, etc. they hope to help others avoid the same pitfalls. It is worth reading - but it demonstrates the difference between having highly laudable intentions, or having a relationship with people.
One working definition of a disaster is to have one more patient than there are resources to handle. By that definition, Haiti is a mega disaster on its BEST day. Veterans of Haiti know there is no reliable "system" - ever. For a hospital in Haiti to be without power, to be so inadequately equipped as to defy the definition of "hospital", for equipment and supplies to be stolen by a minority of desperate, starving people who see an opportunity to be able to eat one more night by selling their booty, to have crowds angry because they sense abandonment - all this IS Haiti - all the time.
It's fantastic that this disaster has brought all this attention to this very needy country. But the country has been needy for decades, generations, and will probably continue to be needy in the future. When all the hoopla and news bites and media coverage are gone, Lifeline and other such missions will still be there for the people, building relationships and providing stability for these people.
Yes, open your hearts (and if you can, your wallets) to these people. Just remember that this kind of need is an on-going, never-ending thing. And if your generosity for Haiti is a one-time thing, please consider choosing a worthy cause closer to home to donate your money and/or time to.
This is an article from the local paper back home about a group of women from my old church who were in Haiti at the time of the quake. I've worked with Carole. Andrea and her husband occasionally provide the special music for the church service. It is not the article that was printed in the paper, which I can't seem to find. But the News-Sun website has several articles chronicling the series of events as circumstances unfolded.