Haiti Earthquake

[bush_cheney2004]

What? No love for Haiti....OK...let's roll:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada "stands ready to provide any necessary assistance to the people of Haiti during this time of need."

The government will deploy the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) — Canada's team of 200 Canadian Forces personnel, which provides help to areas affected by disaster for up to 40 days.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/01/13/haiti-earthquake.html

[Smallc]

Canada is also sending HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan. There is also a C-17 carrying a helicopter and SAR crew on the way. US, Canadian, and Chinese teams are already on the ground with more from other countries on the way.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Smallc

[Shakeyhands]

not sure if you all have seen some of the coverage outside the hospital, heartbreaking... That was one huge earthquake.

[Smallc]

It's absolutely terrible. I'm glad that so many countries have responded so fast....unfortunately, for many, no response will be enough.

[Guest American Woman]

It's difficult to comprehend the magnitude of such a tragedy. Understandably, they really need monetary donations, and we can all pitch in and help in that respect; This site has a list of organizations that are taking donations.

[bush_cheney2004]

Canada is also sending HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan. There is also a C-17 carrying a helicopter and SAR crew on the way. US, Canadian, and Chinese teams are already on the ground with more from other countries on the way.

Right...with shiny new C-17's....anything is possible! No waiting around for DART deployment car rental from Ukraine this time around.

Edited January 13, 2010 by bush_cheney2004

[Smallc]

I have to admit, those were an excellent purchase. Never in the past could we have responded with so much so fast...but as I said, it won't be enough.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Smallc

[DogOnPorch]

It struck pretty much right under them. No building codes...

[Guest TrueMetis]

So whats the plan? Put in enough money to fix everything back to normal or put in the money so everything won't fall over next time this happens? Or we could just put that kind of money into the essential structure like hospitals.

[bush_cheney2004]

So whats the plan? Put in enough money to fix everything back to normal or put in the money so everything won't fall over next time this happens? Or we could just put that kind of money into the essential structure like hospitals.

The only problem is that, for Haiti, the best of "normal" still sucks big time. The US Coast Guard will be part of the relief effort, but also gird for another refugee event in South Florida.

[Smallc]

So whats the plan? Put in enough money to fix everything back to normal or put in the money so everything won't fall over next time this happens? Or we could just put that kind of money into the essential structure like hospitals.

I don't think we're that far along in the plan yet.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Smallc

[Smallc]

The US Coast Guard will be part of the relief effort, but also gird for another refugee event in South Florida.

Apparently they're also there to try to evacuate Americans.

[bush_cheney2004]

Apparently they're also there to try to evacuate Americans.

I sure hope so....there are about 45,000 American nationals in Haiti. Ironically, some may be evacuated to 'Gitmo, which is an excellent facility.

[capricorn]

It's impossible not to be moved by the reports coming out of that country. Why does Haiti keep getting hammered with events its people are ill equipped to deal with.

I found this link on the another forum which summarizes the plight of Haiti.

"If you want to put the worst case scenario together in the Western hemisphere (for disasters), it's Haiti," said Richard Olson, a professor at Florida International University who directs the Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas project.

"There's a whole bunch of things working against Haiti. One is the hurricane track. The second is tectonics. Then you have the environmental degradation and the poverty," he said.

This is the 15th disaster since 2001 in which the U.S. Agency for International Development has sent money and help to Haiti. Some 3,000 people have been killed and millions of people displaced in the disasters that preceded this week's earthquake. Since the turn of this century the U.S. has sent more than $16 million in disaster aid to Haiti.

While the causes of individual disasters are natural, more than anything what makes Haiti a constant site of catastrophe is its heart-tugging social ills, disaster experts say. It starts with poverty, includes deforestation, unstable governments, poor building standards, low literacy rates and then comes back to poverty.

http://airamerica.com/breakingnews/21553/

Another article I read said scientists are trying to determine how strong the aftershocks will be as these large quakes sometimes lead to other major tremblors. For the science buffs here's the link.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/science/2010/01/haiti-earthquake-scientists-and-rescue-workers-1.html

It's amazing to see the international community coming together to help in so many ways. This is truly reflective of the human spirit and pleasantly surprising when it is manifested from some quarters.

As for the Canadian government's response, it seems within Canada there is general approval although I'm sure there will be criticisms down the road. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Ninety percent of Haitian-Canadians are reportedly Quebecers, therefore of the 6,000 Canadians in Haiti, the majority are from Quebec. Of 82 RCMP and police officers presently in Haiti, 70 are from that province. It stands to reason that Quebec has formulated a response plan supplemental to the federal initiatives in order to deal with issues which affect it specifically.

Folks, there have been many causes worthy of a donation to a relief fund. One more time, we are asked to help those less fortunate and we'll come through.

[ToadBrother]

not sure if you all have seen some of the coverage outside the hospital, heartbreaking... That was one huge earthquake.

In a country that was a disaster area before the quake. It's almost impossible to comprehend the scale in human misery.

[Wilber]

That country just can't seem to get a break. It's like there is a little black cloud hanging over its head.

[eyeball]

It's difficult to comprehend the magnitude of such a tragedy. Understandably, they really need monetary donations, and we can all pitch in and help in that respect; This site has a list of organizations that are taking donations.

It's a little incomprehensible all right. Here's CTV's page with links etc to aid agencies accepting donations.

[kimmy]

Right...with shiny new C-17's....anything is possible! No waiting around for DART deployment car rental from Ukraine this time around.

If I recall, when the tsunami struck Indonesia, it took almost a week for our stuff to get there. And we had to listen to the most appalling rationalizations as to how it was actually GOOD that our stuff was getting there late. And then when we heard more about how the C-17s were too expensive and unnecessary when we could just rent that Russian jalopy like last time...

If Canada wants to do this kind of work in the world, this is the kind of equipment we need.

-k

[Argus]

It struck pretty much right under them. No building codes...

Oh there are probably some sort of building codes, but no one pays attention to that sort of thing in corrupt, failed cultures like that of Haiti. The place has been a hole for generations and is unlikely to improve any time soon. Political incompetence, corruption, and disorganization go hand in hand with criminal and drug gangs and a culture of violence and ignorance to make a very unpallatable mix.

And you know, I've seen a lot of footage from there the last twenty four hours, and it's pretty consistent in its shots of demolished buildings, and crowds of people walking around doing - nothing. There's no one to organize searches, and few of the locals seem to have taken it upon themselves to try and dig people out on their own, or organize their neighbors to do so.

They're all waiting for outsiders to come in and organize things. Which, again, says nothing good about the local leadership.

[bush_cheney2004]

....They're all waiting for outsiders to come in and organize things. Which, again, says nothing good about the local leadership.

This has been Haiti's history for over 100 years. Why would it change now? "We" deposed a leader named Aristide, remember?

[GostHacked]

We see this kind of thing in countries that have little to no building codes. And when it happens, it is devastating. Japan gets quite a few good quakes, and they are usually in good shape after the fact. Structures are build for the geographical events in that area.

[Oleg Bach]

Suddenly it's all tears of compassion for Haiti. A place that in it's past form should have never been allowed to exist let alone what is now even a worst existance! Abandoned human resourses that are no longer useful to the former slave masters... Just like anywhere else in the world including Canada - I see the grandchildren of the former white labouring slaves - marginalized and abadoned to poverty and suffering - All over the world this seems to be the trend - once a human resourse no longer is needed to supply luxury and power to their keepers they are tossed into the well of hell like a bag of worthless puppies.

Any Haitian native that had the mental capaicity and phyisical strength to leave left decades ago and all that is left are the week - Even their President and Police Chief are forth rate genetically speaking - Is this is what it comes to that we deem to get rid of those considered inferiour..weak - different...and poor? Shame on the world for letting this protein and energy starved place wallow in it's own suffering filth for so long - long and forgotten - it is the duty to REBUILD HAITI AND PROPERLY> We can not live in a world where we only assist those that we think of as human harvest for a few.

[capricorn]

If Canada wants to do this kind of work in the world, this is the kind of equipment we need.

-k

To this I would say that in addition to adequate equipment, strong leadership in such times is also essential.

The PM was briefed aboard his jet as he arrived in Ottawa from a day-trip to Quebec, and immediately issued two clear orders from the plane.

First, the forever hands-on Harper demanded he be kept at the centre of the action and fully informed at all times.

Second, he made it crystal-clear that the Canadian government would do everything possible to come to the aid of the Haitian people - immediately.

One insider says everyone from the military brass to the high-ranking bureaucrats got the PM’s message: “He wanted it done, and he wanted it done two hours ago.” Defence Minister Peter MacKay was also sitting in a government jet, his flight delayed on the tarmac at Halifax airport, when his marching orders arrived from the PM’s plane.

Again, the directive from Harper left no room for interpretation.

As one senior official observed: “It was clear to everyone that by the next morning, the prime minister didn’t want to hear what anyone planned to do, but what we had already done.”

http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/columnists/greg_weston/2010/01/13/12455426-qmi.html

Someone had commented to Harper that protocol required a formal request for help from Haiti in advance of any action taken. Harper reportedly responded that Haiti's communications were destroyed and protocol niceties would have to wait.

All in all, an excellent first response on the part of the PM and all echelons of the government.

[Michael Hardner]

I appreciate this thread....

[ToadBrother]

We see this kind of thing in countries that have little to no building codes. And when it happens, it is devastating. Japan gets quite a few good quakes, and they are usually in good shape after the fact. Structures are build for the geographical events in that area.

Even if Haiti had the toughest building codes on the planet, they're the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so even stringent enforcement (if it were possible) would end you up with, well, no buildings. Building to strict codes means being able to pay engineers and architects, effective inspections and trained construction managers willing to support them. It means, most importantly, being able to afford to use materials necessary to build earthquake proof structures. Some of the reports I heard last night on CBC radio heavily suggest that many buildings were built using unreinforced or inadequately reinforced concrete. Multistory buildings were literally pancaking as vertical supports gave way.