Help for Haiti

On the airport runway in the capitol of Haiti, bags or rice, corn and other goods are piling up. Navy personnel load the bags onto helicopters and the whole operation has been organized through the U.S. since the storms, Navy personnel have been working alongside personnel from the U.N. to determine what aid is needed and where and for how long. This captain has been part of a medical assessment team and says most places are reporting that they have one day to one week of food because all their crops have been washed out and they were getting ready to harvest them and they’ve also lost most of their livestock. We’re now going to a village of about 7,000 people by helicopter. The purpose is to assess needs, not to deliver aid. After a 45 minute ride, we land on a picture perfect looking beach and dozens of children rush towards the helicopter. This community leader approaches us and says other organizations have told him his people are on their own. a quick look around shows that this village needs help now and probably for a long time to come: there’s no clean water and most crops and livestock were lost, and many houses were badly damaged. This man says neither the Haitian government nor many aid organizations can’t do enough and don’t help people get jobs. During one community meeting, Navy personnel promise they’ll send aid and supplies and then we’re off again.