Sunday, January 24, 2010

A History of Troubles

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—On a street corner amid a pile of rubble in Haiti's ravaged capital, life goes on. A man calmly polishes his shoes. Children run around dirty from the debris and half dressed but playing and laughing. A group of residents march by carrying mattresses on their heads, followed by another toting plywood.
As many as 200,000 people have died here, according to the government, and roughly one million have been made homeless. The roads from the capital are snarled with tens of thousands more fleeing the city. But many Haitians remain entrenched in the capital, and many are beginning to go about their daily routines, showing a resilience that some attribute to the nation's history of living from one disaster to the next.
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Haitians receive water from Brazilian U.N. peacekeepers at an aid-distribution point by the presidential palace.
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
"There are no other people besides Haitians who could come back this way," says Nadine Stremy, coming out of a supermarket carrying a bag of groceries. "They have learned through decades to survive."
A group of Haitians gathered around a car radio Wednesday night to listen to President René Préval's first speech since the earthquake that came eight days before. He said telephones were working again, the government is working, and called for courage and solidarity. "Solidarity!" someone shouted, smiling.
The next day, on Thursday, in the Canape Vert neighborhood, the local branch of Uni Bank opened its doors. Thousands of people waited outside, but the bank allowed only a few dozen business customers with whom it had relationships, according to an employee.
Nearby, at a Western Union, vast numbers waited in line to get in, many saying they were hoping for remittances from relatives in the United States.
"It's a terrible thing, but it is also life, so what else can I do but continue?" said Michelet Saint-Preux, who was on the third floor of the Université de Port-au-Prince when the four-story building collapsed, killing students, many of whom were attending after-work classes.
Mr. Saint-Preux's arm was bandaged and he had a deep gash in his chin. The structure still lay in ruins, with students' papers and notebooks scattered under concrete and jagged metal bars. The air reeked of the body that still lay pinned underneath a flattened Suzuki 4x4 jeep.
Near the collapsed palace, a group of men sat on the side of the road with an array of electric generators they were selling. Another man sold shoes and sneakers. In various spots around the city, hoses were set up with nonpotable water. Women with buckets washed their clothes on the side of the road, and children bathed. A ramshackle funeral parlor was open for business, and two hearses were being loaded.

Around Haiti

Latest photos from the relief effort on land
Paul Jeffrey/AFP/Getty Images
Quake survivors pleaded to be admitted into the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince Wednesday.
Many Haitians say their resilience is rooted in Haiti's tortured history. Haiti overthrew French domination in 1804 to become the second independent republic in the Americas after the U.S. (Haiti's military victory inspired Napoleon to sell Louisiana to the United States). It later served as a base for South American leader Simón Bolívar, providing material and logistical support in the southern city of Jacmel for his campaign to liberate the Southern Hemisphere from Spanish rule.
But through the ensuing decades, they faced long periods of military juntas, dictatorship, and arbitrary justice. During the 29-year rule of the Duvalier family, Haitians quaked in fear at the bloody work of the dictatorship's paramilitary enforcers, the Tontons Macoutes.
During the more recent era of priest-turned-president Jean Bernard Aristide, the stuff of Haitian nightmares were the "chimere," named after a mythical fire-breathing dragon and comprising desperately poor, heavily armed gangs of young men who did Mr. Aristide's bidding.
"We have gotten through so much as a country," says Ms. Stremy. "This is why we consider each other brothers and sisters. We are survivors."
Just over a week after the quake, roadside markets where many people buy all their produce began to reappear for the first time. Along the capital's Avenue Pan American, an artist strung a fishing line between two trees and hung his wood carvings, against a backdrop of tumbled boulders. Near Champ de Mars square abutting Haiti's ruined National Palace, wood-carved furniture was being sold next to a dead body covered with a purple flowered sheet.
A pharmacy that had opened was mobbed—and robbed. So some stores opened for just a few hours and had security guards keep customers outside, letting just a few in at a time.
All over the city, signs have sprouted up in English, French and Creole. "Help us," says one. "We need food and water," reads another. Some carry phone numbers.
Michele Pierre-Louis, a former prime minister in the government of Haitian President Préval, said that despite incidents of violence, most people "peacefully pray, sing and help each other the best they can."
At a waterfront park on Wednesday, hundreds of Haitians lined up facing the water through a large iron gate. They were watching a Red Cross ship make its way to shore with supplies. On the other side facing them were military guards holding their rifles.
On the grounds of the capital's elite Petionville Club, several thousand Haitians waited patiently behind a rope barrier for food and water packets being distributed by the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division. In the capital's Canape Vert plaza, members of the Haitian National Police supervised the distribution of food donated by private individuals in the Dominican Republic.
"We are waiting to get some food and water," says Lesly Jeudy, who says that almost every structure in his Christ Roi neighborhood has collapsed. "We haven't had any food or water for two days."
Write to Ianthe Jeanne Dugan at ianthe.dugan@wsj.com and Michael Deibert at michael.deibert@dowjones.com

UN Briefing 1/22

MINUSTAH daily briefing

22 January 2010


SECURITY

    * The overall security situation remains calm. Fortunately, the weather has been kind to us. However, were it to rain heavily, the situation could worsen.

    * The Haitian National Police and MINUSTAH have taken measures to secure the re-opening of banks in Port-au-Prince, which will begin business on Saturday 23 January, according to bank representatives.

    * MINUSTAH’s UN Police reports that 70% of the manpower of the HNP throughout the country has been reporting for duty and performing their tasks this week.

    * The UN Police Commissioner, Gerard Chaumont, met last Wednesday with the US Ambassador in Haiti, Kenneth Merten, to discuss the construction of 50-100 supplementary housing areas for prison inmates in the PAP area.  The mobile units were already dispatched from the US.

    * Research and rescue operations are still ongoing. No live rescues have been reported during the past 24 hours. The total number of live rescues is 121 people, so far.

    * Around 8,700 people are living in eight camps in Jacmel, to whom MINUSTAH and WFP are providing food and drinking water.
A/SRSG AND HC AGENDA
    * The A/SRSG, the Force Commander and the Humanitarian Coordinator met yesterday with Ms. Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the WFP, who was briefed on the coordination mechanisms in place for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The A/SRSG and the Humanitarian Coordinator highlighted the important role of MINUSTAH security forces in protecting the humanitarian efforts.
    * The SRSG, the Force Commander, and advisors to President Préval visited Jacmel and Leogane yesterday to examine the impact of the earthquake in those cities.  Out of the 2 cities, they noted Leogane was the hardest-hit, requiring urgent medical sanitary, and food assistance.   They also overflew the municipality of Gressier, located between Leogane and Carrefour, which was also severely affected.

    * The minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Carlos Morales Troncoso, will be meeting the A/SRSG this morning in Port-au-Prince to discuss about the DR-Haiti humanitarian corridor.
 
PUBLIC SECTOR
    * According to WFP the port in Port-au-Prince, which has not been functioning since the earthquake, is now partially functioning.  For the moment, it can only receive humanitarian ships equipped with their own cranes.
PRIVATE SECTOR
    * Reginald Boulos, president of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held a press conference with other private sector actors on the current situation. He announced the resumption of some economic activities, among which:

1.      The fact that 30% of the gas stations are operational and that there is no fuel shortage. 2.      The soft drinks industry is operational at 50%, and will be operational at 100% by next week. 3.      Most surviving supermarkets will be functioning by next week, and so will the manufacturing industry.  4.      Telecommunications is expected to be operational by the end of this week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
·         The Minister of Culture and Communication is planning to give two press briefings daily to provide updates on the situation. They will be held at 10:00 and at 3:00.
 Commercial flights in and out of Haiti have not yet resumed their operations.  Delta Airlines may reportedly start operating twice a week, sta

Friday, January 22, 2010

Haiti - Salon.com

Haiti - Salon.com

God Bless America

I am sitting here in Santo Domingo watching the

HEART

the

Talent

the

Grandeur

of the

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

never have I been more proud of my county

In wealthy enclave of Pétionville, another picture - 01/21/2010 - MiamiHerald.com

In wealthy enclave of Pétionville, another picture - 01/21/2010 - MiamiHerald.com

Reflections on Past and Future

click on title for orignal post



Haiti is not some far away place to me. Both my parents are from Haiti and I have
family members that still live there. I try to go to Haiti every 2 to 3 years and last visited in 2007 to volunteer with a local organization called Concerned Haitian Americans of Illinois (CHAI). I have seen a mix of improving and deteriorating conditions in the country over the past 10 years, but this recent crisis is a wake up call.

Much of the devastation in Haiti was largely unavoidable. Even if the buildings had been constructed better, it is unlikely any well made structures could survive a 7.0 earthquake[1]. Nonetheless, lax building code enforcement and poor construction quality has exacerbated the problem. For example, in 2008 there was a school collapse in Port-au-Prince that had nothing to do with the earthquake. However, some of the lack of communications and access to roads to help disaster victims can be attributed to a very poor and deteriorating infrastructure. The rush to make sure that those in need get emergency medical attention, clean water, and food, should compel us to think about making sustainable improvements to not only prevent future crises but also to create new economic opportunities that improves the quality of life for Haitians.

Immediately after the disaster there will be an opportunity to rebuild – to begin anew—creating the infrastructure designed to sustain a modern country. In recent months, there have been initiatives to reduce the time it takes to incorporate a business. According to the World Bank, it requires 13 procedures, takes 195 days, and costs 227.93% GNI per capita to start a business in Haiti – this is almost unheard of. Across the border in the Dominican Republic, it requires only 8 procedures, takes 19 days, and costs 17.3% GNI per capita to start a business. Along each of the World Bank’s indices of access to business credit and protection of investors, Haiti is in the bottom of the rankings[2]. Haiti is one of the most difficult countries in the world to do business with—this needs to change if there’s ever to be any hope for catalyzing the development that can begin to transform the country and improve peoples’ lives.

In addition, the average Haitian, no different than most, needs to be gainfully employed in order to provide for his or her family and businesses need either debt or savings to get off the ground. But with the unemployment rate hovering around 50% for the last two decades, gainful employment will require greater foreign direct investment and a growing economy. A long-term solution requires investment in both the country’s physical infrastructure (e.g., roads, ports, and telecommunications) and its social infrastructure (e.g., improved school system, reform of a standing army or national police force, and protection of property rights). Without this investment and the ability to provide access to credit, Haiti will continue to be mired in poverty.



http://blog.sbk.com/impacting-haiti/

More News from the Ground

from voyageslumierehaiti@gmail.com

The UN/Clinton have just announced that they are going to employ 220,000
Haitians to work to rebuild the country, paying them US$50 per day which
will help over a million people. This is good news.

Another couple of aftershocks since yesterday - one last nite and one again
this morning!

Give me a hundred hurricanes over an earthquake!!

The Minister of Haitians Living Abroad has just reported on Radio Metropole
that the Govt is physically destroyed, in the sense that govt. buildings
have collapsed and now they're having to borrow other buildings to actually
run the govt!! This is not going to help.

There have been several banks calling for their employees to contact the
Human Resources depts of their own banks or their immediare supervisors in
order to get the banks open. This is very GOOD NEWS. We are all running
out of Money - another problem, and to my knowledge, unless someone on the
list can tell me otherwise, there are very few money transfer agents open
which means people can't receive money from their friends and family.

Michael Deibert has just called me and said that Petit Goave seems to be
worse than even Leogane for having lost so many buildings. The beautiful old
house of Emperor Soulouque, the Relais de l'Empereur collapsed - so sad, it
was a wonderful historic building and I've taken many many people there to
spend a wonderful weekend.

I wish the darn helicopters wouldn't fly so low over houses - you feel that
the ground shakes when they pass over, which doesn't help our mental
health!!

Jacqui Labrom

--
PRAY FOR HAITI IN THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY


Voyages Lumière SA
email: voyageslumierehaiti@gmail.com
Tel: (00 509) Cellphones: (00 509) 3557-0753 & 3607-1321
Website (under construction): www.voyageslumiere.com

DONATIONS PLEASE

WE here at UNAyDOS have received

$500 in donations for food for HAITI

WE have our executive director here in SANTO DOMINGO

Who will be traveling back to HAITI

with all the food that we can buy

In two days

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE via the paypal button on the right

100% of your contribution goes to FOOD for HAITI

THANK YOU

Free trip to Haiti from NYC for medic

Some of the information required by the airlines and Project 20/20 are:

Last Name________ _________ _________ _________ ____

First, Middle Name________ _________ _________ ______

DOB:________ _________ _________ _________ _______

Passport #___________ _________ _________ _________

Issuing country_____ _________ _________ _________ __

Issue Date________ _________ _________ _________ ___

Expiration Date________ _________ _________ ________

Citizenship_ _________ _________ _________ _________ __

Green Card #___________ _________ _________ ________

Weight______ _________ _________ _________ _________

Height______ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

Gender______ _________ _________ _________ _________

Professional License type:_______ _________ _________ __

RN _, LPN_, MD_, PA_, NP_:________ _________ ________

State where your license is acquired:___ _________ _______

Our nurses who have returned from similar mission and who are presently in Haiti recommend that you bring a sleeping bag, some non perishable food that you can eat on the run as well.




Project 20/20 Inc, is proud of your commitment and courage in this endeavor. Our thoughts and prayers are with you for a successful mission and a safe return home. Please feel free to call me in you need any additonal information.

Sincerely,



Simone Desvarieux
Director of Sport and Recreation
(845) 426-0312

A Prayer for the People of Haiti

A prayer for the people of Haiti,
Who, on a good day, must take heroic measures
Just to wake up the next,
And who must now find a way
To live through the end of the world:

O Compassionate One,
Whose relief work is beyond our capabilities
Breathe life today into those buried alive
And strengthen the response capacity of Your relief workers in this world

To hear those who have yet to be saved,
To hear those who have been saved
But whose limbs and lives are crushed,
To hear those who pray
For those who can no longer pray for themselves.

O source of Speech,
Embedded in the language of love,
Fortify the souls who call out now in rescue

O Life Force,
Expressed in the language of loss,
Send strength to those who, with their last strength
No seek nothing more than finding loved ones

A prayer for the people of Haiti,
Who on this day take heroic measures just to survive,
And with the world's help,
Will find a way
To live into a new world,
Though one rebuilt on the rubble of unfathomable loss.

O source of Response to need,
Be the blessing
Of prayers realized.
And we say: Amen

Madison Smartt Bell: Let Haitians Rebuild Haiti

Madison Smartt Bell: Let Haitians Rebuild Haiti

http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=36171

http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=36171

David L. Wilson, "Day 3 in Port-au-Prince: 'A Difficult Situation'"

David L. Wilson, "Day 3 in Port-au-Prince: 'A Difficult Situation'"

MEDICINE NEEDED

From the Israeli Hospital


Generic Name Qty/Cant.
Amp Morphine 500
Amp. Pettudine Hcl 200
Amp. Rocuronium (Esmeron) 300
Amp. Oxytocin 10IN (Pitocin) 50
Amp Vitamin K 10mg 10
Amp Amoxicillin 500 mg 500
Amp Ceftriaxone 1gr 500
Amp Cefuroxime 750mg 500
Amp. Gentamycine 80 50
Amp. Promethazine (Phenergan) 20
Amp. Vancomycin HCL 500mg 20
Susp. Cefalexin 250mg 20
Tab. Carbamazepina
Carbamazepinc 50
Drops Dimetindene maleate 0.1% 30
Amp Ciprofloxacin 50
Amp. Clindamycin 600mg 100
Alcohol 70% 50
Trash Bags for Needles
Bolsas de Basura para Agujas 50
Amp. Atropine 200
Amp. Neostigmine 200
Amp. Distilled Water
Agua Destilada 10 liters
Chlorhexidine 300
Propofol 10mg 300
clobexidine 300
Amp Midazolam 200

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Earthquakes

Earthquakes

Get Prepared - Earthquake Safety Tips | ARC Orange County

Get Prepared - Earthquake Safety Tips | ARC Orange County

CDC Earthquakes |After an Earthquake: Management of Crush Injuries & Crush Syndrome

CDC Earthquakes |After an Earthquake: Management of Crush Injuries & Crush Syndrome

International Medical Corps - Haiti: Rapid Response Alert Hub

International Medical Corps - Haiti: Rapid Response Alert Hub

breakdown of pledges

 
AUSTRALIA: $13.8 million in aid pledged.

AUSTRIA: $1.9 million to United Nations and international aid organizations.

BRAZIL: $19 million in aid pledged. Eighteen flights have delivered 200 tons
of aid including food, water, tents, medicine, a hospital and medical
equipment. Forty six medical doctors and nurses have been sent, along with
50 firefighters who specialize in search and rescue using search dogs.
Nearly 1,300 Brazilian U.N.. peacekeepers are working in rescue operations.

BRITAIN: $33 million in aid. A 64-member search and rescue team is on the
ground.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: $80,000 in aid.

CAMBODIA: $50,000 in aid from the government; $10,000 from Cambodian Red
Cross.

CANADA: $130 million in aid pledged. So far, Canadians have privately
contributed more than $39 million and Ottawa will match those funds. Some
2,000 military personnel, including two warships.

CHAD: $500,000 in aid.

CHINA: $4.2 million in aid pledged. Deployed a 60-member rescue team to the
island, including search and rescue specialists with sniffer dogs and
monitoring equipment, medics, and seismological experts.

CONGO: $2.5 million in aid.

CROATIA: $137,000 from the government and a similar amount donated from
citizens to the Red Cross.

CYPRUS: $141,000 in aid.

CZECH REPUBLIC: $1.1 million in aid pledged.

DENMARK: $9.67 million in aid.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: $11.4 million in aid.

FRANCE: $28.6 million in aid pledged, plus more than 500 personnel,
especially rescue workers, and 61 tons (55 metric tons) of supplies.
Dispatched Francis Garnier, a ship that specializes in humanitarian
missions.

GERMANY: $14.28 million in aid pledged by government. $25.56 million donated
by private citizens.

GRENADA: $215,000 in aid.

HUNGARY: $140,000 within an aid program coordinated by the EU, plus three
medical teams and three search dogs.

INDIA: $5 million in aid.

ISRAEL: Established field hospital, sent some 150 doctors and rescue workers
and 10 tons (nine metric tons) of medical equipment.

ITALY: $8.14 million as part of $131.37 million in emergency aid from EU
member states. Separately it is donating $2.57 million to international
groups to help children in Haiti. A field hospital that can treat 150
patients a day has been airlifted in.

JAPAN: $5 million in aid, plus $330,000 in emergency supplies. One 24-member
civilian medical team on the ground, sending 110-member military team of
medical and other personnel via a Japanese C-130 transport plane.

LIBERIA: $50,000 in aid.

NETHERLANDS: $2.86 million in aid from the Dutch government, which has
pledged to double the amount raised by the public. So far the appeal has
raised $9.28 million. A Dutch plane with search and rescue team and sniffer
dogs has been sent.

NORWAY: $17.5 million in aid earmarked for the World Food Program, Doctors
Without Borders, the Red Cross and other aid organizations. The country's
Red Cross and other aid organizations have raised at least $4.5 million for
the country.

PORTUGAL: Around $860,000 from private donations. The government has sent a
military transport plane with more than 20 emergency rescue workers and
sniffer dogs, as well as medical equipment and water.

RUSSIA: Has sent 138 emergency workers and doctors and five transport planes
to deliver aid.

SENEGAL: $1 million in aid.. President Abdoulaye Wade has said he would give
a region of Senegal to Haitians wishing to move to Africa. He argued that
because Haiti was settled by African slaves they are owed a right of return.
The eccentric proposal was met with criticism by many who say the government
is not even able to house its own people.

SIERRA LEONE: $100,000 in aid. The government has also offered to send
police, soldiers and medical teams.

SLOVENIA: $70,000 in aid, and has sent tents worth $98,000.

SOUTH AFRICA: $135,000 in aid, and has sent a search-and-rescue team and
plans to send forensic experts to help identify bodies.

SOUTH KOREA: $10 million in aid from government, aid agencies, religious
groups and business companies.

SPAIN: $8.56 million in emergency aid disbursed, sending 450 troops, 50
doctors, technicians and specialists.

SWEDEN: $25.6 million to organizations working in Haiti, including the U.N.
and E.U.

TAIWAN: $5 million in aid. Dispatched a team of 23 rescue personnel and 33
medical staff.

THAILAND: $120,000 in aid; 20,000 tons (18,000 metric tons) of rice.

UNITED STATES: $130 million in aid, according to USAID. Has sent about
12,000 military personnel so far, 265 government medical personnel, 18 Navy
and Coast Guard ships, 49 helicopters and seven cargo planes to assist in
aid delivery, support and evacuations. Is managing operations at the
Port-au-Prince airport.

VENEZUELA: 679 tons (616 metric tons) of food and 127 tons (116 metric tons)
of equipment, including water purification systems, electrical generators
and heavy equipment for moving rubble. 225,000 barrels of diesel fuel and
gasoline is on its way, and the Venezuela-led Bolivarian Alternative trade
bloc also sent two ships carrying 5,248 tons (4,761 metric tons) of food aid

Voodoo Brings Solace To Grieving Haitians : NPR

Voodoo Brings Solace To Grieving Haitians : NPR

workers wanted

Greetings,

ACET, Inc. has received an immediate request to provide assistance to
the devastation from the recent earthquake that has befallen the nation
of Haiti . We are looking for anyone interested in going to Haiti to
help for a 3- 6 month period.  There are no particular skills sets
defined at this point, except the willingness to help wherever needed.
We will be presenting folks and highlighting their unique skills and
trade qualifications, so if the opportunity to help in your area exists
- it will be noted and presented. As you can well imagine, any skill
that you may have - can be of great help.


Typical skill sets needed:

Carpenters
Masons
Electricians
Medical Personnel
Communications
Builders
Heavy Equipment Operators
Plumbers
Logistics
Etc.

THIS IS NOT A VOLUNTEER REQUEST - you will be paid for the work you do.
This is a temporary employment assignment that will include travel,
expenses, remuneration with an understanding that housing accommodations
will be very basic.  All that is needed at this point is a passport or
ability to obtain one ASAP.

If you are seriously interested or know of someone who would be
interested - please email me back ASAP or forward this email,  and I
will provide more details for you at that time.

This is a unique opportunity to make a difference to the people of Haiti
!

Onekqua Beverly
Corporate Recruiter/Security Specialist
ACET, Inc.
301-861-5023  301-861-5023 (Office)
301-885-3199 (Fax)
otbeverly@adamscomm.com
www.adamscomm.com <http://www.adamscomm.com/>
-- Gene Gary-Williams
13603 Water Fowl Way
Upper Marlboro , MD   20774
Tel:  301.390.5652  301.390.5652
FAX: 301.390.7077
ggarywilliams@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Collecting for Haiti

Tout Ayiti Bezwen Sipo - all of Haiti needs support , not just
Port-au-Prince.

Haiti 2015 is committed to a grassroots alternative and a Haitian solution,
and during this gwo katastrof, a grassroots approach is exactly what Haiti
needs to return life and normalcy to its people. But unfortunately, this
takes time and patience to guarantee that things are done in Haitian terms
and according to Haitian needs. It also takes the wisdom to know when good
intentions can become unintentional impediments.

Knowing this, Haiti 2015 is currently collecting detailed information from
the groups and areas we united during the launch to organize a concerted
effort among these disparate areas of Haiti which have experienced
devastation rivaling the capital itself. The destruction in areas like
Bainet, Leogane, and Fondwa sadly escapes the immediate reach of larger
relief organizations.

We receive daily updates from our collaborators in Haiti: STADL, FLAP Haiti
and University of Fondwa.

We must deliver crucial aid and relief at the same time that we administer
services essential to helping life go on in Haiti. Food, medical service,
and other relief for these areas must accompany other services like daycare,
schooling, and everyday travay (work) that ensures life goes on.

Haiti 2015 is not waiting idly, and neither should you. However, we must act
smartly and wisely, weaving all the stories and information into an Action
Plan that is a best fit for the areas struggling most right now. We
encourage everyone to be patient as we formulate this plan for the areas and
people we know best.

Mesi,


-- Your Passionate Servant,

Ilio Durandis
Founder
Haiti 2015
www.haiti2015.com

Room for kids in Les Cayes

Hi my name is Seth Goldberg and my wife and I make up Global Family Philanthropy(www.globalfamilyphilanthropy.org)  We have room for children at a facility in Les Cayes if you can move the children there.  The organization is www.freethekids.org and the contact is Father Marc.  We are also in the process of trying to secure more housing in Les Cayes.  We have HR in Les Cayes and may at some point have the ability to move people by truck  but communication has been sporadic with the drivers.  If we can help and you are interested please let us know.  If you are not but know someone who is please forward this on.



Seth and Lori Goldberg
Global Family Philanthropy
480-225-0765

For creating a Voodu Altar

Please click on link

Baron Samedi

Baron Samedi is the lwa of crossing over in Haiti

At this point... he must be overwhelmed

Please aid him with your mourning prayers for the dead


He is usually depicted with a white top hat, black tuxedo, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in the Haitian style. He has a white, frequently skull-like face (or actually has a skull for a face) and speaks in a nasal voice. He is a sexual loa, frequently represented by phallic symbols and is noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Additionally, he is the loa of sex and resurrection, and in the latter capacity he is often called upon for healing by those near or approaching death, as it is only Baron who can accept an individual into the realm of the dead. Baron Samedi can also be depicted as figure who crosses traditional gender boundaries, either through cross-dressing[1] or by exhibiting bisexuality.[2]

Baron Samedi spends most of his time in the invisible realm of voodoo spirits. He is notorious for his outrageous behavior, swearing continuously and making filthy jokes to the other spirits. He is married to another powerful spirit known as Mama Brigitte, but often chases after mortal women or men. He loves smoking and drinking and is rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth or a glass of rum in his bony fingers. Baron Samedi can usually be found at the crossroad between the worlds of the living and the dead. When someone dies he digs their grave and greets their soul after they have been buried, leading them to the underworld.

For my Beloved Haitians......

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

john o'donohue

Notes from the

Ce n,est pas encore fini pour nous. Il a encore tremble ce matin, vers 6h15. Ah c,etait la panique. Se ak slip neg kouri, en plein sommeil. La population est traumatisee, sous le choc encore. L,evacuation avait deja commence volontairement avant que le gouvernement emboite le pas mais ma question comment evacuer ceux qui sont sur la cour de la primature et sur les autres places et lieux publics? Quand la motivation qui les a conduite dans ces lieux n,etait autre que n,etre pris en charge.
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel

It is not yet finished for us. There was another quake this morning, around 6.15. oh that was panic. .......... The population is traumatized, again under a shock. The evacuation had already started, voluntarily before the government took a step but my question... how to evacuate those who are in the yards of the center and other public places?------

-----Original Message-----
From: "andre joel petit-homme"
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:26:29
To: ; ; daly valet;
subject:[GrandsDébats] Re: nouvelles info
Merci,Je viens de passer a Tabarre la file est encore longue devant l,ambassade, tout le long du mur de cloture. N,oubliez pas il est 10h pm. Mais avec la difference qu,ils montrent un peu de respect a leurs ressortissants, ils installent des tentes. Ah mon cher Figi moun yo fenen. Epuiser par la chaleur dans l,espoir d,acceder l,enceinte de leur ambassade, enfants sur le bras, senior citizen soutenus, handicapes sur leur chaise , papier en main dans une enveloppe, trempes dans leur sueur, pris dans une espece de gentillesse provisoire des marines, de certains agents federaux et de coast gard,bref un decor deplaisant pour un haitien authentique. Il faut aussi dire qu,il circule l,info selon laquelle les francais , les canadiens sont mecontents du traitement qui leur est inflige par l,oncle Sam dans le rapatriment a l,aeroport : PRIMAM PARTEM QUIOR NOMINEM LEO. Entre temps notre Ti Rene national n,a pas reussi a mettre ses mandants en confiance que la vie reprendra malgre les difficultes. Je reprends avec un internaute, le 11 septembre il n,y avait qu,un leader. Et son peuple etait derriere lui comme un seul homme. Je n,ai pas encore entendu les mots de rassurance de mon President , lesquels que j,attend encore pour me permettre d,avoir la force de recommencer. Avoir tout perdu n,est pas encore le probleme mais c,est perdre l,esperance. Ce sont les qualites d,un leader dans ces moments d,incertitude. Je veux mon Ti Rene aux commandes.
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel

A Note on Logistics

Click on header for full story

Remember, logistics is all about the five rights: the right goods, in the right quantity, to the right place, at the right time, at the right price. One of the main issues here (and one that I have seen very little coverage of) is that in a chaotic situation like this we just don’t know what are the right goods, the right quantities, or even the right place. Needs assessment is incredibly difficult, especially in view of how difficult it is to access some areas.

“So”, I hear you say, “just send as much as possible of everything, and we’ll sort things out later”. That would be a very nice idea, if we weren’t already struggling with overburdened and disrupted infrastructure (more about that later); everything that we send that is not needed, means that we cannot send something that is needed. This is a precarious juggling act, and although logisticians have some tools to deal with it (e.g. the much-vaunted kit system, a development from the 1980s first aid logistics revolution – but one that is nearing the end of its shelf life, for reasons that I will explain at some other time), it is still the major forgotten logistics challenge.

Furthermore, unused goods can become a serious liability after the crisis; e.g. the Indonesian government had to spend untold millions of dollars on disposal of unwanted goods after the 2004 tsunami, causing a serious burden on the reconstruction.

A second issue that is under-reported, is the logistics of logistics: logistics is an immensely fuel-hungry venture (think cars, think trucks, think planes and helicopters, think generators), and getting the fuel where it is needed is not easy. In this sense, Haiti will probably be rather easier than most crises, due to the proximity of two of the largest oil producing countries in the world, and the largest navy fleet in the world; expect one or more of the US Navy’s Brobdingnagian supply ships to turn up soon with large fuel stores.

A third main issue is the wide-spread destruction of physical infrastructure. Port-au-Prince’s harbour at the moment is effectively useless, the airport (not one with a very high capacity in the first place) is damaged, and roads are destroyed and blocked. Large transport helicopters would be immensely helpful but are by far the most fuel-guzzling mode of transport (there we go again with the juggling act) and are not that easy to get there because of their limited operational range; e.g. an Mi-26 (carrying 20 tonnes) ranges only 800 kilometres, which can be extended to 1900 kilometres using additional fuel tanks – but that would seriously impact on its load carrying capacity.

In the fourth place, communications will be difficult. Over the last years, aid organisations have become more and more reliant on telephone communications, and these will be disrupted and overburdened. Many organisations have lost their expertise in radio communications (five years ago, I could program and set up a Q-mac, a backpack-sized mobile HF transceiver, in ten minutes flat, three minutes if it was pre-programmed; I now would need a manual and at least 30 minutes), and many of their staff have no clue about radio protocol – which sounds boring but is absolutely necessary to prevent total chaos on your radio channels. As a result, communication will be a real challenge.

Fifth is coordination. There will be such a host of different organisations on the ground that it will be difficult to ensure that we don’t duplicate efforts (well, duplicate as little as possible). Even more important is to avoid hindering each other, e.g. by using the available infrastructure inefficiently, causing congestion. This is one of the reasons why I would seriously suggest smaller organisations and individuals (especially those that have no previous experience in emergency response) to stay away and not even consider going there before the third stage response starts to set in (probably in about two weeks). For the people on the ground, this means going to coordination meetings. People who have worked with me know that I mostly consider these as a waste of time (I think using personal networks is almost always much more effective and efficient) – but the one main exception is during the first phases of an emergency response. So yes, even in situations like this, humanitarian logistics will involve long hours in airless rooms trying to come to agreements and exchanging information; sorry to prick your romantic bubble.

Another 6.1 quake in Haiti

Another quake of 6.1 hit Haiti this morning see here

appeal from Fonkoze--- a highly regarded operation

Dear Friend,

All of us at Fonkoze USA appreciate all the prayers, phone calls, emails, and especially donations that we have received in response to the major and tragic earthquake that ravaged Haiti just a week ago today. We have been in touch on a daily basis with Fonkoze's leadership in Haiti which is now working feverishly to design a strategy to respond to this unprecedented natural disaster.

We update our website at least daily. So, please continue to visit the website at www.fonkoze.org for the latest information about the situation on the ground with Fonkoze and to contribute to the "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund."

Donations are urgently needed. The courageous staff of Fonkoze are ready to move forward with a major relief effort followed by an aggressive rehabilitation program. The staff themselves have, however, been significantly impacted. Fonkoze leadership met with some 50 staff members on Sunday, and half of them lost virtually everything they own. (At least three staff were killed in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.) We are planning to give these impacted staff some immediate resources to stabilize their lives so they can focus on the clients. Another major funding need is for Fonkoze to establish an Emergency Operations Center and re-build branch structures in order to serve the branches and our clients throughout Haiti. The costs related to doing so are being calculated as we write this update and appeal.

The ultimate priority is to serve our borrowers and clients by helping them re-establish their homes and families and their businesses. This will take time and will build on the successful client rehabilitation efforts following natural disasters earlier this decade.

To date, we have received a little over $80,000. While we don't have a good grasp of our overall financial needs as yet, we anticipate that we will need more than $1 million dollars in the next few weeks in order to meet the needs of Fonkoze's clients and staff.

Please make a donation now to our "Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Fund". Please do it today by mailing a check to Fonkoze USA, 50 F St., NW, Suite 810, Washington, DC 20001, or make a donation online at: www.fonkoze.org.

We also encourage you to continue keeping up with Fonkoze's progress on the web site. There is new updated information on sending money to Haiti, the status of some of our personnel, the status of branches, and other information.

Please continue to PRAY, PHONE, PARTNER, and PITCH-IN FOR HAITI.

Sincerely,

Alex Counts, Chair, Fonkoze USA

John Mercier, President, Fonkoze USA

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Open Routes through to JACMEL

JACMEL: New route established for medical teams and much needed supplies
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 10:32 — melindayiti

As of yesterday we have a new route in place for teams to travel into Jacmel and points south over sea. This is how it works:

1. Teams travel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by private or commercial plane at their own cost.
2. Our coordinators in SD, working out of the FUNGLODE office, arrange transport of teams to the port at Pedernales, Cabo Rojo.
3. If major supplies are coming in, we have a trucking company and warehouse, Atlantic Packaging Company, on hand to meet planes, unload supplies, transport to the port or safeguard in their warehouse.
4. DR Navy boats will take our teams and supplies directly to Jacmel as soon as we make them available at the port in Cabo Rojo.

We are investigating now the possibility of sending teams to an airport closer to the port in Pedernales but have no confirmation yet.

It is now time to start mobilizing people in the US who have collected major amounts of medical and emergency housing supplies to get them on the ground in the Dominican Republic and coordinated onto boats. The Dominican Republic has generously made FIVE Navy boats available to transport supplies into Jacmel for the city and surrounding areas, points south of PAP. The Atlantic Packaging Company is willing to support any and all transport/warehousing needs on the ground in the DR. We want to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to quickly mobilize teams and materials to people still waiting, seven days after the earthquake, for some relief.

If you have supplies or a team ready to deploy, please send an email to Melinda Miles, melinda@konpay.org and include the following information:

- Team Coordinator
- Location in the U.S.
- # of team members, names and specialties
- Date you could arrive in DR
- Date you would need to leave Haiti and be replaced by another team
- Materials/supplies you have collected and quantities (approximate weight or amount of space)
- Other information I should know about your team

* melindayiti's blog
*

From Konbit Pou Haiti

KOFAVIV Report on the Earthquake
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 10:40 — melindayiti

KOFAVIV, The Commission of Women Victims for Victims, sent this message to me on January 18, 2010 and I wanted to share it with the many people who have know and supported them over the years. It was written by Eramithe Delva and Malya Vaillard.

Greetings, we are to write to you today because God has given us a chance that my family and Malya also are alive. Because of where the catastrophe hit in Haiti the majority of victims are woman of Kofaviv and many of them died with all of their family, the rest that are left are sleeping under the stars, their houses destroyed with everything in it in the process. Actually many women are sleeping in Chanmas in bad conditions, in the damp night air, where the sun beats on them, rain falls on them, damp air hits them, many of them lost a lot of their family, we can say, many of them already did not have anything to their name, now hunger almost kills them. We followed the example myself and Malya who left for Chanmas with 20 children with us with other families who are sleeping under a tarp. We do not process anything again. Our house is destroyed and everything in it and we lost a lot of members of our family. The office of Kofaviv is damaged along with our materials that were inside. We have people who died in the office, like Madame Gadyen, office of Wesnel, actually after our survey we made we have around 300 women of Kofaviv who are victims along with their families, we have some areas that we have not yet entered to know what the situation is there. We know if there is not a rapid intervention for the women to find medicine, food, clothes, shoes and everything that is possible to have we have those that will have to return to their homeland, but with out the ability to pay for transportation they cannot go. To end we will make you know that even the school KOPADIM was damaged also. We have a lot of children who died.



ORIGINAL CREOLE:

bonjou , nou kontan pou nou ekri w jodi a paske bondye ban nou yon chans ke fanmi mwen menm ak Malya nou ankò an vi, kote katastwof sa ki pase annayiti a koz ke pi fo nan medam kofaviv viktim e anpil ladan yo mouri tou ak tout fanmi yo, e rès ki rete yo ap dòmi a la bèl etwal, kay yo kraze e yo pèdi tout sa yo pwosede. aktyèlman anpil nan medam sa yo se sou channmas yap domi, nan move kondisyon, nan seren, kote solèy pase sou yo, lapli mouye yo, seren bat yo, anpil nan yo pêdi anpil nan fanmi yo, nou ka di : yo te deja yon pakèt moun ki pa gen anyen nan men yo, kounya menm lafen prèske touye yo, si nap pran ekzanp mwen menm ak malya ki lage sou channmas ak 20 timoun nan men nou ak lòt fanmi ankò kap dòmi anba yon prela, nou pa pwosede anyen anko, kay nou kraze ak tout sa ki ladan l, e nou pèdi anpil nan manm fanmi nou, biwo kofaviv kraze ak tout materyèl nou te gen ladan l, nou gen moun ki mouri nan biwo a tankou madan Gadyen biwo a ki se Wesnel. aktyèlman daprè ankèt nou mennen, nou gen anviwon 300 nan medam KOFAVIV yo ki viktim, ak tout fanmi yo, gen kèk zôn nou poko ka rantre pou n ka konnen ki jan sitiyasyon an ye. nou wè si pa gen yon entèvansyon rapid ki fèt pou sa ki anko vivan yo, sitiyasyon an ap plis angrave nan jou kap vini yo pou medam yo, an nijans nap mande w pou w ta fè yon entèvansyon rapid pou medam yo ta jwenn medikaman, manje, rad, sandal ak tout sa ki posib ankò. genyen nan yo ki ta vle al nan peyi yo, koz de mwayen transpo yo pa ka ale. pou fini nap fè w konnen ke menm lekol KOPADIM lan frape tou, nou gen plizyè timoun ki mouri.

* melindayiti's blog

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS IN HAITI

2 organizations not as prominent but have strong reputation, international honors. Staffed by Haitians; amazingly effective, sustainable projects: FONKOZE - microcredit savings bank; he LAMBI fund with agricultutal, envirn. water, education. google names to donate. Partners in Health highly recommended: is already receiving thousands from superstars.

From Soil

Report from Sasha Kramer with SOIL

Working with KONPAY's Amber Munger at the Matthew 25 House in Port-au-Prince

January 19, 2010

This afternoon, feeling helpless, we decided to take a van down to Champs Mars (the area around the palace) to look for people needing medical care to bring to Matthew 25, the guesthouse where we are staying which has been transformed into a field hospital. Since we arrived in Port au Prince everyone has told us that you cannot go into the area around the palace because of violence and insecurity.

I was in awe as we walked into downtown, among the flattened buildings , in the shadow of the fallen palace, amongst the swarms of displaced people there was calm and solidarity. We wound our way through the camp asking for injured people who needed to get to the hospital. Despite everyone telling us that as soon as we did this we would be mobbed by people, I was amazed as we approached each tent people gently pointed us towards their neighbors, guiding us to those who were suffering the most.

We picked up 5 badly injured people and drove towards an area where Ellie and Berto had passed a woman earlier. When they saw her she was lying on the side of the road with a broken leg screaming for help, as they were on foot they could not help her at the time so we went back to try to find her. Incredibly we found her relatively quickly at the top of a hill of shattered houses. The sun was setting and the community helped to carry her down the hill on a refrigerator door, tough looking guys smiled in our direction calling out “bonswa Cherie” and “kouraj”.

In Memoriam... Haitian Feminists

Rest in Peace MYRIAM MERLET, MAGALIE MARCELIN, ANNE MARIE CORIOLAN, FANM VANYAN, who have fought all their lives for the rights of women and girls in Haiti. They all perished in the collapse of the Ministry of the Condition of Women where they worked. The lives of Haitian Woman, Haitian Girls, Haitian Families have imp...roved thanks to your relentless fights for justice an gender equity!

More from Teq

Haitians leaving by any means necessary, boats to Jeremie, truck of household goods to Artibonite, Cape Haitian, bus to wherever your family is.

There are no banks operating, no schools, no nothing. Anyone who has the capacity is getting out of town. Still corpses around.

from Teq Minsky

Simply put, the Haitian population are taking care of themselves since no one else is.

Still sleeping in the streets, those whose houses have been demolished or damaged. They clean the garbage and sweep the streets prior to their putting out mattresses and bedding.

Droves leaving for provinces.

All the talk of aid...or distribution at airport...getting to airport?

Goods inflation...gas, water etc.

The city is VERY VERY VERY quiet. The thought of troops prepared for Iraq patrolling is chilling!

This is a time to encourage and support institutions in the provinces so that people can make a life there. Home town associations should be supported.
Decentralization.

Back at work!!!

Manutech in Haiti thanks all customers, suppliers, and friends who have inquired about us since the earthquake of last Tuesday. There has been a lot of media attention on Haiti since the quake, and this update will provide some specific information on Manutech.

The quake hit just before 5 PM last Tuesday, after most of our 470+ employees had left for the day. Some were still in transit home, which was a relatively safe place to be. Our factory building is steel girder construction, and was not damaged, although there was minor disruption inside the building... filing cabinets and computers overturned, drop ceiling panels literally dropping, etc.

We had very little attendence in the days immediately following the quake, as most workers' homes had suffered at least some serious damage, with many being totally destroyed. Those few who did come last week were generally able to pick up and repair the relatively minor interior damages.

Today, Monday January 18th, we have just over 100 workers present and we have re-started production in most departments. We anticipate an increasing attendance tomorrow and in the days to come.

PROBLEMS
- Port-au-Prince Airport Congestion
Our primary cargo airline has assured us their best efforts in getting our shipments in and out, but U.S. military authorities are operating the airport, and priorities are humanitarian relief. Outbound flights are largely empty, so we expect little difficulty in getting shipments out, although no promises can be made about specific flight dates. Our shipments are small enough so that we are reasonably confident that we should be able to keep product moving in both directions.

- Electricity
There is no city power and no idea when that will return. Fortunately, Manutech has ample back-up generators and a sufficient supply of diesel fuel (2500 gallons) to operate independently of city power. There is no shortage of diesel fuel in the country, although distribution to gas stations is only now re-starting. We expect to be able to hold out with our diesel supply until deliveries are resumed to private industry.

- Workers
We have set up a Haiti Emergency Fund in our Miami office (address below)and are presently surveying workers as they return to complete a personal damage assessment. This assessment will be used to help us distribute 100% of the funds received to those workers having suffered the most serious losses. We are aware of three fatalities among our employees, although quite a few more report the loss of family members. One employee's arm was crushed and required amputation, and undoubtedly injuries are preventing others from returning to work. Beyond our Haiti Emergency Fund which will be 100% distributed in cash to employees, we are investigating the availability of emergency food aid which we have the means of preparing and distributing at the factory.

Our Miami office is functioning normally, and will have more up-to-date information, however we will also be sending additional updates over the coming weeks as we recommence all operations.

Thank you again for your support,

Lance Durban
President

MANUTECH, INC.
8181 NW 91 Terrace, #10
Miami, FL 33166
http://www.manutech.us
Miami Office Tel. 305-888-2800
Miami Office Fax 305-888-2628
Haiti Plant Tel. 305-953-6591
Haiti Plant Tel. 305-851-5423
Haiti Plant Tel. 305-407-2482
Haiti Plant Fax 305-574-7938

Streamline Adoptions?

With what will undoubtedly be the creation of a large number of orphans in Haiti as a result of the hurrican, has anyone heard any talk of streamlining the adoption process for new applications (i.e., not those adoptions initiated prior to the hurricane)? My wife and I have many times considered adopting a child from Haiti but have not pursued it due to the seemingly endless bureaucratic hurdles and the ethical concerns of devoting so much money to adopting a single child vs helping many children in Haiti. However, if the process were to be significantly streamlined, this could obviate these concerns.
Many thanks,

Rescue Help

For the rescue help, there is a gentleman, Dennis, who works with Alert 1
weather – it is on facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=lf#/pages/Alert-1-Weather-Inc/89008940824?v=info&ref=tsand
online at
http://www.Alert1Weather.org

If you submit a wall post with info from anyone at all, the more info the
better, they will respond asap and alert Southern Command, Search and Rescue
and go in themselves. It is tremendously effective and they have been very
helpful already.

Please forward to anyone you know.

free Vonage calls

Vonage is currently offering free international dialing to Haiti
through a special toll-free number.

NOTE: You don't have to be a Vonage customer to make a free call any
U.S. caller who has access to a telephone can call 800-809-2503 and
follow the instructions to place a free 10-minute call to Haiti. We
encourage you... to pass this Vonage toll-free number along to
non-Vonage customers who want to call Haiti.

Orphanage At RISK

they called me today, and one week after the quake , they haven't received anything . Im resending this, We are in the 21 century!! Where is the Red Cross , etc.. etc.. all getting so much money from donations??

PLEASE the orphanage below kids are starving and without water, kids sick.
PLEASE ALERT EMERGENCY AID


Orphanage Rose “ Mina” de Diegue, located in Port –au- Prince (Petion Ville)

Address: Route de Freres, St Louis Jeanty # 11.
Owner: Rolande Fernandez. (phone: + 509 -346-24213 ) .

This orphanage has 70 kids – from few months to 17 years old- with only 2 employees . The health condition of babies and small kids is very affected

Pilar Martin, MD, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine &
Florida International University
University Park, HLS II- 579-A
11200 SW 8 ST.
Miami, FL 3319
Office: (305) 348-7788
Fax: (305) 348-4901
email: pmartin@fiu.edu

Haiti after the earthquake. (1) - By Michael Deibert - Slate Magazine

Haiti after the earthquake. (1) - By Michael Deibert - Slate Magazine

The Richter and Mercalli Scales

This earthquake was a 7.0 on the Richter a Ten on the Mercalli

classified as Most Disastrous

Click on the title to read the scales

Teachers to the Rescue

Hello everyone,



Meaghan and I are alive and healthy. We've been working with 4 other Union School teachers and organizing first aid, triage, and everything else for at least 12 hours a day (with some all nighters). Along the way, we picked up drivers, first responders, nurses, and even doctors. Oddly enough, we're organized and are operating a unit that has gained much respect at the hospitals. We've seen and had to do things that are hardly imaginable, but we're starting to see some progress.



The first day, within 15 minutes of the earthquake, we ran next door to the Canadian/France Red Cross. They were so stunned, that it was actually Meaghan that initiated the first night's triage. We brought people in to the compound and did what we could to help. That night, Meaghan gave mouth to mouth to a woman, but was unable to resuscitate her. It was a bit shocking, but within hours, we were seeing dozens of dead bodies (since then we've pretty well been surrounded by hundreds and thousands of dead). So many people are still trapped under rubble. Anyway, the earthquake happened around 5 o'clock, and by 11, most of the people at the Red Cross were stabilized. Independently, the five of us decided to go into the ravines and slums. We brought along a man that could suture, and got to work. We found a soccer field with about a thousand people, many of whom were injured. We didn't have a table, any lighting, or anything else. We just had a bunch of supplies, a few headlamps, 5 teachers with little to no experience in First Aid, and an experienced first aid responder (later another man joined us).



Over the night and into the morning, we learned how to clean wounds, many of which were very serious, like stress amputations. We stabilized that locations, and moved to another locations at 4 am until 7:30. It was complete chaos, but we helped a lot of people. We hitched a ride back home, and had a few hours sleep. By noon, we were ready to go again. We went to the Red Cross. That location is not equipped for disaster, so we were the team. They gave us pretty much all of their medical supplies, a driver, and access to a truck.. We went to the Hopital Communautaire de Haiti. We worked into the evening, with headlamps (because even the hospitals didn't have electricity). We soon realized that several of us were completely willing to work on the worst wounds, and do things that are hardly describable. That night, we couldn't get back home, but a friends' grandmother brought us in and fed us. The next morning, we went to the biggest hospital in Port-au-Prince. On the way, we saw buildings and dead people in piles everywhere. Within a few days, the smell was atrocious. We're used to it now.



I'm trying to write, but what we've seen, and what we've done is indescribable. I pretty well did surgery 12 hours a day for a few days, and watched many of my patients (and friends) die. There were no doctors for the first 4 days. 4 days!!! There were very few supplies, but we managed. Already, I've developed some incredible relationships with those I've been taking care of. Some of the locals, friends and family of victims have been so helpful, kind, and patient. They call me Dr. Bruno, even after I explain that I'm just a teacher, and that any of them can do the same thing. If it makes them feel better to think I'm a doctor, then be it.



Because of the tireless work we've been doing, we are listed as �the teachers� along with Doctors Without Borders, World Vision, Red Cross, at the crisis response meetings. They realized that while NGOs and international aid were assessing the situation for days before coming to ground zero, 5 of us were there within minutes, and haven't let up. They decided to provide us with �anything we want, no questions asked,� which is incredible considering the supply shortage. Red Cross and World Vision have given us so much support too. Red Cross gives us whatever they have, and much encouragement. We were worried about our security, so now we sleep at Red Cross, next door.



There are probably 100s of thousands dead, and many of those that are alive are just starting to received aid. We're surrounded by amputees, so although the buildings can be rebuilt, the scars will be visible for generations. Thousands, if not nearly a million people, haven't eaten in days, and hungry people can get pretty desperate. I wish I could send you letter telling you that everything is fine, but it's not. Don't worry about us; we'll do what we need to do, and it'll be worth it. We'll be mindful about safety, and I'll try to keep you updated. This is just a letter to friends and family. My thoughts are a bit scattered, considering the circumstances, so I would prefer if this was not posted on the media co-op website. I'll try to write something better later. Also, I'll try to write to many of you personally. Because my access to internet is so limited, and facebook isn't working for me, please forward this to friends and family.

With love,

Bruno.

Wyclef calls for Evacuation of Port Au Prince

click on title

Monday, January 18, 2010

Fonkoze operational for transfers

An Urgent Message to Friends and Donors of Fonkoze Re: the
Earthquake
Mon., Jan. 18, 2010 3:00 PM

Urgent Notice to everyone wanting to send money to Haiti
through Fonkoze:

Fonkoze Haiti is pleased to inform you that 28 Fonkoze
branches are open for business and, depending on their cash
liquidity, are paying cash transfers. They are listed below.
There are a few branches we have not been able to
communicate with but it is possible they are operating:

* Gantye, Fonveret
* Tyot
* Montoganize
* Fondwa.

We hope one Fonkoze branch office in Port-au-Prince will be
open by Wednesday and will provide updates on these as
information is confirmed.

For those of you who use our service with City National
Bank of New Jersey, that bank has agreed to cover all
transfer fees for the time being. That means every dollar
you send will end up in the account of your beneficiary.
We are grateful to Louis Prezeau of City National Bank of
New Jersey for making this possible. He joined the very
first conference call of friends of Fonkoze to offer his
assistance and this is one tangible way he has followed
through.

Moneygram is also offering a special: For any country
sending US dollars to Haiti, the fee is $1. For any country
sending Euros to Haiti, the fee is 1 Euro.

Remember: No matter what funds you transfer, they are
secure. All three services we pay for are functioning
without problems: Moneygram, Unitransfer and CAM. Not all
branches are working normal hours at present, and we must
stress that liquidity varies hourly, but the system itself
is intact and your cash is secure.

Fully operational branches referenced above:

* Grandans: Jeremi, Bomon
* Sid: Okay, Okoto,
* Sides: Marigo, Lavale, Fondeblan
* Nippes: Miragwan
* Lwes: Lagonav, Latwazon,
* Plato Santral: Mibale, Tomonn, Boukankare, Sodo,
Belade, Piyon, Ench
* Latibonit: Ponsonde, SenMichel, Gonayiv
* No: Okap, Lenbe, Milo, Pomago
* Nodes: Folibete, Twoudino, Wanament
* Nodwes: Podpe, Janrabel

John Mercier, President, Fonkoze USA

Before and After

click on heading

The Spirit of Port au Prince now Broken


click on heading

Hedi Annabi death confirmed

Hédi Annabi, who has died aged 65 in the collapse of the United Nations headquarters in Port-au-Prince, following Haiti's earthquake, was the head of the UN mission in that country since 2007. Annabi was committed to the international interest. He was one of those UN personnel who have cut – or, at the very least, frozen – any identification with the national interests of their own country. They commit themselves to working solely towards the goals set by the decision-making authorities – the general assembly (GA), the security council (SC) and, within severely circumscribed limits, the secretary general (SG). Annabi's formidable intellect and political experience were deployed towards the aims set by numerous GA and SC resolutions in political and peacekeeping missions across the world.
A Tunisian, Annabi studied political science at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, in Paris, English language and literature at Tunis University, Tunisia, and international relations at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. After some years in the Tunisian foreign service and advising Tunisia's prime minister, he moved to the UN in 1981. He joined the UN team mediating the tensions in south-east Asia, whose work led to the establishment of a UN mission in Cambodia in 1991. In 1992 he joined the newly established Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) overseeing several missions in Africa. These included the ill-fated operation in Rwanda, for whose failure DPKO was blamed, while the SC – which established the mandate, determined the resources and had oversight responsibilities for the mission – escaped censure. In 1997 Kofi Annan named Annabi the deputy of DPKO, supervising all peacekeeping missions. In 2007 Ban Ki-moon
appointed him special representative and head of the UN stabilisation mission in Haiti (Minustah), from where Annabi planned to retire.
Annabi's abilities emanated from his sharp mind, which enabled him to master the complexities of vastly differing field missions, many with mandates that had to be interpreted and implemented on the ground, in harsh and often dangerous conditions. He reported on specific operations and their challenges to the SC, where he became a favourite for his crisp presentations – although they were often laced with barbs for its members for their lapses, in particular for western governments which enthusiastically supported new operations but balked at dispatching their own troops. His impressive memory meant he could respond precisely – at times drolly – to queries. Despite setbacks on the ground, he shunned discouragement.
In appearance, he was an unlikely-looking peacekeeper, far from the image of the big, brawny trooper in a blue beret or helmet (armed essentially for self-defence). Slight, short and balding with round glasses, he resembled a schoolteacher unsure of finding his way out. He lived up to his nickname, "headmaster", mentoring his juniors in managing operations. But in his peacekeeping tasks he was fully in control of all DPKO missions, reporting to the head of DPKO. He was known for working for 12 to 14 hours every day, while he then tended to his seriously ill wife, Danièle, at home. Yet he maintained regular phone contact with heads of mission in the field. His office, which had a large map of the world with pins at mission locations, was full of piles of papers (he could always find the one needed), behind which he hunched over his desk, a beige cardigan hanging loosely from his shoulders or chair.
He enjoyed the loyalty of his teams, who did not shirk from the long hours demanded by urgent events in widely dispersed time zones, despite his weakness for promoting the careers of select proteges. He was a DPKO champion in the unending war with the Department of Political Affairs, often chiding former team-mates who had moved to the SG's office for siding with the enemy.
By no means was he a dry and humourless bureaucrat; his irreverent wit drew regular laughter from his colleagues. He and his assistant, Lily, lovingly insulted each other while coping with the unending flow of cables, emails and phone calls throughout the day, and often at night. A group of female staffers – "Hédi's harem" – cajoled him into lunching with them every other month. On one occasion, he received an irate complaint from a Middle Eastern capital that a legal officer (from the same region) on a mission there was dressing inappropriately. Is she doing her job, he demanded. Phone me if she is not.
Annabi's death inevitably brings to mind that of Sérgio Vieira de Mello, the head of the UN mission in Iraq, who was killed in an explosion at the UN building in Baghdad in 2003. The loss of such luminaries diminishes the UN and the people it strives to serve, for Annabi was, in UN parlance, "as blue as can be" – unreservedly dedicated to the organisation and its sky-blue flag.
He is survived by Danièle and an adopted son.
• Hédi Annabi, diplomat, born 4 September 1944; died circa 12 January 2010
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
####__________________________

Fernandez Calls for Massive Aid ¨Package

* Dominican Republic leader proposes $2 bln-a-year fund

* Haitian president appeals for long-term aid from donors (Adds Dominican president's comments, details)

By Manuel Jimenez

SANTO DOMINGO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez proposed to international donors on Monday the creation of a $10 billion five-year assistance program to support Haiti's recovery from a devastating earthquake.

As a huge international relief effort gained momentum to help survivors of Tuesday's earthquake, which wrecked the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, donors held a preliminary meeting in neighboring Dominican Republic to try to gauge the cost of reconstruction and longer-term recovery.

"Haiti will need an integral national development plan of about $2 billion a year ... We'd be talking about a five-year program of some $10 billion," Fernandez told representatives of foreign governments and international financial institutions at the conference in Santo Domingo.

The Dominican Republic leader said forgiveness of Haiti's debt should be part of any assistance program to the nation which was already the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

Governments and institutions have come forward with offers of financial aid to Haiti. European Union institutions and member states have offered more than 400 million euros ($575.6 million) in emergency and longer-term assistance. [ID:nLDE60H1FI]

The Inter-American Development Bank was proposing an assistance program for Haiti that would include forgiveness of $480 million in debt and provision of $444 million in grants and loans, the IADB representative in Santo Domingo, Manuel Labrado, said.

Speaking at the same meeting, Haitian President Rene Preval appealed to international donors to focus not just on immediate aid for his quake-hit country but also on its long-term development needs.

"We cannot just cure the wounds of the earthquake, we must develop the economy, agriculture, education, health, and reinforce the democratic institutions," Preval said.

Haitian authorities estimate up to 200,000 people may have been killed in the massive quake and say three-quarters of Port-au-Prince will have to be rebuilt. The Haitian Red Cross has estimated 3 million people have been left homeless or injured in the country of 9 million. Emergency assistance is already flowing into Haiti from around the world.

DONORS CONFERENCES

Fernandez, who was the first foreign head of state to visit Haiti after the quake struck, said he proposed to host in April in Dominican Republic an international donors' conference to coordinate contributions and strategies for Haiti's recovery.

Prior to this, Canada will host a meeting of foreign ministers in Montreal on Jan. 25 to prepare a major donors' meeting. [ID:nN18232197]

Among those set to attend the Montreal meeting of the informal Friends of Haiti Group are U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. France and several Latin American nations belong to the group.

Preval said Haiti was "already in a difficult situation" before the magnitude 7.0 earthquake demolished swathes of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.

Haiti has struggled for decades with political turmoil and conflict, grinding poverty and devastating natural disasters such as floods and landslides, which has kept it at the bottom of development rankings in the Americas. [ID:nN12212029]

Fernandez said political stability in Haiti would be fundamental for any rebuilding program. "This can only be achieved with the application of measures that strengthen the rule of law in Haiti and guarantee internal security".

The Dominican leader said any assistance program would have to rebuild and upgrade bridges, roads, schools, hospitals, ports, airports, the power system, telecommunications and the tourism sector.

"Haiti is a country which with the help of the international community can perfectly well develop, rebuild and modernize," he said. (Reporting by Manuel Jimenez, editing by Pascal Fletcher and Jackie Frank)

Aid from Turkey has arrived

Source: Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS)

Date: 18 Jan 2010


In response to massive earthquake that struck Haiti and caused more than 100.000 people lost their life and left more than 2.5 million people homeless in Port-au-Prince and adjoining areas, the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), in the wake of disaster, established its crisis management desk herein Disaster Operation Center (AFOM) to TRC to conduct and coordinate response activities in close coordination and cooperation within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as with relevant UN agencies and clusters deployed in Haiti. By taking the catastrophic situation emerged as a result of the quake into consideration, TRC expedited a response team composed of a relief delegates and psychologist to Haiti on 13th January 2010 from Ankara where the AFOM is located. The TRC's response team achieved to reach at Port-au-Prince on 15th January 2010 through Paris and Santo Domingo.

Concurrently, TRC dispatched first relief consignment from Turkey, composing 200 family tents, 2.000 blankets, 145 kitchen utensils and 1.000 body bags worth $137.636,74 USD to Haiti by two C-130 Military Aircrafts those allocated by Turkish Air Force with a view to supporting ongoing relief activities within the concept of civil-military cooperation in emergency situation. In addition to TRC's relief consignment, the Ministry of Health sent two ambulance vehicles with drivers to be used for carrying wounded and rescued people from debris to the hospital or health centers by another military aircraft on the same day.

By considering logistics constrain prevailing in Haiti, a logistics team composed of two delegates and a PR (public relation) delegate sent by TRC to Haiti on 17th January 2010 by another two military aircraft those carrying a field hospital provided by the Ministry of Health with a capacity of 30 beds and 17 medical staffs composing 11 doctors and 4 nurses. The logistics team is going to be deployed on Santo Domingo or Santiago in Dominic Republic so as to establish logistic pipeline between two neighbouring countries and supply required relief items to earthquake zone in efficient and rapid manner.

TRC has already launched donation campaign in Turkey and called for people of Turkey to extend their helping hand to people of Haiti by contributing to the campaign.

The TRC's response team started distribution of 200 food rations including; 2 liters of milk, 1 liter of fruit juice, 2 pounds of sugar, 1 can of corn, 2 cans of red beans, 2 liter of potable water, 2 can of sauces, 2 can of sardines, 1 box of 10 bars of chocolate, 1 pack of sweet crackers, 1 pack of salty crackers in the capital Port-au-Prince in close coordination and cooperation with IFRC Delegation in Haiti and Food Cluster established by UN.

Following to receive first relief consignment dispatched on 16th January to Port-au-Prince, TRC, in conjunction with shelter cluster and Federation Delegation in Port-au-Prince, will establish a relief camp for two hundred families in suitable place to be identified or given by the capital authority. If it seems possible, the field hospital already dispatched on 17th January and expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince on 18th January, would be established on the same place where 200 affected families to be accommodated in TRC's relief camp.

Moreover, as a part of response activities, so as to facilitate recovery of affected communities, psychosocial support activities are being undertaken by our psychologist on the ground.

Turkish Red Crescent will continue to support the people of Haiti to deal with results of the tragic event and will not leave them alone in their worst days.

Yours truly,

Disaster Management Department,

Disaster Operation Center (AFOM) of

The Turkish Red Crescent
With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source. The opinions expressed in the documents carried by this site are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by UN OCHA or ReliefWeb.
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Israeli Field Hospital in Hati

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcQ63wBBKhg&feature=PlayList&p=9BA7E1CA346CB387&index=0&playnext=1

shalom

gracias

merci merci merci

Zebby Quaker

I know that I am flooding the news feed on the blog list over at zebbyquaker.org and I apologize to Friends.

If there are Quakers who are reading this post and holding us here in the Light, please post a comment to sustain this Friend.

Blessed Be.

Hatian Earthquake was a 7.3

The Richter is not an international scale. See here for more information.

This quake is ranked at a level X on the Mercalli Scale  ..as most disastrous

Most buildings and their foundations are destroyed. Some bridges are destroyed. Dams are seriously damaged. Large landslides occur. Water is thrown on the banks of canals, rivers, lakes. The ground cracks in large areas. Railroad tracks are bent slightly.

MINUSTAH reports

In an earlier post I posted that Annabi, head of the MINUSTAH mission was dead.

This was from a report from Haiti

This has not been confirmed-


HAITI EARTHQUAKE: INFORMATION UPDATE 4
                       16:00, Friday, 15 January 2010

  The Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division, in cooperation
  with the Safety and Security Unit, is preparing these updates to share
  information on the situation of MINUSTAH Human Rights Section staff. We
  will also share information on other MINUSTAH staff as it comes in.
  Should you have any information on the safety of any MINUSTAH staff
  members, please forward it to cbbupdate@ohchr.org. Thank you in advance.

  Human Rights Section staff
  It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our colleague, Lisa
  Mbele-Mbong. Lisa served as a Human Rights Officer in MONUC and MINUSTAH,
  and may have been a friend and colleague to many of you. We shall
  remember her in our thoughts. Her son is safe in Port-au-Prince, and her
  family has been informed.

  Dieudonné Munyinga, who was injured and evacuated to the Dominican
  Republic, is reportedly in a stable condition.

  Other MINUSTAH staff
  William Gardner, Heiner Rosendahl and Jonas Scherrens are safe. Louis
  Nkopipie from UNDP is safe. Ekaterina Pischalnikova is injured and has
  been evacuated to the Dominican Republic.

  On 14 January, DPKO and DFS organized a Town Hall meeting, and informed
  staff that:
  ·   4 MINUSTAH sites were damaged by the earthquake.
  ·   To date, it is estimated that there are 36 casualties, 72 injured and
  between 100 and 150 persons who are still unaccounted for. Between 50 and
  100 people are missing in the Christopher Hotel; 30 to 40 in Hotel
  Montana; 10 to 20 in Villa Privée; and 10 in the UNDP annex. A list of
  injured people should be shared shortly.
  ·  

Tour Operators Unite To Aid Haiti

Tour Operators Unite To Aid Haiti

President Fernandez with International Round table

Leonel Fernandez, with President Preval sitting at his side, presided over a meeting of local heads of State including representatives of the EU, the United States, and Caricom.

He proposed that during the coming months a strategic ten year plan for the development of Haiti be developed and funded.

He recommended that all the interest and debts from all the Latin American countries to the Club of Paris be allocated to this effort.

Kreyole Interpreters needed for one month deployment

The American Red Cross is looking to deploy 100 Creole interpreters to work
> on the hospital ship USNS Comfort, which will be harbored outside
> Port-au-Prince.  Volunteers need to be fluent in Creole and English. Other
> skills are helpful but not required.
>
>
>
> Things to keep in mind:
>
> (1) The ship will be deployed for a month;
>
>
>
> (2) Volunteers won't be able to leave the ship during that time; and
>
>
>
> (3) They will not have luxurious quarters. It is important to stress the
> second point: The interpreters will stay on the ship to assist and won't be
> able to get off the ship to see family in Haiti.
>
>
>
> We are looking for volunteers to be in Miami no later than Wednesday
> night/Thursday morning (January 20/21). The Red Cross may be able to provide
> accommodations for those coming from out of town.  All volunteers would be
> fully trained, either in Miami, or at their home chapters of the Red Cross
> before they come to Miami.  Again, no skills are required beyond speaking
> both Creole and English. Anyone interested in this opportunity will be
> contacted ASAP with additional steps. Please communicate to me immediately
> if you have persons who can do this and contact information.
>
>
>
> Michael A. Blake
>
> Deputy Associate Director
>
> The White House - Offices of Intergovernmental Affairs & Public Engagement
>
> (202) 456-4772 - Office
>
> (202) 503-5649 - Cell

May Be 200,000 dead

Haiti quake toll 'may be 200,000'

The leading US general in Haiti has said it is a "reasonable assumption" that up to 200,000 people may have died in last Tuesday's earthquake.
Lt Gen Ken Keen said the disaster was of "epic proportions", but it was "too early to know" the full human cost.
Rescuers pulled more people alive from the rubble at the weekend, but at least 70,000 people have already had burials.
Relief efforts are being slowed by bottlenecks, and many thousands of survivors are fending for themselves.
Many Haitians are trying to leave the devastated capital city of Port-au-Prince, and there are security concerns amid reports of looting and violence.
“ Clearly, this is a disaster of epic proportions, and we've got a lot of work ahead of us ” Lt Gen Ken Keen

More than 2,000 US marines were expected to arrive in the region on 18 January to bolster US troops and UN peacekeepers already on the ground.
On Monday, European Union nations pledged more than 420m euros from the EU budget to assist Haiti, with about half the sum dedicated to emergency and short-term aid.
At least 200m euros ($287m; £176m) will be dedicated to funding medium- to long-term rebuilding efforts.
European ministers were also discussing deploying a security mission to help maintain law and order.
On Sunday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to frustrated Haitians to be patient over efforts to bring them relief.
Gen Keen, running the US military relief effort, when asked about death toll estimates of between 150,000 and 200,000 people, said: "I think the international community is looking at those figures, and I think that's a start point.
"Clearly, this is a disaster of epic proportions, and we've got a lot of work ahead of us."
Hope for more rescues
Amid the chaos and destruction, a number of people were rescued from collapsed buildings at the weekend.
Among the lucky ones was a seven-year-old girl pulled alive from the ruins of a supermarket.
At the UN headquarters destroyed in the earthquake, rescuers lifted a Danish staff member alive from the ruins, just 15 minutes after the secretary general visited the site.
And US teams with search dogs also found and rescued a 16-year-old Dominican girl trapped for five days in a small, three-storey hotel.
While hopes dim with every passing day, a South African rescue official, Colin Diner, told the BBC he hoped there would be more.
"What we are seeing is that the buildings have a whole lot of openings, collapsed voids and things, and that always gives you a better opportunity.
"We've got so many people killed and so many people trapped, the chances of some of them still being alive is pretty good."
Homeless throng streets
Correspondents say there is a sense of movement at last with the relief effort, although the amount of supplies getting through is still small.
The BBC's David Loyn says the streets of the capital are thronged with homeless people, sleeping in the open and walking for hours for what food and water is available.
Most of the food and water being given out is being distributed informally by local people, correspondents say.
Several agencies complained about not being able to get aid through at the airport, which is heavily congested and has been taken over by the US military.
Medecins Sans Frontieres urged commanders to speed up the landing of aeroplanes carrying medical supplies, after one carrying an inflatable field hospital was turned away on Saturday night.
The head of the US operation at the airport, Col Buck Elton, said there had been 600 take-offs and landings since the US took control on Wednesday, and 50 flights had been diverted.
US troops also said they had set up their first foothold outside the airport to deliver aid carried in by helicopters.
Speaking in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, Mr Ban called the situation in Haiti "one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades".
UN LOSSES IN HAITI

    *  37 UN staff confirmed dead, more than 300 missing
    *  Includes Special Representative Hedi Annabi, deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa and acting police commissioner Doug Coates
    *  UN HQ in the Christopher Hotel and other buildings collapsed in the quake
    *  Believed to be the biggest single loss of life in the UN's history
Mr Ban said he understood people's frustration, but that he did not want to see violence among desperate survivors.
"I appeal to the Haitian people to be more patient," he said.
He said providing daily food to two million people, as the UN has pledged, would be a "huge challenge".
"We need to make sure our help is getting to people who need it as fast as possible," Mr Ban added.
The UN has launched an appeal for $562m (£346m) intended to help three million people for six months, most of whom are thought to need emergency relief.
The British government is to treble its aid to Haiti to £20m ($37m). The move is to be formally announced at an emergency meeting of EU development ministers in Brussels on Monday.
Guantanamo 'hub'
The city's port is badly damaged, and many roads are still blocked by corpses and debris.
The Haitian and Dominican Republic governments are planning an alternative 130km (80 mile) humanitarian road corridor to deliver relief supplies from the southern Dominican town of Barahona, the UN said.
“ We need fuel to bring in supplies and carry the wounded ” Elisabeth Byrs UN spokeswoman

The UN has warned about fuel shortages, which it says could affect humanitarian operations.
It has also emerged that the US naval base at Guantanamo, Cuba - synonymous with the war on terror - is being used as a staging post for personnel and relief supplies heading to Haiti.
The BBC's Steve Kingstone, at the base, says it has capacity to house up to 10,000 people in tents. While there are no firm plans for that, US commanders say such an evacuation is feasible should it become necessary.
The US and Dutch authorities have said they are speeding up the process of flying orphaned children away from Haiti to adoptive parents abroad.
Six Haitian children adopted by Dutch families arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday and the justice ministry said it was expediting the adoption process and paperwork for about 100 others.
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Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2010/01/18 13:46:41 GMT

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