The aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.
Posted on 01/13/2010 11:59:41 PM PST by myknowledge
Australia pledged $10 million in aid to Haiti today as US officials said the death toll from yesterday's huge earthquake could rival the loss of life from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
As aftershocks continued to shake the devastated capital Port-au-Prince, residents tried to rescue people trapped under rubble, clawing at chunks of concrete with bare hands.
Tens of thousands wandered dazed and sobbing in the chaotic, broken streets, hoping desperately for assistance.
One young man yelled at reporters in English: "Too many people are dying. We need international help ... no emergency, no food, no phone, no water, no nothing."
Bodies were visible all around the hilly city: under rubble, lying beside roads, and being loaded into trucks.
President says death toll between 30,000 and 50,000 But PM says toll could be up to 100,000 Red Cross says up to 3 million killed, injured or homeless Massive aid appeal underway
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who cancelled her upcoming trip to Australia today to concentrate on the crisis, has compared the devastation to the Asian tsunami which killed almost 230,000 people in 2004.
"This is going to be one of the highest in terms of loss of life in recent years, as far as we can tell," Ms Clinton said.
"The Indian Ocean tsunami was such a terrible tragedy and with such high loss of life. This will be a very high loss of life as well."
The Federal Government says $5 million of Australian aid will be made available immediately.
There had been concerns for one Australian who was thought to be working with the United Nations in Haiti, however Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has now confirmed that he is safe.
Mr Smith says within the last hour Australian officials have received word through the man's family that he is safe.
The UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince was flattened by the quake and this morning a UN spokesman told the ABC that around 150 staff members were still unaccounted for.
There are no reports that any Australians have been injured or killed.
An American Red Cross worker in Port-au-Prince says the city is in chaos as people continue to dig for loved ones.
"I was in the streets last night all night and walking around people are scared, they're sleeping in the streets ... it just highlights the fear that everyone has and the desperation at this point," Matt Marek said.
"Seeing thousands and thousands of people bundled up under light bed sheets, huddling together for a little bit of warmth and comfort, it was a very unreal scene.
"People have nowhere to go... a lot of people don't have home to go back to."
Former US president Bill Clinton, who is the UN's special envoy to Haiti, says if people want to help, they should donate money to a legitimate charity rather than sending food or other supplies.
"We do not have the logistical and organisational capacity right now to handle a lot of things," he said.
"So the most important thing individuals can do who care is to send cash - even if it's a dollar, or two dollars."
Mr Clinton says the situation is heartbreaking.
"We need more helicopters here to deal with the fact that a lot of the roads are impassable," he said.
"We're going to have to move some earthmoving equipment. We may have to bring in some floating power generator.
"But we're getting there. The number one thing we have to do for the next few days is concentrate on the basics."
The aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.
Prayers.
Many thanks due to Australia. Thanks! Good on ya.
and the New York Yankees pledged/gave 500,000 today
It will be interesting to see the totals donated.
Much of US donations will be via military etc.. and as usual the USA private sector & business world will dig deep to help.
I always feel safest with the American Red Cross.. Unfortunately at these times crooks emerge in the form of faux aid agencies.
I found this list, if any are interested...
http://www.marines.mil/pages/haiti.aspx
I go with the Salvation Army.
Most your money goes towards the people in need in an honorable way.
Sorry.. I gave a good chunk of money for the Tsunami victims and have been inundated with request ever since for every damn cause you can think of. Since that time I’ve been wondering why I should give to any country if that country wouldn’t help America in need.
I’m done giving to other countries. Haiti was a disaster before the quake and is about as corrupt as it gets and they’ve milked millions out of the US and done nothing to improve their way of life.
I’ll keep my charities in the US...
How many million homeless Haitians will be moved to the US, I wonder? I’m sure Houston would just love to take in some more folks.
And bubba goes on TV and asks us to donate. What is he donating from all those hundreds of millions he’s scammed from many suspect sources?
You have my deepest sympathies. Perhaps some reflection will soften your hard heart.
But I doubt it.
My local USA news this morning is saying that the death toll in Haiti will be around 500,000
Not a hard heart a wise one and I don’t want ahy sympathies. If BO and his buds get their way the US will be like Haiti in 20 years.
By the way, an estimated 400,000 dead in Darfur.. how much did you give? I could go on around the world with trageties.. how much did you give to all the world’s problems?
Bingo. I understand media wanting to show coverage but it is 24/7 on CNN and MSNBC. This am Ann Curry said gunshots were being heard in the streets at night, people were getting hungry and thirsty and they are afraid, they can't help it, not their fault that crime is happening, they need help fast. She said they are starting to become angry that no help there yet. This will be Obama’s Katrina.
He was interviewed on CNN last night and made a request to all Americans to please pray for all the rescue workers, as theirs would be a very difficult and dangerous job.
I've contributed to his organizations in the past, and there is no way that they sold or gave my name/address to other organizations and I am not "accosted" by thousands of solicitation mails from them.
How about you? Anyone familiar with Samaritan's Purse or World Vision or the children's Christmas shoebox ministry?
1) The epicenter was literally near the most densely-populated part of Haiti itself.
2) Most of the buildings in Port-au-Prince don't comply with anything close to modern earthquake safety standards.
As such, I could see a truly STAGGERING death toll. We may be talking way over 100,000 dead--and that's before diseases strike down even more of those affected. 
But yet, I see a silver lining coming out of this tragedy. This could finally allow use to raze all of Port-au-Prince--which was mostly a shantytown anyway--and create a truly modern town with real modern public utilities.
“2) Most of the buildings in Port-au-Prince don’t comply with anything close to modern earthquake safety standards.”
I wondered about that. In all the rubble, I couldn’t see any rebar sticking up out of the concrete. Isn’t it a rather basic rule that you put reinforcement in concrete projects?
Port au Prince COULD be a huge destination for travelers......if things were done right by their corrupt govt.
This disaster is Exhibit A in what CORRUPTION can do to innocent people.
......I couldn’t see any rebar sticking up out of the concrete.......
The pictures of the fallen buildings are mostly concrete block that has been parged over with stucco. The block is not reinforced with steel.
There is a picture of a multistory yellow building made very early on with lots of cracks. If you observe closely you can see the crack lines outline the concrete block infill. That is, the vertical reinforced concrete columns and the horizontal beams and slabs are clearly shown to have absorbed the movement. The bond between the masonry infill and the reinforced concrete failed as did some of the masonry infill joints.
I am not familiar with Graham’s charity but you can be sure the feds would be all over him if it was not legit.
I have donated to the Salvation Army and while they don’t sell my name they do solicit every now and then.
I do NOT donate to the Red Cross. Pretty Sure World Vision is legitimate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.