Posted on 01/14/2010 4:42:35 PM PST by SJackson
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Aid groups asked companies to donate cash to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti instead of supplies like clothing and tents that they cannot distribute yet because of the devastation.
World
Relief groups are trying to address immediate needs such as clean water and medical supplies, and also are trying to keep airspace around Haiti clear for those needs.
Planes full of supplies headed to the Port-au-Prince airport on Thursday, but they arrived faster than ground crews could unload them. Aviation authorities had to restrict non-military flights from U.S. airspace because they feared the planes would run out of fuel while waiting to land.
"This is not the moment to drop a container of cinderblocks or roofing material onto the tarmac. We need to do first things first, and we're in emergency relief mode," said David Owens, vice president of corporate development for humanitarian group World Vision.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, on Tuesday. The quake flattened hillsides, knocked out communication systems, blocked roads, and rendered Haiti's main seaport unusable.
Companies, including Lowe's Cos Inc, Google, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group announced donations of $1 million each to help disaster relief efforts, but aid groups said many more millions of dollars will be needed.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
The US will have 5000 military personnel onscene tomorrow....8000 by Monday. The Aircraft Carrier can make tons of water...but not enough for 2 million people.
The resorts on the Dominican side are OK.
No tickets for high speed rail to Detroit?
Googled for World Vision and they seem to have a lot of bad reviews. A lot of websites make the allegation that they are very corrupt and this view seems to cut across several countries. I would steer clear of them.
If you lack brain cells please send your cash to this cause.
Makes you feel warm and fuzzy and your cash was enjoyed by the “hawkers” aka Acorn.
“Still, I’d take what I get...”
You and me both. I recall after Katrina the loads and loads of clothing, blankets, etc. that were gathered at parking lots around the country, packed into trucks and driven down there.
Our church has a relationship with one of the churches down near New Orleans. Sent stuff for church folks, and also for the minister and his wife that also lost everything. One of the gals guessed at the wife’s size and bought an entire outfit of nice clothes for her. Right down to some lacy undergarments! (”I know that I would like at least one outfit that I could wear that made me feel normal and special”!)
“Saying he was leaving...”
Wow. I guess the earth raped and robbed the folks so why should he hang around anymore?
I’d be interested in seeing some of those. I googled the same and of course came across some stories of bad dealings. (”Why hasn’t my child been to school? What do you mean my money just went to “the village”. The gal I know at WV always has the nicest clothes and biggest jewelry”).
I like WV because it is already in-place in so many countries, and has a good rating on how much money goes to relief compared to fund-raising, admin, etc. In just now searching I see that it gets a 4-star rating (60.34 score) from something called “Charity Navigator”. Samaritan’s Purse (Franklin Graham’s group) also got 4 stars (61.44 score). The Red Cross had 2 or 3 stars, and Unicef had 2 stars.
Folks can search that site for the group of their choice if it helps in figuring out where to donate:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4768
An excellent website. Thanks for posting.
I think much of the disorganized mess should be placed squarely at the feet of the blood sucking UN. The UN had been in Haiti since 2004, not in small numbers, either. They KNOW hurricanes often hit Haiti and there was this from the 18th Caribbean Geological Conference (predicted a 7.2 earthquake) :
http://www.ig.utexas.edu/jsg/18_cgg/Mann3.htm?PHPSESSID=d96c45386e2381490bf921d0d05289df
“We present initial results from a paleoseismic study of the Jamaica segment of the EGPGFZ conducted in January, 2008, to determine the chronology of its historic and prehistoric ruptures. Such studies should be considered high priority in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic given the seismic hazards posed by the fault.”
The UN is useless and sucks money away from places like Haiti. The UN needs to be gone!
Also, I think if I were a Haitian and all those photogs were running around snapping pictures of my family and or neighbors as they lay suffereing or dead under the rubble, I would throw some darn rocks and try and keep them out. I would be angry, too. The UN should have had a plan and heavy equipment on Haiti in the event something such as this happened. It’s a complete failure of the UN that is UNFORGIVABLE!
In 2008 WV had revenues of $1.1 billion. Probably less in 1998, but doubt $55 million would be a “huge junk of that money”. Anyway, my personal dealings have been good with them over the years, and I’m satisfied with their reviews. To each their own.
“I think much of the disorganized mess should be placed squarely at the feet of the blood sucking UN.”
On another thread the point was made that 50% of Haiti’s GDP is foreign aid! And the whole socialist ideal is now coming to fruititon of someone else coming to do something, rather than doing it yourself. But I think in Haiti they take that all the way to the government level. No real police force, no army, poor infrastructure, etc. And the U.N. troops on the ground obviously doesn’t have a vested interest in the area.
A sideshow to watch during this sad crisis is that Haitians will *not* be trading food or guns for gold.
When a real crisis hits, gold is useless.
Very interesting and very telling. Also, in San Antonio I observed a bum with a sign step back under the overpass as the light changed and we started moving, whip out his cellphone and start talking. I guess it must've been something like, "Got some pretty good suckas over here, how're you doin' there?"
I occasionally bailiff at our county court, Judge won't accept applications for a court appointed attorney if defendant has a cell phone, most will have a snazzy cell phone and not a few have Blackberrys or similar. They can't dress worth a hoot for court but they have a high-end cell phone.
That some info you just gave there. Last time I checked, there’s a Fed program for free cell-phones that I saw once on FR, so that must have been how he acquired it.
That sure is a possibility, are you talking about the beggar under the overpass? Could be, although that wouldn’t include paying for the plan would it?
You just reminded me that I need to start asking defendants (trying to claim indigency for court appointed atty) about those phones, I think our county clerk (here also a court clerk) does and makes notations on the app if she’s not swamped. A valid question when they are listing all their expenditures, debts and finances on the app.
the media are forgetting or not telling how the island was a cesspit of crime before this.
It was infested with gangs trying to take turf over, no go areas, drugs, killings, crime, guns shot every night and killing .
Now they want cash and exactly where does the cash go?
now obama says he wants to bring over 100,000 to 200,000 of them over here.
Which is nuts no matter how one looks at it.
food clothing no problem but cash, well obama has took most of mine already
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