Posted on 01/16/2010 6:06:39 AM PST by kristinn
ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON — Helicopters sit ready to go from this US aircraft carrier off Haiti, but there's a problem: after a day of frantic aid runs there is simply nothing left to deliver.
Aboard the warship some 3,500 US military personnel have been coordinating the flights of 19 US helicopters carrying aid since early morning.
SNIP
In less than 12 hours, helicopters from the USS Carl Vinson made some 20 trips to scout the ravaged landscape and deliver items that were originally intended for the ship's crew.
Among the supplies dropped off were thousands of bottles of water and energy drinks, 8,000 sheets and hundreds of camp beds.
Dozens of hospital beds have been arranged on board the ship to accomadate those injured in the quake, including a US citizen evacuated from the US embassy in Port-au-Prince.
SNIP
The relief work also faces logistical and coordination challenges, according to Rear Admiral Ted Branch, the most senior military official aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
"We have lift, we have communications, we have some command and control, but we don't have much relief supplies to offer," said Branch, who commands the battle group led by the nuclear-powered Carl Vinson.
"We have no supplies at the airport that we have access to. There are other supplies there that are under the control of other agencies, other organizations and we haven't yet coordinated together to make those supplies available for anyone to deliver," he added.
SNIP
The commander noted that some supplies remain at the airport, and could easily be delivered by US helicopters.
"The problem is, some people are perhaps not ready to release their stuff to the most efficient transportation makers and want to deliver supplies themselves."
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Then that's on us because we're allowing the UN to do it.
One hour by helicopter or fixed wing aircraft?
Guantanamo bay seems like it would be another good staging area for airlifting supplies in. Its even closer than PR.
Which is why you don't send a bureaucracy to do the military's job. Not if lives are in jeopardy and time is of the essence.
I'll bet the Haitians are wishing 43 was still in charge...
So no lessons learned from Katrina....
Govenor Blanco role now played by the United Nations.
Mayor Nagin role now played by President Preval.
George W Bush scapegoat, now auditioning for part?
Social workers ... that’s what you need the most when you have a disaster like this. Where are the social workers?
Right! And community organizers. We need more community organizers. Send ACORN now.
The public is invited to drop off specific items that will be part of the airlift. Yéle volunteers will be on site to screen the donations and will accept only the following items:
- nutrition bars (individual or in packages)
- blankets and sheets (unopened in store wrapping)
- non-battery radios and flashlights (windup or solar)
- candles (loose or in packages)
While the blankets are for people sleeping outdoors and on the street, the sheets are for wrapping bodies of the dead.
The sheets are for dead bodies and they have to be in their original packaging?
I saw him on CNN tonight and man, was he PISSED.
I’ve been doing a slow burn as our military is once more put in the role of social worker. This is a military and national security crisis. Chavez and Castro will take action if we don’t. It’s time to occupy Haiti for national security reasons and get control of the country. Maybe down the road we can do nation building since that’s worked so well in other parts of the world s\ but for now, order has to be restored at a minimum of risk to our military and relief workers. Its not going to happen though for fear the US will be accused of “gasp” imperialism. We’ve become a nation of wimps.
Instead, he's in MA campaigning for another socialist. You know, the IMPORTANT things.
Not to worry. Haitians are a lawless people. They have the only functioning anarchy in the world. They will storm the airport and distribute the goods themselves. Let that be on O’s benighted head.
I agree, the CV has done her job with flying colors...Giving up their residual stores in the initial phase of this operation...
If anyone figures out how far they boogied to get down on station in Haiti from the time they got the word go, you’ll know they broke some speed records to do so...
As far as “Thunder Thighs” going down there and actually doing something...
Is there a way to keep the delay to a minimum??? How about load some ships, any ships with some (or as many as they can load up) of those FEMA trailers, heavy earth moving equipment, water processing trailers, etc etc and get those on the way now...Seems to me that should already be in work and underway...
There are incentives (tax breaks) for private shipping companies that could be extended to get that ball on the roll...And it doesn’t take a photo op to get that going either...
All in all it is a politically pathetic thing to see growing worse and worse with every passing day...
But what do I know...I am not a international disaster relief professional...
...and community organizers!!! That’s what they need...
/sarc
Bush would have done the same.
I received an email from World Vision in which they explain that they are delivering their own newly-arrived emergency packets thru their network of 800 aid workers already in place on the island before the tragedy. This is an example of a private agency delivering their own aid.
ROTFLMAO!!!
Disregard my comment about Bush. I was responding in the wrong thread.
In this case Bush would have been far better.
“And Puerto Rico is about an hours flight time from Haiti.
You couldmarshal supplies at the airport and fly them in the Haiti no problem”.
That’s being done already. Aircraft are staging at SJU, PSE, BQN and NRR and ships at the Port of San Juan.
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