Haiti earthquake: corpses used as roadblocks as anger grows

Shaul Schwarz, a photographer for TIME magazine, said he saw at least two downtown roadblocks formed with bodies of earthquake victims and rocks.

"They are starting to block the roads with bodies, it's getting ugly out there, people are fed up with getting no help," he said.

President Barack Obama has promised Haitians they would not be forgotten, offering $100 million in immediate earthquake aid and the backing of every element of US power.

A large-scale US military and civilian aid operation has gained momentum with Washington sending rescue teams, ships, helicopters, planes, a floating hospital, emergency supplies and more than 5,000 ground troops.

However, there was little sign of the aid effort on the ground in the capital, where chaos ruled.

Gunshots were heard throughout the night and looting was commonplace as desperate survivors scrambled to find scarce supplies of food, water and medical equipment.

Gangs were also reported to be roaming the streets, making up rumours of a looming tidal wave so that they coudl steal from fleeing families.

Complicating the relief effort, the city's airport was closed for several hours due to severe overcrowding and a lack of airport fuel.

The Pentagon has rejected criticism that it may have acted too slowly to deploy its military might in the first 24 hours of the disaster, saying it moved in assessment teams quickly.

But the relief effort faced serious challenges, Mr Obama said, with roads in Haiti impassable, communications rudimentary, and aftershocks still rumbling.

See second line of above article.

Title says they are being used as "Roadblocks".

Haiti earthquake: corpses used as roadblocks as anger grows

If ya want relief, why would you block the roads?

Second line says this:

"They are starting to block the roads with bodies, it's getting ugly out there, people are fed up with getting no help," he said.

Still don't explain why they are blocking the roadss

Just guessing but in a sane society ya got to start burning or burying the bodies to avoid much bigger problems. um-k?

They are ANGRY at not getting any relief?!? Just what makes these folks get the idea that they are ENTITLED to help, so that they get an attitude when it isn’t fast enough, and in the fashion they demand?!? What ever happened to being GRATEFUL when you DO get help? I’m sorry, but if I was doing what I could, and someone got this demanding sort of attitude, I’d turn around and go home and tell them that if they want to be like that - HELP YOUR OWN FRIGGIN SELF!!! Do they think we OWE them something? Ya wanna get mad, go tell God off for the earthquake - if you dare...

Friggin ingrates... they seem just like these loony lefty types that believe they are entitled to take from another man’s pocket the $$ that he has earned.

There is an effected population of three million people. There are no utilities, food distribution, medical care, burial services and road access. Transportation was marginal prior to the quake. Google Earth Port-au-Prince and look closely at the satellite images. The Government institutions (as corrupt as they were) are destroyed. The UN facilities are in shambles. Finally, there is no central order left to prevent anarchy and enforce a degree of order. The magic 72 hours are up.

This is an incredibly poor population, living a marginal day to day existence prior to the quake. After the quake even their marginal and fragile lifelines were erased. The port is destroyed. Their homes and markets are destroyed. Their roads are clogged. No government has been able to model a system to replace existing distribution networks after a disaster. Supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, clinics, schools, municipal governments have always been the only efficient provider and distributor of goods and services.

I get furious at the media talking heads who are spouting off that their is no relief on the ground. Not only are they stupid and lack imagination, but they do a terrible disservice to those that are rushing to remote island nation whose only lifeline is an airport with a working runway. I knew from the first reports that this was TEOTWAWKI for Haiti. There was no way in 72 hours to get the required services distributed on the ground. Think about it. There is just one Airport with one runway. The minimum water requirements will be at least one gallon for every man, women, and child. This works out to 12,000 tons of water a day. For food at a minimum of 1000 calories (barely survival) they will need 750 tons a day. The are going to need at least 250,000 tents and probably more if the aftershocks continue. Fuel, medical care, medications, clothes, tools, shoes (look at all the cut feet from debris), bedding and sanitation. Leaving aside for now all the dead bodies, how are they going to effectively maintain a pipeline and distribute these supplies on a daily basis? They are not going to be able to.

This is just the beginning of hell there. How do you retrieve and bury so many dead? Where do you bury them? Assume 100,000, though I believe the number is going to be much greater once disease, violence, and starvation sets in. Leaving aside all the raw sewage, the flies will begin to be a problem. Cholera will kill many more. Violence will begin to break out as gangs form and begin to raid locally at first and city wide later. This in itself will further disrupt any recovery or relief effort.

Finally throw in the culture of dependency. Is anyone surprised that they are setting up road blocks with corpses?

In the US FEMA has pushed for 72 hour kits. They have since begun to expand this to 7-day kits. Why? They learned after Katrina that there is no way relief can be provided in the first 72 hours. This is in the United States with the best highway and distribution system in the world. Most Americans could afford these preparations, but how many have actually done it? My answer is just a small percentage. One week is for a localized natural disaster and does not include preparations for far more disruptive events.

In Haiti this is a far more disruptive event. People need to shut the media up from pontificating on the lack of aid distribution. People need to accept this is just the beginning of the horrors. The assistance must be rational and not clouded by emotionally driven detours.

Just my two cents and rant. Thank you.

Tragic and true.

I think the only effective way to deal with this will be truly massive refugee camps, on a scale not before seen, somewhere in the vicinity of the seaport. People will need to make their way to the refugee camps.

The very first step required is for the US navy facilities engineering command to install an artificial dock structure at the collapsed port facility, large enough to accomodate large cargo ships.

Seabees and Army Engineers will need to construct the giant refugee camps and build a transportation link to the port facility.

Teams of Marines and Corpsmen and any Army paratroopers not overseas will need to establish posts across the city and provide security and assist in bringing the population to the refugee camps.

The refugee camps themselves will probably be run under the auspices of the UN.

I was thinking the same, however I was looking at the area adjacent to the (WestNorthWest) Airport. I cannot even begin to imagine the sanitation infrastructure that will be required.

Sadly, I see this as a triage of a society and I fear the refugee camps will become permanent. I agree that only the military (US) can do this.

We (wife and I) are looking into volunteering. She is a Physician and has past triage experience. I am very familiar with infrastructure and project management. Her Uncle was a Priest who built a school, clinic, orphanage and housing not far from the epicenter. They were shaken but there was no injuries. There structures suffered some minor cracking from the aftershocks. We are in the early stages of talking with them. Things are still very fluid, however I think we will be able to get support. Our Daughter is very unhappy about this, but we believe we can help.

Agreed 110%. (Are you in the geotechnical field?) I try to tell folks around here the same thing.

You know those shows about “Apocalypse Earth” on the History channel where you think that can’t happen here in the U.S.? It can, and someday will.

I’m in the Seattle area where bridges are essential. It will be many days before everyone can be helped after the “Big One” happens here.

Thank goodness new analysis has come up with new plans. It used to be that Portland would help Seattle and vice-versa. Now they figure north-south travel between Portland-Seattle-Vancouver would be severely disrupted. Now it will be places like Spokane and Boise to supply aid.

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