U.S. hospital ship arrives off Haiti, clean water restored to biggest hospital

[babylonsister]

U.S. hospital ship arrives off Haiti
Aftershock hits near capital; clean water restored to biggest hospital

Image: Crowd trying to stay in relief line
AP

Hundreds hang on to others, as well as tree vines, in a frantic bid to stay in line at a U.S. Army relief post in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Wednesday. International aid flowing into Haiti has been struggling with logistical problems, and many people are still desperate for food and water.


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - A strong aftershock rattled nerves but didn't stop a struggling relief effort that saw some positive signs Wednesday — among them the arrival of a U.S. hospital ship, the restoration of running water at Haiti's largest hospital and news that 2,000 more U.S. Marines were being sent to the quake zone.

The magnitude-5.9 jolt matched the strongest of the aftershocks that have followed the huge quake of Jan. 12 that devastated Haiti's capital. The aftershock was lowered from a preliminary 6.1 reading.

The new temblor collapsed seven buildings in Petit-Goave, the seaside town closest to the epicenter, according to Mike Morton of the U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination agency. But there were no reports of people crushed or trapped, perhaps because the earlier quake frightened most people into sleeping outside.

Wails of terror erupted in Port-au-Prince, where the aftershock briefly interrupted rescue efforts amid the broken concrete of collapsed buildings, and prompted doctors and patients to flee the University Hospital.

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians remain homeless, hungry and in mourning — most still waiting for the benefits of a nearly $1 billion global aid campaign that has brought hundreds of doctors and thousands of troops to the impoverished Caribbean nation.

The U.S. Navy's floating hospital, USNS Comfort, dropped anchor in view of the capital on Wednesday with about 550 medical staff, joining teams from about 30 other countries trying to treat the injured. About 250,000 people were hurt in the quake and aid groups say many people have died for lack of medical care or adequate equipment.

And the Pentagon announced that 2,000 more U.S. Marines would be sent to Haiti, adding 11,500 U.S. military personnel already on the ground or on ships offshore — a number expected to reach 16,000 by week's end.

more...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34928950/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

[malaise]

1. Good news

I also saw boxes of food and water being shared out using a human chain. Sometimes we're too sophisticated for our own good. That's one of the oldest ways of moving supplies.

[Warpy]

2. Not like there's much alternative there

but yes, it's nice to see people not panicking and grabbing but willing to pass it down the line because they know there will probably be enough for everyone. I think it's probably gotten through to them that the whole planet has responded and that they're really not alone this time.

[malaise]

3. Yep that's the good news

I am not happy about this shipping out of Haitian children to the US.
I'm always nervous when I hear Catholic church and people's children.

[Warpy]

4. Haiti has stringent adoption laws and few qualify.

These were all children for whom all the requirements had been met and the paperwork nearly completed. The government expedited the process but not by much.

This isn't Operation Babylift, in other words. These were children who were already released for adoption to specific couples. I'm a lot less nervous over this than I am for the usual disaster evacuation of orphan infants.

[malaise]

5. No the Catholic archdiocese in Florida

is trying to move children who have not been processed. In other words they're trying to kidnap children the way they did in Cuba decades ago.

[Warpy]

7. Crap. I just knew about the 53 kids they've sent here.

Leave it to Rome to try to steal a country's children, though. They're good at that.

Ireland has dried up since single mothers are no longer sent to slave labor in the Magdalene Laundries and their children snatched. I guess they have to supply the market wherever else they think they can.

[Captain Hilts]

6. The military calls it a 'bucket line' or 'all hands loading party'. That's exactly how you do it.nt

[Thothmes]

8. always heard it refered to as 'all hands working party'

[Captain Hilts]

9. That's specific to 'work'. At least in the sub force where 'all hands' used to mean

ALL hands except for the skipper. Tender sailors were always fascinated by the sight of officers and chiefs in the line.