Haitans reporting from Haiti

[tabatha]

http://www.cineinstitute.com/news/


The Ciné Institute, a film school in Jacmel whose students have turned themselves into reporters in response to the earthquake last week, has published a look at the students’ work before and after the disaster on its Web site on Friday. (Be warned: the video embedded below contains distressing, graphic images of dead and wounded people.)

Since aid workers and reporters initially had a hard time making it to Jacmel, a town of 40,000 on Haiti’s south coast with a cherished architectural heritage, The Lede has been following the students’ excellent work since Saturday.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/updates-on-the-crisis-in-haiti-2/


(Since I love African-style music, I like the background music, even if the subject matter is heartbreaking.)

[Heidi]

1. I'm sure there will be a non-Haitain "ahem" expert here soon to attempt

to assure you that we're doing the best we can to help our Haitian brothers and sisters.

Thank you for posting this, tabatha. Recommending.

[tabatha]

2. There is some positive reporting on the Cine site

about help that did arrive in Jacmel. I had not seen that video before;

http://www.cineinstitute.com/news/2010/01/21/cine-institute-featured-on-cnn-soledad-obrien/

And it is important for the local people to help those that wish to help with as much information as possible.

[Heidi]

3. Bookmarking for kicking after dinner.

I really appreciate threads like this. You can't put a price on authenticity.

:hug: <-- for you, for this thread.

[EFerrari]

9. K&R for the thread. Heidi: Amy has a new report up

on her visit to Leogane where the only aid so far was some Christian missionaries throwing bread out of a helicopter. There is no "security" presence there at all and for that reason, the UN has redlined it.

Amy did great work there last week.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/22/t_trembl_journey_to_the_epicenter

[Merchant Marine]

6. We've deployed 25 ships to haiti...

The rest of the world has 5 on station.

http://marine-money.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Haiti%20Maritime%20Support.pdf

An please do realize that we're trying to supply an entire nation through one runway and one ruined port.

Edit, found an update...

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/194/story/1195841.html
"Jan. 21, 2010 / Associated Press - About 120 to 140 flights a day are now able to land at the country’s single airport in Port-au-Prince, which was damaged in last week’s earthquake, Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of the U.S. Southern Command, told a Pentagon news conference. Still, he said, officials have a waiting list of more than 1,400 planes seeking to get into the country as well as a backup of vessels waiting to unload at the damaged port.

Some aid flights also started landing earlier this week at Jacmel, Haiti, and the San Isidro airport in neighboring Santo Domingo; and now a third alternate airport has been opened at Barahona, a closer location over the border in the Dominican Republic, he said by videoconference from Haiti.

With arrival of a Navy landing craft on Wednesday, officials expect Thursday to be able to start moving 150 shipping containers each day through the severely damaged port facility – and eventually accept 800 containers a day."

Sounds like the bottlenecks in infrastructure is a big problem. 1,400 planes and multiple ships stacked up waiting for facilities.

I looked at the port in google maps, and their container terminal is wrecked. Their one container crane is in the water, which rules out container vessels until a replacement can be found. This is a big problem, because containerized transport is the industry standard for break-bulk freight nowadays. Only military supply vessels bother with mass palletized cargo anymore. This means Haiti's port is now limited to old-style break bulk discharge, a slow and inefficient process.

[EFerrari]

10. With 16000 troops on the ground, you'd think they could just form a human chain

and hand the supplies in. But they'd have to put their guns down to do it.

[Merchant Marine]

11. Ignoring the snark...

Only 2,700 troops are stationed ashore. Most of the marines are staying shipboard to lessen the logistical load ashore. They fly in every day to conduct patrols and SAR.

And you do know that that number includes navy crews, pilots and other non-grunts, right?

And honestly, unless you've broken down palletized cargo by hand like I have you have no idea of how slow and inefficient process that is.

[tabatha]

12. I understand the bottlenecks.

My post was not to bash those who are trying to help. I have hated CNN's bashing reporting. Soledad's reporting from Jacmel was one of the few good reports.

But that does not prevent me from appreciating what the people in Jacmel did.

It seems that people line up on one side or the other - that is they cannot hold two conflicting ideas at one time.

I think all of the nations helping have been stellar. They are not all powerful. It is tragic what happened, and that people cannot just sprout wings and be all over the island at a moment's notice.

[Merchant Marine]

13. Yeah, that's for sure

International response has been massive, but good wishes can't overcome Haiti's serious logistical problems without big time effort.

[EFerrari]

17. MM, I live on a ranch and we do everything with a rubber band and an adjustable wrench.

lol

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I am sure the 82nd Paratroopers who are actually

like I don't know handing out relief... would love your input on this.

The same goes for the Chilean troops on the ground, who are part of MINUSTAH.

I have concluded that even if I tell you this is being done, since it contradicts your world view, then of course it has not happened.

Well guess what? IT IS happening. I am even working on getting that news from OTHER places since well you know CNN ain't doing it.

And you are lapping the propaganda up.

Could it be better? Yes. IS this the most complex response ever? Yes.

Jesus age, where did you hide the pixie dust so it can be made well like by a snap of finger?

Oh and here is some like news, not that it will make a difference...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4238146

[tabatha]

18. This supports some of what you have said ...

The Economist examines the response to the earthquake and looks at why the delivery of aid was slow initially. According to the magazine, "the main reason" why aid was slow to arrive, "was that the earthquake knocked out both the institutions and the sinews of transport and communication on which aid agencies normally rely. So co-ordination – deciding who does what where – has been unusually slow and difficult. The rapid influx of well-meaning aid agencies that now throng the dusty remnants of Port-au-Prince has contributed to the confusion" (1/21).

http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15330781&source=hptextfeature

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Yeah I read the article, The Economist probably asked

an expert or two.

They did their job.

[EFerrari]

20. I've yet to hear any medical professional or independent journalist

who has experience in Haiti agree with that.

And isn't the Economist a right wing outfit? They're pretty much run by the same people who put out a memo at AIE that the quake in Haiti is "an opportunity".

The condescending way this article talks about "well meaning aid agencies", some of whom have been on that ground for decades and not just "thronged" in, should be a red flag to any critical reader.

[tabatha]

21. Hmmmm - if the Economist is a right-wing rag, then

I'll take it with a pinch of salt.

But I do not believe anyone was shirking or deliberately slowing stuff down.

[EFerrari]

22. No, of course they're not.

The people on the ground working their remotes off, those good people, don't make policy. They are doing the jobs they were given and God bless them for being there before the shaking even stopped.

[happy_liberal]

4. K&R

nt

[TexasObserver]

5. Recommend. It is nice to hear from real "experts" about Haiti.

Thanks for posting.

[happy_liberal]

7. this sounds like the sad reality

Richard Morse, a Haitian-American musician in Port-au-Prince, wrote on Twitter this afternoon that the flood of aid money to Haiti may prove to be a “gravy train” for some of the country’s rich families:

Haiti’s elite families are probably lobbying in Washington as I write

If Washington gets back in line with what we had going before the Earthquake, then it will be a sad day in Mudville.

[Matariki]

8. I love Jacmel

I am so heartbroken. The city is in rubble - lots of art lost. Carnival was coming up soon and everything is destroyed.

[Heidi]

14. After-dinner kick!

:kick:

[KamaAina]

16. Thank you!

Thanks to that, I remembered to send off my idea for temporary housing down there.