Obama urged fast movement to save lives, find/rescue Americans. Reg updates. Urgency, Impatience

[jefferson_dem]

At meeting, Obama urged fast movement to save lives, find/rescue Americans. Sought reg updates. Key words: Urgency, Impatience

http://twitter.com/MajoratWH/statuses/7735551349

Obama orders rapid mobilization of U.S. rescue, relief efforts for Haiti

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 14, 2010; A01

President Obama mobilized the U.S. government Wednesday for a massive rescue and relief operation in the devastated capital of Haiti, ordering swift military and diplomatic assistance and pledging an aggressive effort to save the lives of those caught in Tuesday's earthquake.

Naval ships steamed south and flights began shuttling search-and-rescue teams to dig through rubble in Port-au-Prince. Military aircraft flew over the island, mapping the destruction, while U.S. officials coordinated the efforts of nongovernmental aid agencies. Coast Guard helicopters began flying seriously wounded Americans from the U.S. Embassy on the island nation to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, about 200 miles away.

"With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are neighbors of the Americas and here at home," Obama said, calling the earthquake an "especially cruel and incomprehensible tragedy."

The U.S. government's response accelerated Wednesday as the extent of the disaster became clear. Obama canceled a speech on job creation as his top advisers huddled in the White House Situation Room throughout the day.

But even as U.S. agencies lined up to help, officials sounded a note of concern, saying they are deeply worried about whether Haiti's infrastructure can handle the influx of help. The island's airport and seaport sustained substantial damage in the temblor.

"If the port is severely damaged, that makes it very, very difficult" to deliver relief supplies, said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. James A. "Jim" Watson IV, director of Atlantic area operations.

<SNIP>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/13/AR2010011304840_pf.html

[IndianaGreen]

1. Any $5 or $10 will help!

As President Clinton told the UN, even a dollar will buy aspirin.

[Cha]

2. Thanks Jefferson..

"White House officials warned against people or groups trying to enter the country in an effort to lend a hand. Given the fluid situation in Haiti, it is not "helpful to have massive waves of uncoordinated relief arriving," White House official Patrick Gaspard -- the most prominent Haitian American in the Obama administration -- said in a conference call with organizations."

[tekisui]

3. knr.

[Clio the Leo]

4. And 30 hours later, that Palin woman finally Tweets about it...

... urging her followers to donate to the Red Cross.

No doubt she spent a great deal of the last 30 hours trying to determine where Haiti was and whether or not it was a "Christian" nation or not.

[kestrel91316]

6. It took her a while to find it on a map. She thought it was part of Africa,

you know, 'cause it's full of black people.

[Clio the Leo]

7. And they aren't even American black people. NT

[Jennicut]

8. At least she didn't equate them with the devil like that televangelist idiot Pat Robertson

But it did take her awfully long to get with the program.

[kestrel91316]

5. What a looser. If he had any sense, he'd be reading "The Pet Goat".

[goclark]

9. R and donated

[jwirr]

10. This is the President I voted for. I am proud of how he & his administration

are handling this crisis. He didn't even take time to read "My Pet Goat" first.

[vaberella]

11. I hope things work out. Currently more than half my family is MIA over there. n/t

[MadMaddie]

13. Vaberella

My thoughts are with you and your family.

I hope that everyone is safe my friend.

[vaberella]

19. Thanks. It's welcom. I'm hoping family and friends and eveyone is safe.

I just don't know. My uncle lives next to Maison Blanche (the white House where the President lives)...well that's destroyed and my mum is like...my uncle will get the good and bad. So we're really worried about him right now.

[Hekate]

17. Please take care of yourself just now. This is too horrible.

from DU, of course --> :grouphug:

[vaberella]

18. That's what we're doing. One day at a time...but the panick is setting in more and more. n/t

[karynnj]

21. Wow, I hope that you hear from them soon

This really is a huge catastrophe. Like others, my thoughts are with you.

[vaberella]

37. Thanks. Luckily we did..but there's no food, water or shelter from what I'm hearing.

They are in another part of Haiti, the majority of my family. They left Port-au-Prince I believe.

[Jennicut]

25. Oh vaberella, hang in there.

:hug:

[vaberella]

36. Thanks. They're alright, thankfully. But the family estate is destroyed.

Which I don't give a flying fuck about. However, my mum's half sister's lost a cousin and her 6 year old. And another elderly family member is trapped with her mother.

[levander]

12. No rescue efforts are even visible in Haiti yet...

I was just watching some 20-something Haiti kid on the PBS Newshour who was near that palace that got destroyed. He was saying he hasn't even seen any rescue personnel down there yet.

I am so tired of the propaganda. How do people like jefferson_dem live for this stuff?

[MadMaddie]

14. They are having a mobility issue

Roads are damaged, there are supplies sitting on the ground but there is also a lack of equipment to distribute the supplies.

There is an entire method to the madness of disaster response. This scale of this event is going to take all of the countries that are involved to respond effectively.

[boppers]

16. It's darned difficult to get around when things are *fine*.

Roads are blocked with debris, the wounded, dead & dying, communications is screwed across the board, and all of the emergency reserves they started with are spent, and/or destroyed, as a lot of the relief (and people already on the ground) were lost in the quakes.

[levander]

28. We don't have any helicopters?

They guy saw NO ONE. NO ONE.

See post #26 for a quote from him.

All these excuses sound a lot like they used in Katrina, "logistic issues". But, because it was in the USA we cared more. And, those investigations after the fact really showed how incompetent FEMA was at the time. Bet we don't waste the time with this one for investigations. Haiti isn't in the US.

At least Obama is handling the PR more effectively. Bush seemed flat out aloof after Katrina. Acting like FEMA knew what they were doing...

[MadMaddie]

32. You have to remember that Haiti is an impoverished nation

the U.S. helicopters are on a carrier on the way to Haiti. Haiti barely has fire trucks, 80% of the population lives below poverty. The infrastructure was already in a desperate need.

The Port is destroyed so ships cannot dock and have supplies unloaded.

This is not an excuse the streets are in ruins....

[boppers]

33. What are you going to fuel the helicopters with? How are you going to repair them?

Where are you going to manage them from?
How are you going to get them there?
Once they're there, what are they going to do? Fly around and.... what?

The port is hosed (cranes are knocked over), their airfield can't even handle our larger supply and transport planes, even getting power is a challenge.

It's easy to take this kind of thing for granted, but we're basically trying to restart a 3 million person civilization, from virtually nothing, in *days*.

With Katrina we had more roads, more fuel, closer food, closer medicine, many more land and sea routes (and ports) to nearby areas, we had pretty decent infrastructure, *and* we had a few days of warning.

[karynnj]

22. They have little communications now

It is very possible that there already are efforts going on, but not in the immediate vicinity of the reporter and the 20 year old.

What seems clear is that many people are putting efforts together. It might indicate that we need to look at how we can place things to allow a faster response. This is, of course, in a foreign country - but it is easy to see that the logistics would be somewhat the same for gathering and moving the people and materials needed if this were in the US. (The international coordination is likely parallel to the actual effort to mobilize. This is the type of thing that the Homeland Security Committee in the Senate and its counterpart in the House should have addressed after the slow reaction to Katrina - even after Bush acted.

[levander]

26. The 20 year old is near the palace...

It is very possible that there already are efforts going on, but not in the immediate vicinity of the reporter and the 20 year old.

That palace is the political capital of Haiti. You'd think if there were relief teams down there, the most populous place in Haiti..

Also, I should have quoted this in my 1st post. But, here it is now. From the Newshour story yesterday: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather/jan-june10/herz_01-13.html">Click

HARI SREENIVASAN: What's the status of emergency services there? Are there any police on the streets? Are they any ambulances trying to get people to hospitals? What's the state of hospitals, if you -- if you have been near one?

ANSEL HERZ: I haven't been inside a hospital, but I have seen a few. They do seem to be operating, but the hospitals here in Port-au-Prince already are notorious for just being understaffed and sometimes unreliable and crowded.

And in terms of emergency relief efforts out in the streets, I really saw none in terms of the peacekeepers being able to start to pull people from rubble or start reconstruction or provide shelter, or aid agencies, NGOs, the Haitian government. I saw no official relief efforts in the streets while I was out there in downtown or in Cite Soleil.

I just did see a lot of Haitians, ordinary Haitians, trying to pull people out from the National Cathedral, for example. There was a woman there who was basically crushed beneath a door, which was just open a crack, and so people were swinging with pickaxes to try to pry that open.

[boppers]

34. A bunch of the peacekeepers, aid agencies, and NGO's have no help.

Part of why this is so bad is that the aid agencies were hit so hard... people who were there to help now need help from outside.

[Moosepoop]

23. A personal attack on jefferson_dem for posting this article?

Says it all about you.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DevonRex]

30. What is your fucking problem with a post that says exactly what the US is doing?

[boppers]

15. Fox news tweeter?

It's take that feed with some boulder-sized salt.

[girl_interrupted]

20. This isn't about Obama, it's about the people of Haiti

trying to give him credit is like exploiting a tragedy, for political gain. If anyone should be given credit , it should be the people of Haiti who are trying their best to survive in the midst of this catastrophe. And those non profit organizations, like Doctors Without Borders who are already on the ground, many of their members, still not accounted for, trying to give medical aid to those with blunt force injuries and serious burns. You want to give credit, thats the place where you should start. Haiti looks like Dante's Inferno, right about now. Forget about politics, the best anyone can do right now is to donate as much as you can, as quickly as you can, & here's is a list of organizations you can donate to:

Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help

•Doctors Without Borders is on the ground and has set up clinics to treat injured in Haiti. Donate any amount so they can keep their efforts going. http://doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/article.cfm?id=4149&cat=transcript

•The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.

•UNICEF has issued a statement that "Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.

•Donate through Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti. Text "Yele" to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization

•Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at 1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

•Save The Children has launched an emergency relief effort for Haiti. Donate to their fund to provide medical attention and clean water to children and families.

•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. The IMC previously helped recovery efforts after September 2009's earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the massive 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Donate to the International Medical Corps through their 24-hour hotline at 800-481-4462

•Ben Stiller's Stillerstrong campaign will be temporarily diverting all donations to support the Haiti relief effort.

•Partners In Health reports its Port-au-Prince clinical director , Louise Ivers, has appealed for assistance: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us." Donate to their Haiti earthquake fund.

•As a UN Special Envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton appeared on CNN on Wednesday to ask for further assistance in bringing relief to populations on the ground. You can donate through the Clinton Foundation or text HAITI to 20222 to donate $10.

•Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year. Donate online, call 1-888-256-1900 or send checks to Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208.

•Direct Relief is committing up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations. Their partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children's Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital, which are particularly active in emergency response. Donate to Direct Relief online.

•Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate to Oxfam America online.

•The UN World Food Programme is gathering all available resources to deliver food to the recently homeless and impoverished in Haiti. Donate now to help bring food to those affected as quickly and efficiently as possible.

•The Baptist Haiti Mission is operating an 82-bed hospital that is "overflowing with injured." Donate online to BHM and 100% of your donation will go to the relief effort.

•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. Donate online.

•Following the earthquake, Catholic Relief Services made an immediate commitment of $5 million for emergency supplies. They are distributing food and relief supplies, and importing plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and water purification tablets from the Domincan Republic. Donate to Catholic Relief Services to assist in these efforts.

•Give to the American Jewish World Service's Earthquake Relief Fund.

•CARE is deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince today to assist in recovery efforts. They're focusing their efforts on rescuing children who may still be trapped in schools that collapsed. Donate to CARE.

•Orphans International America reports that they have been able to make contact with their program director in the town of Jacmel, a city about 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince that houses OI's hospitals and schools. Orphans International America is attempting to gather food, clean water and emergency medical supplies to Jacmel. You can contribute to them through PayPal.

•The International Rescue Committee is deploying an emergency response team to Haiti to deliver urgent assistance to earthquake survivors and to help overwhelmed local aid groups struggling to meet the immense emergency needs. They will focus on critical medical, water and sanitation assistance. Donate to the IRC Haiti Crisis Fund.

•NetHope is coordinating its response with its NGO member agencies and with the UN's Emergency Telecom Cluster to establish connectivity in Haiti. Seventeen of NetHope's members are already providing aid and deploying resources on the ground. Donate online.

•The Haitian Health Foundation is still assessing the situation of their full-time facilities and staff in Haiti. They regularly provide health care, development and relief to rural mountain villages in Haiti. Donate to the Haitian Health Foundation.

•World Vision has more 370 staff in the country. Staff members from less-affected regions of Haiti are mobilizing, and World Vision's global experts are expected to arrive in the disaster zone as soon as possible. Donate to World Vision.

•The Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee and have created a dedicated Haiti Relief page for online donations.

•United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is the UN's humanitarian fund responding to emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti. Donate online.

•Friends of the Orphans will use donations to meet the needs of first responders such as first aid supplies, shipping of necessary materials to assist in efforts, and treating the injured. Those interested in helping the relief effort can visit www.friendsoftheorphans.org, or call 888-201-8880 to make a donation.

•World Concern's staff is almost entirely composed of Haitian nationals and will be tapping into private as well as U.S. government supplies to help in the relief effort it hopes will soon be supplemented by cargo ships. Donate to World Concern.

•Merlin USA is sending an emergency response team out to the region and have subsequently launched an emergency appeal to bring urgent medical aid and assistance to those affected. Donate to Merlin USA.

HuffPost Impact is following relief organizations in Haiti and will be updating with their latest messages from the ground. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html


To find information about friends and family in Haiti: The U.S. State Department set up a toll-free number to call for information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747.

The department said some callers may receive a recording because of heavy volume of calls.

The State Department has also set up links on its Web site to facilitate donations to disaster relief agencies.

[Moosepoop]

24. This isn't about "credit," it's about the people of Haiti

and the rescue and relief operations underway on their behalf -- ALL of them.

This includes operations by the U.S. Government, ordered by (gasp!) President Obama, whether you like it or not.

Your own list ends with a toll-free number from the U.S. Department of State and info about links on its web site to facilitate donations to relief agencies -- many of them the very ones that you listed yourself. Department of State = OK, but actions by Obama = not worthy of mention. Got it.

I'm sorry if it pains you that Obama has ordered rescue/relief operations, and sorrier still if it pains you that this was reported on and that the reporting of it was then posted here.

You say "forget about politics," yet you take the time to try to discredit lifesaving operations by our government, if they came from Obama. You should be ashamed, but I doubt you will be.

I appreciate knowing what actions are being taken by our government in response to this disaster, as well as all the other agencies answering the call to aid, and info on how we can help. Both are allowed and should be welcomed here.

[levander]

29. It doesn't pain her...

She's just sick of natural disasters being used as photo-ops. It's entirely tasteless.

I'm sorry if it pains you that Obama has ordered rescue/relief operations, and sorrier still if it pains you that this was reported on and that the reporting of it was then posted here.

Good lord...

[Moosepoop]

31. You speak for each other now?

My reply was to a post that ferociously objected, for some reason, to the OP's posting of news concerning Obama's directives to send rescue and relief aid to Haiti. While saying "forget about politics" this poster's stated reason for objecting to the OP was that Obama shouldn't receive "credit" for those directives.

As for your assertion that the poster I responded to was merely "sick of natural disasters being used as photo-ops," there was nary a photo in the OP, nor in the Twitter or the Washington Post articles linked within it.

Good lord, indeed...

[boppers]

35. Good resources...

But I still don't follow "Fox news" tweets.

'cuz, ya know, it's fox.