The U.N. keeps saying, "It takes time". The U.S. keeps saying, Help is on the way. Reports showing planes filled with aid on the ground at the airport on Wednesday and on Friday still no aid getting to the people! Yesterday I like so many others sat glued to the TV watching the unbelievably horrific images and stories of what the Haitians are going through and as the day went on I became angrier and angrier at what was happening. Seeing stories of Haitians trying to dig out their loved ones, hearing their voices but not being able to get to them.
And searching the channels for any coverage/reports of professional/international search and rescue groups helping Haitians and not finding one story.
All I saw were Haitians helping each other with no tools or help, yet still managing to free people from
the rubble. With hands and determination, rescuers free quake victim, these rescuers who freed this man were Haitian people. At the same time Ivan Watson was reporting and following the story of the 11yr old girl pulled from the rubble after 48 hours, Gary Tuchman was reporting and following the story of an Icelandic search-and-rescue team has freed a woman from the Caribbean Market. Now along with the Icelandic search-and-rescue team were teams from four other countries (including U.S.) all working on freeing this one woman while Haitians are alone freeing people all over the city.
The 11yr old girl being freed was a story of hope, yet she died because she couldn't get the medical attention she needed.
The story of the man went on to say that once the man was freed the Haitian police didn't know where to send the victim because there were no hospitals or aid stations. These are just two of the thousands of stories coming from Haiti and being shown on CNN News that I've been watching since the aid landing on the ground Wednesday and I have been getting angier and angier.
Citizens from the U.S., Canada, and many other countries have been rescued, treated, evacuated, and are being interviewed on TV back in their countries and yet the people in charge are saying they are still trying to figure out how to get into the country to help! There has been aid on the ground with thousands of professional people who are trained specifically to help in these disasters since Wednesday and still there is no aid going to the Haitian people! How is this possible! I know I am not a professional at responding to a disaster nor would I ever claim to be, but Lt. General Russel Honore is. And after hearing what his opinion is regarding the time, I knew I was right and I felt like no one in the media who has a voice was ever going to make this the top story! People are dying, starving, suffering, waiting for basic supplies like food, water and medical supplies and the people in charge are telling us, "It takes time"!
Then last night on AC360 Anderson Cooper did just that. Starting with his report Stupid Deaths on Larry King, where he talks about the fact that people are dying of things they shouldn't be dying of and are going to continue to until they get help. Then Chris Lawrence reported one disastrous attempt by the U.N. to distribute food and water and the fear of security and violence issues developing. Which in my opinion is one of the more upsetting questions that continues to come up. There are reporters all over Haiti and the one common thread through out all of the stories is how incredibly positive, caring, calm, understanding and patient the Haitian citizens are and how calm and orderly they are when waiting for water, fuel, food and most importantly medical assistance.
However most disturbing and shocking was CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta watching and trying to explain live that the doctors, nurses and medical personal were leaving the newly set up tented field hospital. His inability to hide the stunned look on his face as he was watching the scene unfold expressed more then any words could ever explain. They stated that the U.N. recalled them because of security risks. So they packed up the supplies and themselves and left. One doctor telling Dr. Gupta the conditions of some pf the patients and where the couple of supplies that will be needed to continue to treat the patients were and then left. I am only a massage therapist, not a medical professional, but I cannot imagine leaving a patient I was treating under any conditions.
The U.N. denies giving the order, the doctors claim they had to leave and it is being looked into. The airport is damaged. The port is damaged. The roads are blocked. There are logistics to look into. The aid is coming. Help is coming.
You know what? I don't care about the who, what, when, how or why. Here is the bottom line....More could and should have been done and AID MUST GET TO THE HAITIAN PEOPLE NOW!
There are to many people in Haiti like Joel Rathon now........
Unable to save wife, Haitian quake survivor fears son will be lost too
My heart goes out and I am praying for everyone who has been effected by the earthquake in Haiti.
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