HAITI TRAGEDY: Violence and looting breaks out

NATION — By MainStreetMantra Desk on January 17, 2010 at 2:52 pm
HELP IS SLOW TO REACH PEOPLE

HELP IS SLOW TO REACH PEOPLE

More than 2,000 US marines are set to join 1,000 US troops on the ground in Haiti, as aid efforts gather pace almost a week after the earthquake. Their arrival comes amid reports of violence and looting and as UN and US forces pushed back an angry crowd at the airport gates with batons.

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said he would recommend the UN Security Council boost police and troop numbers by 3,500. People have been continuing to flee the capital and many are seeking US visas.

The delivery of aid to victims of Haiti’s earthquake is still being slowed by bottlenecks, aid workers say.

UN and Oxfam staff are finally bringing food and water to some parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, but the airport remains clogged with loaded planes. Many survivors of Tuesday’s quake have become desperate as they wait for aid, and many are trying to leave the city.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has arrived in Haiti, said it was the worst humanitarian crisis for decades. Mr Ban is expected to visit the ruins of the UN mission, where several staff including Special Representative Hedi Annabi were killed, and meet President Rene Preval.

The UN has launched an appeal for $562m (£346m) intended to help three million people for six months, while some two million people are thought to need emergency relief. Meanwhile first reports from the epicentre of the earthquake suggest the damage is even more dramatic than in the capital.

West of Port-au-Prince, there is a scene of “apocalyptic”, with thousands left homeless and almost every building destroyed. But in a sign of hope, rescuers pulled three people alive from the rubble on Sunday. Twelve others were rescued on Saturday, the UN said.

There are also security concerns amid reports of looting.

The US Southern Command’s Lt-Gen Ken Keen said that while streets were largely calm there had been an increase in violence. “We are going to have to address the situation of security,” he said, quoted by the Associated Press.

“We’ve had incidents of violence that impede our ability to support the government of Haiti and answer the challenges that this country faces.” AFP news agency quoted one of its photographers as saying police had opened fire on looters in a Port-au-Prince market, killing at least one of them.

TO HELP: Authorities caution people to beware of online scammers:-

• American Red Cross: The American Red Cross has pledged an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by the earthquake in Haiti, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation.

• The U.S. Dept of State’s Web site suggests texting 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts. As of Friday morning, Americans have “texted” more than $8 million for Haiti relief.

• With former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at his side at the White House on Saturday, President Obama said his predecessors will lead a humanitarian mission for Haiti’s earthquake victims that will reach beyond government efforts and tap the generosity of the public.

“Americans have always come together at times of international crises,” Obama said. “Responding to disaster must be the work of all of us.”

The two former presidents are heading the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to help raise money for Haitians. The fund’s Web site is www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Trackback
  1. Violence and looting breaks out in Haiti | Main Street Mantra Domain on Me - 26 Jan 2010
  2. what do you think about the business strategy of outsourcing? | Wireless Business Phone - 26 Jan 2010