As you read this, the multitude of Haitians desperately seeking help wait.
After their capital city was ravaged by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake last week, the population, most of whom were previously living in poverty, are currently forced to rely on international aid.
The world has responded. But we must ask ourselves, what is our country doing to help? At this point, the only successful route to supply the country with much needed food and medical supplies is by air.
Reports are abound of roads blocked with debris and the port’s main pier splintered beneath the waves, leaving the inadequate airport to sustain all incoming supplies.
This creates an incredible obstacle for the many countries and aid programs that have heard the cries for help and are responding quickly with planes full of supplies.
Our government’s first response, however, should have been of a different magnitude.
Much of the problems arose when the Haitian government released control of its airspace to the United States.
The reports indicate the stunned Haitian government signed a memorandum of understanding, relinquishing control of the airport, with its single working runway, to the United States.
This seems to be our government’s response to most crises. The New York Times reported aid officials were accusing the U.S. of solely concerning itself with stationing troops and lifting American citizens out of Haiti.
Jarry Emmanuel, air logistics officer for the World Food Program, told The New York Times the Haitian airport is currently managing 200 flights in and out, most being for our military.
Since this accusation, the U.S. has managed to free up more airspace, but the damage has been done.
Our top priority seems to be obtaining and sustaining control of a country whose government is weakened by a natural disaster.
Why was it our government’s first priority to make sure troops were stationed rather than to ensure medical supplies, fresh water and food is delivered to those in desperately need?
Planes carrying these supplies were diverted elsewhere due to our nation’s concern with controlling the situation, ultimately causing as much as a 24-hour delay in shipment of supplies.
The Guardian reported that a Medecins Sans Frontieres (also known as Doctors without Borders) cargo plane, carrying an inflatable surgical hospital, was denied landing and rerouted to Samana, in the Dominican Republic.
I can’t imagine the reasoning to deny a cargo plane transporting supplies to accommodate 100 sick patients, provide sterile medical equipment and an environment to conduct surgery just for the U.S. to secure military positions.
Haiti needs all the help it can get.
However, we should probably ask ourselves why our nation’s disaster relief plans are so askew.
When Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, we weren’t too proud of the way our response plans were implemented then, either.
Perhaps we should reevaluate our planning skills and figure out why things keep going wrong when we need precise, sufficient decisions that are executed without flaw.
4 comments
You obviously have no idea what the US military does. The military is always the first to respond to any disaster worldwide because they have the resources ready, always. There is no other organization in the world that carries out more humanitarian aid than they do. Now, stop watching movies for your knowledge of the military and do some real research or stop trying to be a journalist. There are enough people who have no clue, spreading disinformation about us, we don't need anymore.