Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Aid to Haiti

While watching the evening news, we debated how aid would get to Haiti. Emergency workers with dogs were shown readying to leave from Virginia, but I questioned if the airport would be open, given the devastation.

Apparently the airport is open, but the port suffered damage to the cranes and piers.

From The Journal of Commerce

The first ocean-going vessel on the scene, a Coast Guard cutter from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reported Wednesday the port at Haiti’s capital had been badly damaged and that many workers had been killed, leaving the site all but unusable.

Regional operator Seaboard Marine said the port’s cranes and piers had been severely damaged.

Reports said the capital’s main airport still had power and lights, however, allowing emergency flights to get to the country.

Aid from around the globe will have to use the airport or transport goods to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where they will be driven across the border.


click here for link to article

2 comments:

http://www.ehow.com/members/stevemar2-articles.html said...

The situation in Haiti is dire, and will only get worse over time. It is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, so it is up to wealthier countries to try to lend support. The United States will undoubtedly play a major role in the recovery effort, but I hope everyone remembers that the United States also has its own problems, like a high unemployment rate and Americans struggling to support their families.

Shipping Lawyer said...

Yes, it is generous to give to other countries when your own country is struggling to survive itself. I think this a very generous and admirable gift to be making in the midst of domestic problems in the USA at the moment.