Haiti

It looks like the earthquake that occurred one week ago is on it’s way to one-word infamy.  Like “Katrina” and “The Tsunami”,  the temblor that ruined most everything in Haiti might forever be called “the earthquake”.  Or maybe not.  Perhaps the one word to describe chronic human suffering like this is simply “Haiti”.  Here are some random observations:

Texting is a real easy way to donate money.  No check to write, stamp to lick, number to call, VISA information to dictate, no website to type; all you do is pick up your cellphone and text 90999.  Michelle Obama asked us to and we did in record numbers.  To date this is the largest amount ever donated to a cause.

Talk about multi-tasking. CNN’S Dr. Sanjay Gupta was among the first journalists to arrive in Haiti.  When he wasn’t reporting on the desperate conditions, he was wrapping the head of an injured 15 day old infant, operating on a 12 year old girl who had concrete in her brain, and when a field hospital of Belgian doctors evacuated on alleged orders of the United Nations, Gupta remained  and single-handedly administered care all night long to about 25 patients.  The next morning he tweeted an apology for not making air time for his regular weekend program.  I know, because I’m one of his 1,193,993 followers, a number that grows by the day.  The guy is amazing.  And handsome.  And scary smart.  The best reason to watch CNN. Maybe TV.

As Shepherd Smith distinguished himself for Fox News during the Katrina debacle, I believe Gupta will personify graceful reporting that made the most difference in Haiti.  Props to ABC’s Diane Sawyer too for landing in Haiti direct from Afghanistan.  The woman is 64 years old.

God must really love the Haitian people.  My Aunt Marion, a devout Catholic, says God chooses his favorite people to suffer the most.   With all the natural disasters befalling Haiti, God can ease up on the love, just a little bit.  They’ve had enough.

Now that much of Haiti has been leveled by nature’s giant wrecking ball, there is a marvelous opportunity for regrowth done right this time.  Hopefully the good will and funds will continue to pour in.  If the Haitian Government can get out of its own way architects and contractors will design and build stronger buildings to withstand the natural disasters the island seems to attract.

The media appear disingenuous, traveling into disaster zones with all the food and water they need, while the subjects of their reports are dying.   Crews come fully contained with all their own supplies so as not to drain local resources, but still, the stock answer by every network, that they can’t help people with food or water but they can help by “telling their story”, quickly got a little old.

I’m not blaming reporters for having their own supplies, but it does underscore a continuing problem.  Journalists made their way into New Orleans after the hurricane when the military didn’t seem to know how.  Several years later, it’s the same in Haiti.  Every news outlet manages to get planes, staff and supplies into a disaster zone, but governments can’t.  Are they too big for the task?  Too bureaucratic? Too complacent?

This earthquake  mobilized ordinary people on twitter, texts and blogs in a decentralized form of communication that is taking over.  Previously known as a “grass roots” effort, viral information makes Phone companies, airlines, and governments seem out of touch.  The phone companies and U.S. State Department were overwhelmed with panicked callers in the days after the quake. Most people only got a recording.   It was Facebook and twitter and the internet that spread the word of how bad things were.

In the end, for all the high-tech ways people are connecting to this disaster, Haiti tonight is in the Middle Ages.  With no electricity, no food, scarce water, there are corpses in the streets and broken bones held in cardboard splints.  Haiti remains a place of profound suffering and despair.

Tagged as: ABC, CNN, Fox News, Haiti