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Xanadu 2012: Hati Quake |
Category: Articles 26 comments
14 Jan 2010 @ 07:29 by scotty : catastrophic ! 14 Jan 2010 @ 10:19 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Climate Green Fund Actually new monies from the Climate Change Green Fund $10 to 30 billion agreed to in Copenhagen are specifically now designated for such events as this as some studies indicate earth quakes and pandemics increase at times of climate instability and global warming. These funds were meant to offset the events such as this as a kind of global climate insurance fund. Unfortunately the deal was not totally ratified by the UN because of a few rogue states and only has the support of a few rich nations. I don't think this fund is up and running yet but this would be a good use of its intentions. 14 Jan 2010 @ 12:48 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : quake ideas I wonder if setting up a command center out of the Haiti airport would be the best way to go as it is the link to the rest of the world and could ferry between the city and such. As well restoring cell communications might help if there are survivors trying to text and phone their location. Theyve only got about 72 hours to get through. And if the roads are impossible or problematic they should parachute in supplies and personal and spend the dollars on getting as many choppers to the scene. As well they'll need to watch the weather as I understand theyre heading into rainy season. Theyve got to watch their back side then and be prepared for the storms coming. 14 Jan 2010 @ 12:52 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : more they could probably set up a subordinate command and evacuation center at the harbor and they need to set up some guarded rationing and distribution centers at perhaps the remaining post offices. If they can they should try to clear one main stretch of road throughout the length of the city to the airport and harbor. And they going to need some parachutes from the sounds of it at the airport and some school fields for drop off sites. They'll need armed personal on the ground to secure the supplies and get them to the rationing centers. And they need triage sites maybe at local pharmacies. And they need immediate shelter and tents or maybe just cars to get out of the storms coming. The UN is supposedly in charge but they've been taken out. So they should probably designate a airport based manager of operation 14 Jan 2010 @ 14:19 by scotty : quake ideas really great that you're thinking of ways to try and help - I hope you'll post them on facebook or someplace like that ( since the quake hit there are thousands and thousands of people who have joined the Haiti groupe on facebook) some of the difficulties are almost insurmountable - for example - a command center out of the Haiti airport - the only thing that's left of it is the runway - the airport is no longer functioning - the command tower never worked well in the first place and now it's been dammaged - from france (I don't know about other countries)they're only sending out planes who's pilots have agreed to land 'visually' .. which is why it's difficult to coordinate aid arriving as all the planes have to land then take off again during daylight hours ... there's already a 'traffic jam' on the runway - coz the planes that have already arrived are busy unloading - the planes in the air are having to wait !! Photo n°17 here > > [link] will give you a rough idea of how small the airport is to have to handle all these big planes... france isn't sending out it's biggest planes coz they know that they can't land on Haiti ! Even if they got the phones relay system at the airport working - there are no relays left in the town to carry the signal. Choppers might be ok - but first they have to reach the island - then they have to be loaded up and refueling is a problem too .. the roads in Haiti are extremely bad at the best of times and now they're almost inexistant - the relief workers are also hesitant to try and use them - mostly because of armed banditry - there aren't enough soldiers to protect them. Local pharmacies as such don't exist ! It's really difficult to imagine how poor these people are and to really understand that they simply do not have anything ! as for the city it'self - not feasable really to drop things by parachute - there aren't any school fields ... it's hard to imagine what the city looks like - 
two million people living for the most part in a shamble of shanty towns .. if food 'n stuff is dropped to them without some kind of controlled distribution they'll start killing each other ! Haiti is a bit like the wild west - there are armed gangs everywhere! Here in the french news they're already talking about 100 thousand people dead - no food or water - many of the survivors are digging people out with their bare hands but most of the population is simply wandering around lost or sitting around stunned.. but soon they too will start turning away and looking for food - they will become even more desperate - notions of civilisation as 'we' know it didn't really exist there in the first place .. god help all of them. the harbour is quite a bit away on the ourskirts of the city and most of the solid built buildings have fallen - even the Presidential Palace is now just a pile of rubble ! Almost none of the buildings there were built to resist earthquakes ONE GOOD THING is - the rainy season is over at this time of year! It'll be unlikely that they'll get any real rain now for several weeks ! thank gawd ! most of the aid groupes (like the red cross for example) have been installed in Haiti for about fourteen fifteen years now - they know the place like the back of their hands and I think they're all being solicited now to help all incoming aid to arrive and be distributed in the best possible way ! Hats off to them !!!! Keep plugging away at finding solutions and try to find sites where you can post them ! Bless your heart for caring so much ((hugs)) 14 Jan 2010 @ 15:18 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : thanks Scotty thanks Scotty I thought it was bad but for what you describe it is somewhat unimaginable all the need I suppose to pitch in. I suppose if it happened here people would hope some one cared. Sometimes that's all that makes the difference. 14 Jan 2010 @ 15:24 by scotty : Caring absolutely - caring makes all the difference in the world ! and as you soooo rightly say if it happened to us please god that someone would care! This is all very emotional stuff and it's difficult not to feel overwhelmed and helpless to help them .... but as I said earlier - giving one dollar helps - giving prayers helps and lets all pray that THIS TIME something will be done to help the Haitians to become independant of aid! This catastrophe is so colosal that jeeze 'n bloody hell it just HAS to serve some pupose ! I'm seeing (visualising) Haiti and Port de Prince as a Phoenix rising from the ashes .. and I'm not going to let go of this vision ! 14 Jan 2010 @ 19:34 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : community I suppose efforts should be made to restore and restart the community of Port du Prince community civic and municipal regions first before National interests. Therefore various communities should put forth their representatives and do an overall needs assessment. Whether this is done democratically by vote or by community consensus. They the community representatives should thus then have a general meeting to address the various municipal needs and infrastructure concerns. Right now I would say first aid medical attention and clean water should get the priority and burial of the deceased. 14 Jan 2010 @ 20:03 by scotty : yep Right now saving lives first aid medical attention and clean water should get the priority .. then when they've got their breaths back they can start assessing and planning ! 15 Jan 2010 @ 11:49 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : omivision "where there is no vision the people perish" Proverbs 29 v 18 I know the people are traumatized but the first priority was trying to save those trapped under the rubble as there was only a 72 hour window of opportunity for them. Moving slowly on then to the here and now.... and possible brighter future there needs to be hope for a better tomorrow and people ready, willing and able to work and play with, for and towards it. We might thus take a chapter from the American text and successes and failures and show perhaps a better way. vision link= [link] 15 Jan 2010 @ 12:30 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : follow thru I have already suggested that if the airport is clogged they should parachute the aid and personal in to secured places on the ground to begin orderly distribution of aid and medical assistance. The soccer field is a place that might make way for aid drops. Just move the people to the streets for the moment and air drop the supplies to authorized personal on the ground for orderly distribution. The goods could be distributed throughout the city to know places like post offices for widespread public distribution. They should also clear and secure a main stretch of road from the airport thru the city to the harbor to ferry things from command points. And community leaders should come forth and have a meeting and select representatives and a leader for a provisional municipal government and to do a community by community needs assessment. 15 Jan 2010 @ 13:28 by scotty : re follow thru I don't know if you've seen the images where this morning they did actually drop food from helicopters - crowds of people clamoured and fought amongst themselves - the strongest snatching it all away from the weakest ! It's so difficult - the rescuers know that they must get distribution centers started - but the islanders are so desperately in need that they can't wait .. it's a bit of a catch 22 situation. The only road leading out from the harbour is completely devastated - impossible to repair ! The harbour too is damaged as is the crane that's used to unload theh boats. Whatever clear space there is is already being used as feeding points and medical stations .. efforts are being made to clear some of the roads .. problem is they can't as yet get their heavy machines in there to clear the rubble. A great number of the leaders have also been killed - there's almost no government left to speak of and just like everyone else they're trying to find their families .. it's perhaps a little too soon to expect the locals to take part in directing much of anything .. this will certainly happen though once the main shock has worn off - a little and food water etc is starting to get through... I've only experianced one real earthquake - a force of 6.5 .. even although there was no damage or anything where I lived the actual power that courses up from the ground and through ones body at the time is unimaginable .. even without being hurt one is left slightly bewildered for a bit - it's early days yet to expect the Haitians themselves to start becoming organised .. there's a gulf too in their culture and yours/ours .. organised into a choherent group doesn't quite have the same meaning. It's very complicated ... they'll get there though !!! 15 Jan 2010 @ 13:38 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : yup yup I know my scenario is not complete Im just trying to use my limited experience and some creativity to throw out some ideas, as some times an imperfect idea can lead to a plausible one. Im just trying to imagine the scene and interject some order in order to try to maintain as much dignity and life as possible. Thanks for the balance you interject though it helps to shape the scenario. 15 Jan 2010 @ 13:40 by scotty : swanny you're beautiful .. whilst you're using your imagination - imagine too that solutions to problems are going to be found - see it in your minds eye .. think it into being .. your willpower can help it happen !! (hugs) 15 Jan 2010 @ 13:49 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Choppers If the crane at the harbor is broke I wonder if they can unload the ships with the choppers I know its probably dangerous but unless they can hustle a crane ship to the scene all those boats coming are in vain and with the road from the harbor being toast and unrepairable theyre going to need a lot of choppers or ? something to get the boat aid to the city. Oh by the way today is the longest solar eclipse on record supposedly. 15 Jan 2010 @ 14:16 by scotty : choppers (heheh that's what we in scotland call false teeth ! ) the french have sent some ships and an air craft carrier and fourteen choppers - so if push comes to shove they could use the choppers to transfer the stuff from all the ships that are on their way !(and I'm sure there's many more choppers from the US and other countries too ) I think the worst of the difficulty is in the very begining - just assessing stuff .. and little by little they start their way in ... and then suddenly things just almost miraculously take shape .. the rescue teams have been there a couple of days now ... I think from now on a lot of the news is going to be good ! Longest solar eclipse !!! WOW ! ( can you see it from your part of the world ? ) 15 Jan 2010 @ 14:29 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : India No we aren't seeing it here it occurred in India this morning. 15 Jan 2010 @ 20:34 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Survial I think the gist of it is that there is no world agency set up to help such a massive amount of people in so little time. Would that there might be but in such a case people have to do without or help themselves. So perhaps if we might get some info how the local people might clean their water and find edible plants in the bush that might help them where others can't and then they could share the knowledge. And set up latrine sites Now if they could boil their water that would be a start and if they could clean and bandage their wounds that might help to keep infection down. And perhaps burn the refuse And if people could supply them with more such knowledge about their local environment then that would foster empowerment and community self sufficiency. They could perhaps set up some soup kitchens and share what little they've got as a community has a greater chance of survival than the individual. They need basic survival knowledge, Dandelions are edible you know if they have them there and a flour can be made of the roots though bitter as it is but they need reliable local survival knowledge. Maybe someone could set up such on a web site. 16 Jan 2010 @ 04:58 by a-d : so many big/ devastating quakes have happened in the month of January... Northridge/Sa Monica quake, 1994 Jan 17 Kobe quake following year -95 same day... and there's more, see for yourself: [link] you can also "google" Famous Jan Earthquakes (I opened up Metacrawler) One can only wonder why January is so proned for this "phenomenon"!???! ... ^!^ 16 Jan 2010 @ 17:15 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : why why good question could it have to do with the axis of the earths alignment with the sun perhaps as far as the airport Why rather than have our 800 Canadian troops flight wait in Quebec, wouldn't it save time to fly them closer so that when a spot at the air port opens up in Haiti they have only an hours flight from say Dominican Republic or somewhere nearer to Haiti. I pretty sure they're self sufficient hopefully and the airports elsewhere could probably accommodate them for a spell. Would cut the 6 hour flight from Canada down and place them in the vicinity if needed pronto. 16 Jan 2010 @ 19:01 by scotty : waiting planes actually the Dominican Republic is the other half of the same island that houses Haiti .. so there isn't anywhere nearer .. I think they're just about overloaded with planes too .. one of the french planes that arrived yesterday got turned away THREE times by the US (who control the airport at Haiti) as there was no room ... the french plane finally got permission to land in Haiti late this afternoon. I have the impression that there are also diplomatic games at play so it isn't all that easy to find places that planes can land and start getting all those desperately needed provisions to the people ! Friggin politicians ! 17 Jan 2010 @ 00:51 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Critics JohnMcGee wrote:Posted 2010/01/16 at 5:07 PM ET I'm getting a little sick over the uninformed arm-chair quarterbacks trying to tell the Cdn gov't, military and relief agencies how to deal with the Haitian disaster. Just send your money and keep your strategic and political ideas to yourselves. Let them do the jobs they were trained for. ............................................. hmmm so that's your armchair advice John simply throw money at the problem and then dismiss it from our minds. Hmmm well I'll think about it but I don't know this is kind of a new emergency and there aren't to many text book examples or training or personal that have familiarity with a seat of Government being totally demolished by an earthquake. well I suppose there's the Pompeii and Atlantis legends but that was a volcano and an ocean wave and there was no one around to help or even send money and gold . A shame aye. Thank God for money aye the panacea of all that ails. 17 Jan 2010 @ 10:56 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Green Climate Fund Well this "natural disaster" has perhaps a probability of 1/5000 of being attributable to climate instability which is perhaps more than it may be attributable to the wrath of some god, it is thus a simple cause and effect of the planets atmospheric cycle changing for some reason and causing increased tectonic plate slippage. If thus it is the result of climate instability how much of the $20 billion a year new Green Climate Fund created at Copenhagen might Haiti be eligible for and how would such be calculated, on loss of life ie 100,000 people or more or loss of GDP or loss of national capital and assets. Given that the fund is around $20 billion and we can expect according to the text an increasing amount of such claims over the coming years I would venture give Haiti being the first recipient of the a claim perhaps $750 million to what restore itself for perhaps another such incident or to build perhaps a better earth quake proof infrastructure. Anyway here is the text from the Copenhagen Accord article 3 3. Adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and the potential impacts of response measures is a challenge faced by all countries. Enhanced action and international cooperation on adaptation is urgently required to ensure the implementation of the Convention by enabling and supporting the implementation of adaptation actions aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience in developing countries, especially in those that are particularly vulnerable, especially least developed countries, small island developing States and Africa. We agree that developed countries shall provide adequate, predictable and sustainable financial resources, technology and capacity-building to support the implementation of adaptation action in developing countries. 17 Jan 2010 @ 12:11 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Humanitarian Doctrine In regard to the "politics" and "policy" and law and governance on such if any one is interested It may fall under the category of "Humanitarian Doctrine" which is still being written and debated and is somewhat of a gray area and dwells more on human rights abuses than natural disasters. It is still though perhaps a starting point from which to progress and examine in the context of the current situation and emergency in terms of right and wrong and the moot. For those wanting more info on such simply Google such. ie "Humanitarian Doctrine" 17 Jan 2010 @ 13:01 by niwalen : Hello Wouldn´t want to offend, OK, but first things first, and before trying to share survival ideas (from Canada?) shouldn´t you correct the spelling of the title of this entry ? 17 Jan 2010 @ 13:10 by swanny @70.65.13.68 : Hi Hi Niwalen thanks for the assistance unfortunately I have little or no means of edit function for this news log as it is a community log or was and is my only means to post as a concerned citizen and not a actual new civ member. but if whoever has control or edit function would like to do such it seems some would appreciate it I do the best I can with what is with my compass unfortunately it is often not enough its sort been I gives what I can others have to take what they can get out of it. thanks again ed jonas Other entries in Articles 13 Mar 2010 @ 23:30: Blessed Land 2 13 Mar 2010 @ 12:42: Blessed Land 7 Mar 2010 @ 00:58: Children of the Seasons 5 Mar 2010 @ 15:37: The Further Adventures of Joy 5 Mar 2010 @ 13:42: Time Passing 5 Mar 2010 @ 12:01: Joy Revisited 5 Mar 2010 @ 11:29: A Study: Bridges and G O D 26 Feb 2010 @ 01:31: Hey Canada 21 Feb 2010 @ 00:43: Olympic Flame Cauldron 16 Feb 2010 @ 12:58: A Message From the Future?
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14 Jan 2010 @ 00:08, by Unknown