We're dancing as fast as we can....
Jan. 14th, 2010 08:11 pmAnger grows in quake-hit Haiti over aid delay
Ummm. Folks? Your country's entire infrastructure collapsed in that quake. And you're on an island. Your neighbor, the Dominican Republic, was Johnny-on-the-spot with assistance and the rest of the world is doing its level best to get relief workers, food, water, and other necessities to you as quickly as we can.
But....
The Port-au-Prince airport runways are too short to handle the biggest cargo planes we have, so we're using the smaller ones. The control tower is non-functional so pilots have to coordinate takeoffs and landings with each other by sight and by radio. It's a miracle no planes have crashed. There isn't enough jet fuel for return flights and space to park the empty planes is filling up. The cranes that usually offload cargo ships were knocked into the harbor, making large shipments by sea impossible. The roads are in sorry shape, so delivery of what aid can get through is hampered.
We understand your situation is desperate, and we're getting stuff to you just as fast as humanly possible. But seriously, how is stacking corpses in the street as roadblocks going to help?
( Text of articles for posterity )
Ummm. Folks? Your country's entire infrastructure collapsed in that quake. And you're on an island. Your neighbor, the Dominican Republic, was Johnny-on-the-spot with assistance and the rest of the world is doing its level best to get relief workers, food, water, and other necessities to you as quickly as we can.
But....
The Port-au-Prince airport runways are too short to handle the biggest cargo planes we have, so we're using the smaller ones. The control tower is non-functional so pilots have to coordinate takeoffs and landings with each other by sight and by radio. It's a miracle no planes have crashed. There isn't enough jet fuel for return flights and space to park the empty planes is filling up. The cranes that usually offload cargo ships were knocked into the harbor, making large shipments by sea impossible. The roads are in sorry shape, so delivery of what aid can get through is hampered.
We understand your situation is desperate, and we're getting stuff to you just as fast as humanly possible. But seriously, how is stacking corpses in the street as roadblocks going to help?
( Text of articles for posterity )