S.O.S�
Port-au-Prince is Devastated� �7.0 Earthquake Slams Haiti
�The country does not have the infrastructure or resources to
deal with a crisis of this magnitude, the U.S. and the international
community must provide immediate medical, humanitarian, search
and rescue, and additional supports as requested by the government
of Haiti.�
-- Nicole Lee, President of TransAfrica Forum.
Listen
to Ms. Lee speak with BC Publisher Peter Gamble.
January
12, 2009 the island nation of Haiti, was hit with a magnitude
7.0 earthquake, its most severe in decades. The epicenter
of the quake was approximately 10 miles south of Port-au-Prince,
the country�s capital and home to almost 2 million people.
The city, including communications and transport infrastructure,
is said to have suffered �massive damage.� According to
Associated Press, the capital is largely destroyed, with widespread
loss of life predicted.
�The people of Haiti are only just beginning to recover
from a decade of economic, environmental, and political shocks.
The global recession, increases in international food prices,
and natural disasters, including four hurricanes in 2008, have
undermined the country�s already weak infrastructure and increased
poverty in a country already the poorest in the western hemisphere,�
according to Nicole Lee, President of TransAfrica Forum.
According to Haitian Ambassador to the United States, Raymond
Joseph, �the quake has crippled the country.� Aid agencies,
including the U.S. Agency for International Development, are meeting
to organize a response. An emergency message from the internationally
respected health organization Partners in Health gives an indication
of the level of crisis: �Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot
of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP
needs supplies, pain meds, and bandages. Please help us."
TransAfrica Forum recommends the following:
1.
SUSPEND HAITIAN DEPORTATIONS AND GRANT TPS. Since January
2009 U.S. immigration judges have issued deportation orders to
over 30,000 undocumented Haitians. The Department of Homeland
Security should immediately halt the arrests of these deportees
and grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the
United States and conduct a full review of its policy towards
Haiti. Temporary protected status (TPS) is granted by the United
States (Homeland Security Department) to eligible nationals of
countries that cannot safely return to their homelands because
of armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary
and temporary conditions. Haiti clearly fits this description.
2. COORDINATED INTERNATIONAL RELIEF ASSISTANCE. The
U.S. government and international aid agencies are already beginning
to mobilize immediate relief. We urge the administration
to continue its efforts, in full coordination with international
agencies and multilateral agencies in order to ensure efficient
relief efforts. The first impulse of individuals and governments
in the face of a crisis of this level is to give, a reflection
of the generous nature of the human spirit, which is to be admired.
Joint planning, coordination, and full use of resources already
available within the region will ensure the efficiency efficacy
of relief efforts.
3. FULL RESOURCE MOBILIZATION. Within the context of international
efforts, and as requested by the Haitian government, we encourage
the Obama Administration to fully mobilize its resources to support
urgent needed search and rescue of the wounded and trapped, including,
again if requested by the Haitian government, mobilization of
the Southern Command structure.
4. CHARITABLE DONATIONS. Many non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and private voluntary organizations (PVOs) have long-established
development projects on the ground. Those organizations
are best placed to assist with the country�s immediate needs;
we encourage supporters to contribute to two highly effective
organizations that are already providing emergency services:
Partners in Health. Donate online at: www.pih.org or
send your contribution to Partners In Health, P.O. Box 845578,
Boston, MA 02284-5578
Doctors
Without Borders. Donate online at www.doctorswithoutborders.org, or toll-free at
1-888-392-0392. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
USA Headquarters 333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY
10001-5004.
BACKGROUND
Haiti is the least-developed country in the Americas. The �dumping�
of cheap products into its economy has further destabilized the
nation and underscored the need to overhaul Haiti�s agriculture
policies in tandem with international trade policy. Approximately
80 percent of Haiti�s population lives in poverty and over half
struggle to survive on less than $1 a day. Remittances that
Haitians outside the country send home account for over a quarter
of gross domestic product (GDP), there is chronic unemployment
and the informal economy is steadily growing.
Foreign
aid continues to dominate Haiti�s budget (30-40 percent) and its
debt stands at $1.3 billion � 40 percent of which was incurred
by the Duvalier dictatorships by stealing or misspending most
of the money between 1957 and 1986. While loss of civilian
life and public security due to armed confrontations continue
to be problems, people are increasingly dying as a result of starvation
and poverty. The prices of products needed to fulfill basic needs
have risen by more than 50 percent since 2007 and most families
are forced to choose between buying food and sending their children
to school. Unfortunately, the current conditions in the
country show no signs of notable improvement and disproportionately
impact vulnerable groups, such as women and children, human rights
defenders and journalists. Through it all, Haitians continue
to identify creative ways to survive and to help others along
the way. This tradition of �youn ede l�t,� or �one helping the
other� remains strong.
One example of this is the existence of solidarity lending groups,
established by members to cover financial obligations, in which
one person receives a rotating pool of money each pay period.
TransAfrica Forum is the leading U.S. advocacy organization for
Africa and the African Diaspora in U.S. foreign policy. TransAfrica
Forum helped lead the world protest against apartheid in South
Africa and today works for human and economic justice for African
people on the continent of Africa, in Latin America and in the
Caribbean. Contact us: TransAfrica Forum, 1629 K Street,
N.W., Suite 1100, Washington, D.C., 2006, 202-223-1960, www.transafricaforum.org.
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member Imani Countess is the Senior
Director of Public Affairs of TransAfrica Forum and
formerly the National Coordinator, Africa Program, American Friends
Service Committee. Click
here to contact Ms. Countess and TransAfrica Forum.
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Issue 358
January 14, 2010
is
published every Thursday
Executive Editor:
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Managing Editor:
Nancy Littlefield
Publisher:
Peter Gamble
Est. April 5, 2002
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