Seabees Make Improvements to School in Port-au-Prince
From Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command Public Affairs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- Naval Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 2 Logistics and Support Unit Seabees completed improvement projects Feb. 25 at the Quisqueya School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The project was part of an initiative to assist school administrators in making repairs and improvements to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid and supplies after the Jan. 12 earthquake which devastated the Caribbean nation.
"We've assisted the school with power generation to cool medical supplies used by non-governmental organizations [NGO] currently residing here, and we also helped widen the gate of the school's compound so they can receive larger shipments of aid," said Construction Mechanic 1st Class Jason Pompe, a project team leader.
In addition to serving as a learning institution for children throughout Port-au-Prince, the Quisqueya school is being used as a staging base for NGOs who are in the country providing vital medical and humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti.
Seabees involved in the projects said the opportunity to apply their building expertise to improve facilities was their chance to make a difference.
"We see our contributions as a way of assisting those who are helping the people of Haiti get through this difficult time," said Pompe. "It's rewarding for us to be able to help good people."
School administrator Steve Hersey was thankful for the Seabees' work and said the projects made a big impact on the quality of life and morale of the students, faculty and aid workers residing at the school.
"The work the Seabees did for us will enable our NGOs to help more people," said Hersey. "Literally, instead of helping a thousand people, we can help ten thousand people. We are extremely grateful for the hard work the military is putting in here in Haiti."
For the Seabees, the project was a small gesture of hope for a nation that is so much in need of humanitarian aid and assistance.
"Our goal was to give them a quality product that will last well into the future," said Chief Warrant Officer Terry Stoneking, officer in charge of the Seabee detachment. "It's our small way of contributing to the humanitarian mission here."
U.S. Carrier Leaves
Haiti; Relief Mission Continues
By Donna
Miles American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2010 – The release of the U.S.
Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and other military assets from the
humanitarian assistance mission in Haiti in no way signals a winding down
of U.S. military operations there, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told
reporters today.
“It does not mean the beginning of the end,”
Gates said during a news briefing that focused primarily on the fiscal
2011 budget request and 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review. “We anticipate
being in Haiti for as long as we are needed, and as long as the president
wants us to be there and the Haitians want us to be there.”
U.S. Southern Command announced today that
Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, its commander, had released USS Carl Vinson
from the Operation Unified Response mission it has supported since
arriving in Haiti Jan. 15.
Ten of its embarked helicopters will remain
with Joint Task Force-Haiti and will continue to support international
relief efforts from other U.S. Navy ships operating near the Haitian
coast, officials said.
Meanwhile, Fraser also released the
guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the oceanographic survey ship
USNS Henson, among the first Navy ships to join the Vinson in the days
immediately after the Jan. 12 earthquake.
Fraser said he also plans to release elements
of three Army aviation units, expressing confidence that JTF-Haiti has the
resources and personnel needed to assist U.S. Agency for International
Development and UN-led relief efforts..
As of today, 19 U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard
and U.S. Military Sealift Command ships continue to support the relief
effort, and seven additional U.S. military and civilian ships are en route
to join them, Southcom reported.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, recognized that demand for these assets will diminish as
USAID and non-governmental-organization projects evolve. But, the admiral
reiterated the U.S. military’s continued commitment in Haiti.
“We will remain in Haiti just as long as we
are needed,” Mullen said. “At the request of the Haitian government and in
partnership with the U.N. and international community, we will continue to
do all that is required to alleviate suffering there.”
Mullen expressed appreciation for the way the
U.S. military has stepped up to the mission. “I couldn’t be more proud of
the way in which our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast
Guardsmen have stepped up to perform this important mission of mercy.”
Fraser echoed Mullen, offered high praise
today to the support the vessels leaving Haiti and their crews provided.
"I want to thank the thousands of sailors who
steamed toward Haiti in near-record time to help the nation overcome the
humanitarian crisis that immediately followed this natural disaster,"
Fraser said. “From emergency medical care aboard ships, to medical
evacuation missions, to the rapid delivery of urgently-needed supplies,
they helped save countless lives in the most desperate of times."
NASA
Airborne Radar Studies Haiti Earthquake Faults
NASA's UAVSAR airborne radar will create 3-D
maps of earthquake faults over wide swaths of Haiti (red shaded area) and
the Dominican Republic (yellow shaded area). Image credit:
NASA
January 26, 2010
PASADENA, Calif. -- In response to the disaster in
Haiti on Jan. 12, NASA has added a series of science overflights of
earthquake faults in Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of
Hispaniola to a previously scheduled three-week airborne radar campaign to
Central America.
Port Au Prince, Haiti - Image From the International Space
Station
Posted on January 24, 2010 by
Astro_Soichi
Garamone's Blog: Life and Death at Terminal Varreux
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press
Service
A U.S. Navy sailor
carries a Haitian boy off a helicopter at Terminal Varreux, Haiti, Jan.
23, 2010, as the boy's mother follows behind them. The child received
treatment aboard one of the U.S. Navy ships serving as a hospital in
Port-au-Prince harbor, and he was later discharged. U.S. military
personnel are providing aid and support to earthquake victims in Haiti.
DoD photo by Jim Garamone
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan. 24, 2010 – I watched a woman die
yesterday.
The young Haitian woman -- call her Marie -- was fifty
feet from the helicopter that was to take her to the USNS Comfort, the
Navy hospital ship providing state-of-the art medical care for the victims
of the Jan. 12 earthquake here. terminal-varreux-haiti
Making It Easier for Americans to
Support Haiti
President Obama Signs Legislation Providing Immediate
Tax Deductions for Haiti Charitable Contributions January 22, 2010.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
In the days since the earthquake in Haiti, Americans
have shown their generosity with millions of dollars in donations.
Tonight, President Obama signed a bill into law that makes it easier
to give. This legislation will allow taxpayers to receive the
tax benefit from donations made to the Haiti effort in this tax season,
rather than having to wait until they file their 2010 tax returns next
year. Specifically, ash donations to charities for the Haitian
relief effort given after January 11 and before March 1 of this year may
be treated as if the contribution was made on December 31 of last year
so that the contribution can be deducted from 2009 income. This
measure applies to monetary donations, not goods or
services.
One way to contribute is the Clinton Bush Haiti
Fund. To donate, visit ClintonBushHaitiFund.org or text “QUAKE”
to 20222 to charge a $10 donation that will be added to your cell phone
bill. To learn more about the situation in Haiti and what you
can do to help, visit WhiteHouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake.
RIZ is an upcoming, unique singer and songwriter;
exploding on the scene to establish a fresh view and singularity in the
music industry. With his Afro-European brand of surgically precise
lyrics, RIZ is soon to be hailed as an unexpected but welcomed break to
the industry norm. His vocal style is reminiscent of a young Mark
Morrison seamlessly blended with an Akon/Ne-Yo hybrid.
Born in Nigeria, RIZ moved to The Netherlands with his
family at age 11. World traveled and fluent in five languages, RIZ has
striven to achieve the pinnacle of everything he embarks on. He would
soon join together with music producer extraordinaire and former Capitol
Records A&R, Roy (Royalty) Hamilton; writer & producer of
Joe's 'Stutter', Britney Spears' 'I Got That Boom Boom', and numerous
smash hits for R. Kelly, K-Ci & Jojo, 'N Sync & Michael Jackson.
Together they collaborated on what was sure to be one of RIZ's best
songs to date: 'Sexy Mama', featuring platinum rapper Lil' Zane.
Medical personnel aboard the USNS
Comfort hospital ship examine a Haitian patient, background, while another
patient waits for an operating room, Jan. 21, 2010, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The ship is in Haiti to treat patients from the Jan. 12 magnitude 7
earthquake. DoD photo by Jim Garamone
By Jim
Garamone American Forces Press Service
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan.
21, 2010 – The USNS Comfort lived up to its name today as the medics and
crew of the hospital ship continued to provide medical aid to the
residents of this devastated land.
In short, it was a very busy day as the medics tended
to some of the most challenging cases caused by the magnitude 7 earthquake
that struck Jan. 12. By mid-afternoon today, more than 160 Haitian
patients were admitted to the floating hospital.
Surgeries were performed almost around the clock. There
were nine yesterday -- the first day -- with the last finished at 4:30
this morning. The operating room personnel began work again two hours
later.
The intensive care units and wards were beginning to fill
to capacity of 1,000 beds. “We have never had that number on the ship, but
we can do it,” Navy Dr. (Capt.) Jim Ware, the medical group commander,
said.
More medical professionals are arriving, and all are
highly motivated. “We had critical care nurses show up today, and after
they signed in, they put their scrubs on and went to work,” said Command
Master Chief Chip Collins, the Comfort’s top enlisted sailor. “They said,
‘I can put my stuff away later. Where do you need me?’”
And the help is needed. On the main deck, litter bearers
bring patients to the casualty receiving area after they are unloaded from
helicopters on the flight deck. The elevator door opens and litter bearers
come onto the red deck of the receiving area.
“Six,” says Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dan D’Aurora, who “owns” the
area. D’Aurora is a nurse and a force of nature. All of the medical
personnel in CASREC have their names and ranks printed on surgical tape on
their shirts or scrubs. D’Aurora’s shirt has another across the back with
the word, “Bulldog.”
The litter bearers bring the litter to Bay 6 where they
are met by doctors, nurses and corpsmen who transfer the patient from the
litter to the bed. “Get the bed the same height,” says a nurse as corpsmen
crank the bed up to transfer the patient. “On three. One, two, three –
lift!”
Some patients have breathing tubes and a corpsman presses
a bladder to ensure air gets in the patient’s lungs. Other corpsmen and
nurses hook the patient to monitors.
The doctor looks at the patient and any records. All check
over the patient to ensure some injury hasn’t been overlooked. If X-rays
are ordered, a technician brings a portable machine over and the lifting –
or turning -- process begins again.
Treatment takes many forms. One doctor performed a spinal
tap on a young Haitian boy. Another read an X-ray and sent the patient
immediately to the operating room. Still another looked to see that the
broken leg was set correctly, then sent the patient directly to one of the
wards.
Sailors who serve as translators are an integral part of
the team. Most were born in Haiti and emigrated to the United States with
their families. They are the conduit that doctors and nurses use to
communicate with the Haitian patients.
“They have been nothing short of fantastic,” D’Aurora
said. “When we were here last year for [Exercise] Continuing Promise, we
didn’t have the patients because we couldn’t communicate. We learned.”
While there are some cries of pain, the patients are
pretty stoic. “Again, it helps there’s someone there who speaks their
language,” D’Aurora said.
There are a number of bays in CASREC, and several times
today, they were all filled. The process works quickly and smoothly and is
getting smoother as the medics gain experience.
“This isn’t ‘ER,’” said Navy Dr. (Cmdr.) Tim Donahue, the
chief of surgery. “People work quietly and quickly. This is real life. Not
TV.”
The medics sometimes move quickly. “Running man!” yells
one corpsman as a nurse comes into CASREC at a full sprint with needed
equipment.
The patients come in all shapes, sizes and ages. A baby
was born on the Comfort today. Both mother and daughter are doing well.
In another bay, Charlene, who is five, hugs a teddy bear
she received when she got to the ship. She has a bandage on her left foot,
but medics are concerned about her sight. Navy Dr. (Capt.) Terence McGee
places eye drops in to dilate her pupils. She is a brave young lady as the
doctor looks in her eyes. When he finishes the examination, she begins to
cry so he picks her up. He asks if she has an escort – her mom or dad –
and is told no.
“Five years old and alone,” he says, and continues to rock
her back and forth.
Hospital in Haiti Survives
Earthquake
But Now Urgently Needs Help for
Handling Massive Number of Injured
Milot, Haiti, January 21, 2010
/EIN News/ -- Hopital Sacre Coeur (HSC) is located in original capital of
Milot which is situated in the northern part of Haiti. The hospital was
lucky in escaping with only minor damage to buildings and that staff and
volunteers have been unharmed. However it is not without loss, as some
staff members have already received word of the death of relatives in the
current capital of Port au Prince.
Given the enormous damage to health
care infrastructure and hospitals throughout the country, Hopital Sacre
Coeur is preparing to receive as many of the injured as they can possibly
handle. The hospital will be a major triage site for earthquake victims
who will be transported to the hospital from the devastated regions in the
south. Hospital staff received the first wave of the injured Thursday
night. In the days ahead Maltesers, Red Cross and the U.S. Navy will also
begin to transport patients and the pace of activity is expected to
escalate.
Hopital Sacre Coeur is doing
everything in its power to respond to this unprecedented emergency, but it
is running over full capacity and urgently needs help. People willing to
help can make a gift via credit card on their website.
About Hopital Sacre Coeur and The
CRUDEM Foundation
Hopital Sacre Coeur (HSC) is the
largest private hospital in the north of Haiti. Located in the town of
Milot, the 73 bed hospital has provided uninterrupted service for 23
years. This premier Haitian healthcare facility has been a beacon of hope
for the people of Haiti as it creates a healthier Haiti, one dignified
life at a time.
CRUDEM, an acronym for (Center for
the Rural Development of Milot) was founded in 1968 by the Brothers of the
Sacred Heart of the Montreal Province. In 1993, the CRUDEM Foundation
assumed operating control of the hospital and became a 501(c) (3)
corporation. In 1999, CRUDEM and Hopital Sacre Coeur were included as "100
Projects of the Holy Father for the Year of Charity, 1999" by Pope John
Paul II. In 2004, the foundation moved their headquarters to Ludlow,
Massachusetts.
New 6.1 Haiti Quake Reported
January 20, 2010
A
magnitude 6.1 aftershock struck Haiti today, Jan. 20, west of last week’s
magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Although the extent of the damage from this
seismic activity is not yet known, it is expected that it will hinder
ongoing relief efforts. A map showing the location of the new quake
epicenter has been prepared by the SERVIR network and shared with national
authorities as well as regional and international humanitarian assistance
groups. SERVIR, which stands for the Regional Visualization &
Monitoring System for Mesoamerica and the Dominican Republic, is supported
by NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Obama sends first
Twitter message
Photo Found: Wikipedia:
Credit:
The president reportedly tweeted during his visit to an
aid center on Monday.
Washington (WiredPRNews.com) –
President Barack Obama sent his first “tweet” on Monday while giving
encouragement to workers at a center currently providing disaster relief
aid for Haiti. As reported by AFP, Obama tweeted about his visit to the
disaster operations center, which is housed in the American Red Cross
headquarters.
The message on Twitter is quoted in the
report as stating, “President Obama and the First Lady are here visiting
our disaster operation center right now.” The message was reportedly
followed by another stating, “President Obama pushed the button on the
last tweet. It was his first ever tweet!”
Obama is quoted by AFP as stating to
volunteers and others at the center during his visit, along with First
Lady Michelle Obama, “We’re just here to say ‘thank you’ for the great
work you’re doing.”
from Webmaster B. javamanmonk - I saw
the tweet and the Red Cross retweet
United States Government Haiti Earthquake Disaster Response
Update
January 17, 2010
All numbers below are accurate as of noon Sunday, January 17,
2010
Shown here Jan. 16, 2010,
is an aerial view of downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Makeshift shelters
are being erected in open locations throughout the devastation following a
7.0-magnitude earthquake Jan. 12, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Master
Sgt. Jeremy Lock
On January 12, 2010, a massive
earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside
and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. President Obama has
promised the people of Haiti that "you will not be forsaken; you will not
be forgotten." The United States Government has mobilized resources and
manpower to aid in the relief effort. Below please find some key facts and
examples of government actions to date.
Shown here Jan.
17, 2010, are destroyed buildings in Jacmel, Haiti. According to local
officials about 350 people lost their lives in Jacmel due to the
earthquake that hit the region Jan. 12, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
By Air Force Lt. Col. Ron Tittle Special to
American Forces Press Service
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Jan.
18, 2010 – The Florida Air National Guard's 101st Air and Space Operations
Group here is paving the way for air operations in the emergency response
to Haiti.
Florida Guardsmen have been working to assist the
Haitian government, Federal Aviation Administration, and U.S. Southern
Command in coordinating the flow of supplies into Haiti’s
Port-au-Prince Airport since Jan. 15.
The Florida Air Operations Group used its unique
capabilities to establish the Haitian Flight Operations Coordination
Center while operating from its center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
The model for the coordination center was developed after
Hurricane Katrina to smooth the flow of relief supplies into a disaster
area.
"We are supporting the AFsouth Air Operations Center, the
air component of U.S. Southern Command, 24/7 to provide this
capability," said Air Force Col. Randall Spear, the AOG commander.
"Supplies from around the world are now flowing into Haiti as a direct
result of this effort."
"Previously, aircraft flowing into Haiti had a gridlock of
several hours because there was no place to park or unload aircraft,"
Lt. Col. Brad Graff, director of the coordination center and chief of the
601st Air Mobility Division, said. "Now relief supplies - medical, water,
and food - are steadily flowing into Haiti."
People from all over the world are talking with the
Florida airmen to get a slot time on the ramp, Spear said, adding that
Haitian authorities are only allowing landings from those with a slot time
with the coordination center. The Haitian authorities dictate their
priorities and needs to the coordination center through Southcom.
Florida Guardsmen also are assisting with the flow of air
cargo into Homestead Air Reserve Base. They may pick up additional
missions in other areas in order to maximize airlift to quake-ravaged
Haiti.
"I am extremely proud of the professionalism of our
Florida Guardsmen at the 101st AOG as well as the active duty airmen
working beside them around-the-clock to ensure the protection of our
homeland," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, Florida’s adjutant
general. "They are able to take their daily, superb skills and rise to new
heights to ensure an effective air response to a critical situation in
Haiti."
Working in Florida, and particularly being Florida
Guardsmen, the 101st AOG is experienced with natural disasters,
enabling them to expedite the flow of critical resources into the area.
"We have become the experts in contingency response and
planning when it comes to employing air support in disasters," Spear
said.
(Air Force Lt. Col. Ron Tittle serves with the Florida
National Guard public affairs.)
Coral Gables Collects for Haitian Earthquake Victims
The City of Coral Gables is collecting donations for the
victims of the earthquake that ravaged Haiti . Cash donations are the most
effective way of providing relief. Donations to the American Red Cross can
be sent to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243 , Washington DC 20013 , by
phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or at http://www.redcross.org/. Donors
should designate their gift to AP 2885 Haiti Relief and Development.
Additionally, interested donors can visit www.interaction.org to obtain a list
of credible responding agencies for international emergencies and www.give.org to get valuable information on
making informed decisions when supporting charities. Donors can also visit
www.globalgiving.org for more
information.
All of the City’s Police and Fire Stations continue to
accept relief supplies. The most needed supplies include nonperishable
food, canned goods with easy-to-open lids, water, gloves of all types,
surgical masks and camping tents.
The City is coordinating relief efforts with Miami-Dade
County . As such, the Coral Gables branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library
System, 3443 Segovia Street , is also an active drop off site.
You can take your donations to any of the following
locations:
Coral Gables Fire Station #1
2815 Salzedo Street
Coral Gables Fire Station #2
525 South Dixie Highway
Coral Gables Fire Station #3
11911 Old Cutler Road
Coral Gables Police Station
2801 Salzedo Street
The City of Coral Gables is committed to assisting the
people of Haiti through rescue operations and relief supplies. The City is
asking residents and local businesses to join in its efforts in helping
Haitians in their time of need. For additional information contact the
City of Coral Gables Office of Public Affairs at 305-460-5205.
Starbucks to
Accept Red Cross Donations for Haitian Relief Efforts in U.S. and
Canada
Company Joins Wyclef Jean and Yele Haiti to Drive Awareness; Starbucks
Foundation Also to Contribute $1 Million Dollars (U.S.) to the American
Red Cross
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)- January 18, 2010 06:45 AM Eastern
Time -In response to the Haitian relief effort, Starbucks
(NASDAQ: SBUX) today committed support and funding to the growing
international relief effort. Starting today, participating Starbucks
stores in the U.S. and Canada will enable customers to make monetary
donations at store registers, with no purchase necessary, to benefit the
American and Canadian Red Cross organizations for a limited time. The
Starbucks Foundation will also donate $1 million (U.S.) from The Starbucks
Foundation to the American Red Cross efforts to help Haiti.
“The Red Cross is grateful for this global outpouring of compassion,
and we encourage people to continue their support for Haiti because the
need is so great.”
“We are devastated by the recent loss of life caused by the
earthquake in Haiti,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO, Starbucks
Coffee Company. “We feel a tremendous sense of urgency to respond to the
humanitarian crisis,” added Schultz.
"The generous support of Starbucks, and so many of their customers,
will reach the lives of survivors in Haiti, providing help and hope," said
Gail McGovern, President and CEO, American Red Cross. "The Red Cross is
grateful for this global outpouring of compassion, and we encourage people
to continue their support for Haiti because the need is so great."
For more information on the Red Cross disaster response in Haiti, visit
www.RedCross.org.
In addition, Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean has collaborated
with Starbucks to make an appeal to the Global Community about the crucial
needs of the Haitian community. To learn more about Jean’s ongoing efforts
in Haiti, go to www.yele.org.
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically
sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world.
Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster
and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering
commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique
Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support
to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood;
teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and
supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a
charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its
mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org. Contacts
Sunday, January 17th - The American Red Cross is responding to the
catastrophic 7.3 earthquake in Haiti with financial assistance. Send a $10
donation by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999 or to make a financial contribution
online.
To date, the Red Cross is meeting any requests for blood due to this
tragedy through current supplies. At this time, we do not anticipate
the need for a special donor appeal to support our efforts. As
always, blood donors are encouraged to call 1-800-RED CROSS or to make an
appointment online. Type O Negative and Type B negative donors are always
especially needed. Friday, January 15, 2010 5:03:14 PM RedCross: You have now texted "Haiti" to 90999 1 million times. You
have donated $10 million. $10 at a time. Keep thinking of people in Haiti.
TY
RedCross: We needed help getting blood into Haiti this week and
CBS News flew to the rescue. http://bit.ly/60xlwM
United States Government Haiti
Earthquake Disaster Response Update
January 17, 2010
All numbers below are accurate as of noon Sunday, January 17, 2010
Shown here Jan. 16, 2010, is an aerial view of
downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Makeshift shelters are being erected in
open locations throughout the devastation following a 7.0-magnitude
earthquake Jan. 12, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy
Lock
On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake
struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around
the capital city of Port-au-Prince. President Obama has promised the
people of Haiti that "you will not be forsaken; you will not be
forgotten." The United States Government has mobilized resources and
manpower to aid in the relief effort. Below please find some key facts and
examples of government actions to date.
GeoEye data copyright GeoEye.
Caption by Holli Riebeek. Instrument: GeoEye
Rubble spills onto the streets of Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, in this GeoEye-1 image from January 14, 2010. The image only hints
at the extent of the damage that occurred when a 7.0 earthquake rattled
Haiti on January 12, 2010. Several buildings are very clearly damaged, but
the other building may also be damaged beneath an intact roof. People,
tiny dots at this scale, surround the piles of rubble along the edge of
the streets.
U.S. Navy Photo by
Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Lee Kelsey
Members of Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue from Virginia scale what used to be the Montana Hotel to look for earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 14, 2010. The all-volunteer service partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development and multinational relief agencies to support the massive relief efforts in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Eight personnel, including seven Americans, have been rescued from the hotel's rubble.
Members of Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue from Virginia conduct a rescue operation at the Montana Hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 14, 2009. The volunteer service partnered with U.S. Agency for International Development and multinational relief agencies to support the massive relief efforts after the Jan. 12 earthquake. Eight people, including 7 Americans, have been rescued from the rubble of the hotel.
Strongest
earthquake in over 200 years rumbles, completely devastates
Haiti
Dallas, Texas (CaymanMama.com) — An
incredibly severe earthquake rumbled beneath the ground in the island
nation of Haiti on Thursday, killing thousands (with a steadily rising
death toll), making it the strongest tremor to hit it in over 200 years.
The magnitude 7.0 earthquake caused an
immense amount of damage, all of which cannot yet be completely
characterized.
“Unfortunately, Haiti has a rather
poor economy and not a wonderful building style for earthquake resistance,
so we would expect that we would see quite severe and widespread damage
from this earthquake,” Michael Blanpeid, associate coordinator for the
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, said in a podcast released Wednesday.
It has been reported that at least 3
million people have been affected and some newscasts say that it is hard
for aid efforts to get to the injured. The Haitian presidential palace was
completely destroyed.
President Barack Obama vowed to launch
a full rescue and humanitarian effort, adding that the U.S. commitment to
Haiti will be unwavering.
“We have to be there for them in their
hour of need,” Obama said.
President Rene Preval painted a grim
picture of the situation in Haiti:
“Parliament has collapsed. The tax
office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.
There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.”
USNS
Comfort sits at its pier in Baltimore on Jan. 15, 2010, being readied to
move out to provide medical support for earthquake-ravaged Haiti. DoD
photo by Donna Miles
By Donna Miles American
Forces Press Service
BALTIMORE, Jan. 15, 2010 – Early last spring, Navy
Capt. James Ware was preparing his crew aboard the hospital ship USNS
Comfort for a humanitarian assistance mission in Haiti, the first stop
during a four-month swing through the region.
USNS Comfort sits at its pier in Baltimore on Jan. 15, 2010, being
readied to move out to provide medical support for earthquake-ravaged
Haiti. DoD photo by Donna Miles (Click photo for
screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Today, Ware is overseeing final preparations to return to Haiti for
a more pressing mission: providing life-saving medical care to victims of
a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands and left untold
thousands more injured. U.S.N.S.
Comfort
Top Navy Doc Predicts Long USNS Comfort
Deployment
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press
Service
BALTIMORE, Jan. 16, 2010 – The chief of Navy
medicine told the crew of the USNS Comfort here yesterday to prepare for a
long deployment to Haiti.
Navy Vice Adm. (Dr.) Adam M. Robinson Jr. visited the crew of the
Comfort as they prepared to leave Baltimore harbor this morning to sail to
Haiti. He said the need is great in Haiti following the magnitude 7
earthquake that leveled the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12.
“This is not a training mission,” Robinson said. “I suspect that we
will have medical and naval assets in Haiti [for] six months minimum, and
I think longer than that.”
The medical staff aboard the Comfort mostly is from the National Naval
Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and Portsmouth Naval Hospital in
Virginia. Other specialists from many other Navy hospitals and clinics in
the United States are aboard the hospital ship.
Red Cross officials estimate that 40,000 to 50,000 people were killed
in the earthquake. Countless thousands more are injured, and the Comfort
is one platform that can deliver world-class medical care for those
people, Robinson said.
“You are going to get first-hand experience in a very intense and a
very critical situation in Haiti,” the admiral said.
Robinson, who led a medical hospital detachment in Haiti in 1999, said
the deployment to Haiti will be “a life-defining assignment” for the
Comfort crew. On the best days, he said, Haiti is a poor country. It is,
in fact, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and it suffers
from poverty, deforestation and political uncertainty. Of the 5 million to
6 million people who live in Haiti, roughly 2 million live in and around
Port-au-Prince. Before the earthquake struck, Haiti had recently been hit
by hurricanes and floods.
The quake destroyed whatever infrastructure existed, Robinson said, and
the country’s need is greater today by an order of magnitude.
Still, Robinson said, the medics need to pace themselves, and he asked
the crew and medical staff to watch out for one another. “Make sure you
have each others’ backs,” he said. Make sure you are there for one another
when you need each other.” This, he said, will be very important when they
have been deployed for months.
The scenes in Haiti will be terrible, Robinson warned the crew.
“You will see devastation and injuries and death and destruction that
you’ve never seen before,” he said. “If you feel overwhelmed and feel the
need to talk, … please – my medical children – don’t hesitate to do that.
There is no shame in raising your hand and taking a timeout. There is no
shame in asking for help.”
The admiral said he is incredibly proud of the professionals who came
together on short notice to make the deployment happen. Medicine, he
added, is a common language that all people understand, and it is a way to
bridge differences.
“Be safe, be smart and take care of one another,” Robinson said. “If
you do that, this is going to be a very successful
mission.”
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Code Amber News Service (CANS) issued this Missing Endangered person Alert after the girl disappeared from her bedroom some time after 3 AM Tuesday morning in Satsuma. Satsuma is approximately 75 miles east of Gainsville.
Haleigh Cummings a white female, 3 feet tall, weighs 39 pounds and has blond hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear.
There are no suspects in this case at this time. However, due to the circumstances of the child's disappearance an abduction is strongly suspected.
There is no suspect vehicle at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff's office at (386) 329-0808 or dial 911.
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