Saturday, January 16, 2010

More bad days to come for Haiti, Bill Clinton warns-Security fears in quake-hit Haiti

Former US president Bill Clinton warned Friday that more bad days were ahead for Haiti, as the impoverished Caribbean nation struggles to cope with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.
"You may see some things in the next seven or 10 days that don't just tug at your heart strings but upset you," Clinton told Fox News, as bodies piled up in the streets of Port-au-Prince were left rotting in the tropical sun and others were carted off into mass graves.
"You may see a lot of very angry people, you may see some people looting, you may see some people doing and saying some things you don't like."
Machete-wielding looters were bringing more terror to the Caribbean nation already long accustomed to violence and bloodshed, as anger and frustration mounted after Haitians were left mostly fending for themselves for three days.
Clinton, the United Nations special envoy for Haiti, made a fresh appeal for donations, saying he and aid agencies "can take your 10 dollars and put it with the 10 dollars of millions of other people and immediately turn it into food, medicine shelter and clean water, and distribute it."
US President Barack Obama has enlisted both Clinton and ex-president George W. Bush to lead private sector fund raising for Haiti. He said he would meet with them Saturday to discuss their efforts.

There are mounting security concerns in Haiti's earthquake-hit capital as distribution problems continue to hamper getting aid to survivors.

Days after the quake devastated Port-au-Prince, killing tens of thousands, there are some reports of gangs preying on residents and looting.

Officials say thousands of prisoners are unaccounted for after the main prison was destroyed.

Relief has been arriving, but little has moved beyond the jammed airport.

Damage to the seaport, roads and other infrastructure has prevented the speedy distribution of food, water and medical supplies.

US President Barack Obama met two of his predecessors in the White House, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, to seek their support.

After the talks, Mr Obama said the two men would lead the US' fundraising efforts through the Bush-Clinton Haiti Fund.

"America is moving forward with one of the largest relief efforts in its history," Mr Obama said, warning that recovery would take a long time.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is travelling to Haiti on Saturday to assess the damage and convey to the Haitian people "our long term, unwavering support, solidarity and sympathies".

A spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said aid workers were dealing with a disaster "like no other" in UN memory because the country had been "decapitated".

"Government buildings have collapsed and we do not even have the support of the local infrastructure," Elisabeth Byrs said in Geneva.

Ms Byrs said the situation was even worse than the devastation wrought by the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh province.

"It's worse than the Indonesian earthquake where at least we could get the support of some local authorities," she said.

Desperation among survivors of Tuesday's earthquake has led to rising fears over security in Port-au-Prince.

"Men suddenly appeared with machetes to steal money," resident Evelyne Buino told AFP news agency.

Up to 4,000 prisoners are unaccounted for, with many believed to have escaped from the central prison.

"There are thieves coming out," Haitian police inspector-general Jean-Yonel Trecile told Reuters news agency.

"To make sure this does not spread, we have taken a number of these people off the streets. We have arrested about 50 people."

There is little police presence in the capital, although some Brazilian UN peacekeepers are patrolling the streets.

UN Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy told the US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network on Friday: "There have been some incidents where people were looting or fighting for food. They are desperate."

But he added that overall the situation remained under control so far.

First shipment

The BBC's Nick Davis in Port-au-Prince says the only convoys he has seen are people leaving the city, in search of food, water and medicine.

The UN is reporting a rise in the number of people trying to cross into the neighbouring Dominican Republic, and an influx into Haiti's northern cities.

Overnight the crippled port received its first supply ship since the earthquake, a boat carrying bananas and coal, AFP reports.

Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime said 50,000 bodies had been collected, but the total number of dead could be "between 100,000 and 200,000".

The UN said about 300,000 people had been made homeless.

US authorities have taken temporary control of the airport to help distribute aid more quickly.

Meanwhile, details are emerging about the extent of the damage beyond Port-au-Prince. Up to 90% of the buildings have been damaged in Leogane, a town about 19km (18 miles) to the west, the UN said.

"According to the local police, between 5,000 to 10,000 people have been killed and most bodies are still in the collapsed buildings," Elisabeth Byrs said.

The UN has launched an appeal for $562m (£346m) intended to help three million people for six months.

A total of about $360m has been pledged so far for the relief effort, but only part of this sum will be included in the emergency appeal.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is due to visit Haiti on Sunday, said distribution of food and medicine was under way.

The US has already sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to Haiti and the USS Bataan, carrying a marine expeditionary unit, is on its way.

A hospital ship and more helicopters are due to be sent in the coming days, carrying more troops and marines, with the total number of US troops to rise to between 9,000 and 10,000.

Aid groups say it is a race against time to find any more trapped survivors.

Plane-loads of rescuers and relief supplies have arrived or are due from the UK, China, the EU, Canada, Russia and Latin American nations.


HaitiEarthquake
Mass graves are being dug at outskirt of city for bodies unable claimed by their relatives and family.

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Family carrying their injured family members in any means for treatment.

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Rescues have to dugs for days to reach those trapped by fallen building.

HaitiEarthquake

This student was trapped for 72 hours before being rescued.

HaitiEarthquake

Survivors are traumatrised living in continuous fear , grief and suffering from Haiti worst earthquake in 200 years.Streets are choked with destruction and rotting corpses .


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Clean water are in short supply.Residents struggle to get water in any other means for survivor.


HaitiEarthquake

Huge international relief aids are on the way.Human chains are formed to transport and unload the aids that arrived.

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Tens of thousands may be too late to receive aids , even as aids require few days to come.The airport and port in Haiti are heavily damaged by the earthquake.Coordination will take days. Meanwhile injured victims received almost no treatment medicine for the first 24 hours in Haiti.


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Many flee from the city destruction where many buildings have collapsed. All kind of transport are used from foot , scooter , car or bus.


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Aid still are scared and wil take few days to reach the victim.


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The Clintons are going to Haiti with more aids. Bill Clinton is the special UN representive to Haiti.While wife Hilary Clinton is the US Secretary of State.


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