Nightmare Continues in Haiti: Untreated Injuries, 1.5 Million Homeless

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 10:32:20 AM EST
Tags: Haiti (all tags)

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It's important to keep the devastating news from Haiti at the top of our consciousness. The news is no longer 24/7, but the nightmare continues.

“There are still thousands of patients with major fractures, major wounds, that have not been treated yet,” said Dr. Eduardo de Marchena, a University of Miami cardiologist who oversaw a tent hospital near the airport where hundreds of severely injured people were being tended. “There are people, many people, who are going to die unless they’re treated.”

....In the squatter camps now scattered across this capital, there are still people writhing in pain, their injuries bound up by relatives but not yet seen by a doctor eight days after the quake struck. On top of that, the many bodies still in the wreckage increase the risk of diseases spreading, especially, experts say, if there is rain.

[More...]

Haiti is preparing tent camps to relocate 400,000 left homeless by the earthquake.

For those who try get caught trying to flee to the U.S. by boat, it will be Welcome to Gitmo.

Yesterday, the House passed a bill to allow U.S. taxpayers to deduct contributions to Haiti on their 2009 tax returns instead of having to wait until 2010.

The Hope for Haiti telethon is tomorrow night and will air on 11 networks.

Beginning on Friday, iTunes customers will be able to exclusively pre-order both the Hope for Haiti Now full performance album ($7.99) and the full two-hour video telecast ($1.99). Pre-orders will be delivered in the days following the telethon. Individual audio performances will also be available for purchase and download for 99 cents each in the days following the telethon. Apple, the record labels and the artists will donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities.

But you don't have to wait until then to contribute.

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Nightmare Continues in Haiti: Untreated Injuries, 1.5 Million Homeless | 7 comments (7 topical)

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The sad thing ... (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by nyrias on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 10:57:18 AM EST

is that no matter what we try to do here ... there are a lot of people who are going to die in Haiti.

The problem is that many of the services (if they still exist) are at capacity, and no amount of donation (not that we shouldn't) can increase that capacity in a short period of time.

Sigh .. where is Superman when you need him?

Some good news (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by CST on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 12:07:11 PM EST

One of the piers has been opened and a road laid into the capital. It's one-way, might fall down, and can only handle limited traffic. But it's a whole lot better than what there was before, which is nothing.

Let's hope this eases some of the flow of aid.

Also, the airport seems like they are managing things a bit better. 100 flights a day now, up from 25. And better tracking of what is in the planes.

And the ships are starting to come in from around the world. They can carry a lot more than planes.

Link.

The TV news yesterday said that (none / 0) (#2)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 11:48:26 AM EST

much of the medical care now consists of amputating injured limbs due to infection, and that there will be many - many - such amputations in the coming days and weeks...

: Jesus... (5.00 / 3) (#4)
by kdog on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 11:56:10 AM EST

my nieces next back surgery was scheduled for next week...postponed because the surgeon is in Haiti...I can't imagine the horrors he's seeing.
Sun god bless all the heroes doing all they can down there.

: Sigh .. (none / 0) (#6)
by nyrias on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 12:44:37 PM EST

and i read that infections are killing people. That can be simply fixed by anti-biotics but the logistics of getting enough of those to the people in need is broken :(

Sending my spare money to the (none / 0) (#3)
by sleepingdogs on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 11:52:02 AM EST

Red Cross and Clinton/Bush Haiti fund and my most positive energy into the cosmos on their behalf. I cry every day as I hear about more of their suffering. And I wake every night thinking of their continuing nightmares. I will at least do what I can. I must.

Hate to say this (none / 0) (#7)
by Militarytracy on Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 01:14:16 PM EST

but it looks like the administration has been very negligent if not just blowing off Americans with missing family there. With everything else going down I can't believe they think they can do this and not pay a price for it later. There will be investigations why phone calls weren't at least returned. Super crappy way of handling things, but sheesh....given the White House track record what's new?