Haiti Tragedy

Some links on the awful aftermath of Haiti's earthquake.

The scope of the problem:

The devastation included the parliament, the cathedral, the only two fire stations, hospitals and schools, the tax office, the prison and the headquarters of the United Nations mission, which had been trying to build a nation out of a failed state.

Video of the earthquake. Frightful.

Mounting security fears:

Fevil Dubien, an aid worker, said some people were almost fighting over the water that he handed out from a truck in a northern Port-au-Prince neighbourhood.

Security was the biggest problem, Delfin Antonio Rodriguez, the rescue commander from the neighbouring Dominican Republic, told the AFP news agency.
"Yesterday they tried to hijack some of our trucks. Today we were barely able to work in some places because of that."

The history of Haiti's poverty, and the state of the nation in the wake of a parade of dictatorships, especially the recent father-and-son kleptocracy that embezzled 80% of Haiti's international aid:

[W]hat has really left Haiti in such a state today, what makes the country a constant and heart-rending site of ­recurring catastrophe, is its history. In Haiti, the last five centuries have combined to produce a people so poor, an infrastructure so nonexistent and a state so hopelessly ineffectual that whatever natural disaster chooses to strike next, its impact on the population will be magnified many, many times over. Every single factor that international experts look for when trying to measure a nation's vulnerability to natural disasters is, in Haiti, at the very top of the scale. Countries, when it comes to dealing with disaster, do not get worse.

"Haiti has had slavery, revolution, debt, deforestation, corruption, exploitation and violence," says Alex von Tunzelmann, a historian and writer... "Now it has poverty, illiteracy, overcrowding, no infrastructure, environmental disaster and large areas without the rule of law. And that was before the earthquake..."

A smart response to Pat Robertson dumb explanation of Haiti's historical poverty.

Tragic aftershocks of a different kind: Adoptions of Haitian children thrown into chaos.

Normally, these adoptions must be approved by a Haitian court. But the government building that houses the offices that process the applications is reportedly in ruin, and there are reports that the Haitian judge who signs off on adoptions has been killed.
...
Dana and her husband, Ryan, recently visited Haiti to spend time with Carmalisa and sign some legal documents; since the adoption still didn't have final approval, they returned to Canada without her.
The Smids heard quickly the child was unharmed but the Haitian judge in charge of the adoption wasn't so lucky, he was killed. They now worry the paperwork could also have been lost, which could force them to start all over again.
"We wait so long and its been so emotional and we fought so hard to get her home," said Dana. "The thought of having to do that all again and leave my daughter there breaks my heart."

It's incredible to discover just how many charitable organizations were already operating in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. The good often do their work in humble obscurity. Unfortunately, that goodness of heart did not spare them from the natural disaster: Food For The Poor Missions Director Hospitalized After Being Buried Alive 17 Hours Beneath Rubble:

[Food For The Poor’s Missions and Travel Director, Leann Chong], had lain trapped for 17 hours beneath 3-feet of concrete, chin tucked and face to the floor, since the 7.0-magnitutde earthquake hit the struggling country on Tuesday evening.
Chong was on the second floor of the Hotel Montana in Pétionville at the time of the quake. She was in Haiti leading a mission trip, which included 12 students and two faculty advisors from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.
...
There are six from the group who are still unaccounted for.

..."It is truly heartbreaking what is happening in Haiti. Hearing Leann, and the students who were found are all alive brings us much joy, ” said Robin Mahfood, President/ CEO of Food For The Poor. ”I know she is tremendously worried, as are we, for those who remain missing. Our hearts and prayers go out to their families and to all of Haiti.”

I pray that those in need may find sufficient strength of will to endure the ongoing tragedy in Haiti, and as this article reminds us, prayers are also needed for those who wait for positive news of their missing loved ones.