Haiti earthquake - D7020 update Feb. 7th, 2010
D7020 Website - Haiti Updates
I have just concluded our assessment of the situation in Haiti, and
have just finished making a number of lengthy calls with the team on
the ground in Haiti. Based on this I wanted to share with you the
situation as I understand it today.
The position we took last week in which we said to hold off on further
deliveries of medical supplies not already in route was the correct
one. Currently in the Port au Prince area there is no shortage of
these medical supplies. In fact the challenge is now the sorting and
the distribution of these items. This is at a critical stage because
of the volume of random medical inventory received and specific needs
that may currently be outstanding. As far as medical supplies are
concerned the advice from the team is â?odo not send anything else
unless it is specific in terms of the location and the product". We
need to be sure we coordinate this so we do not duplicate the supply
chain and add to the problem.
There are a number of private Hospitals in the rural areas that are in
need of some specific things, but there are also others that have an
excess of supplies. We are in the process of balancing this as best we
can now. After that specific orders will be processed as they come in.
I am told that most of the Government Hospitals are getting the
supplies they need with the exception of a few specifics which we are
trying to address on their behalf through the Rotary Leadership in
that area. That seems to be more equipment related than medical
supplies.
The food and shelter needs are still very high on the priority list.
The challenge we have on the ground now is the storage and
distribution logistics of the food and shelter items. In Port au
Prince in particular there are numerous International Organizations
that are distributing food in the quake region. For the most part
their capabilities for this are better than ours so most of those
efforts should be left to them. Our Rotarians on the ground are doing
some food and shelter distribution as well from the supplies Rotary
has sent. It is important that they continue to do this and that we
continue to supply them. Not only is it helping the most needy, but it
seems to be providing our Rotarians a purpose on the ground in their
respective communities. Keeping the Rotarian alive in spirit is
essential at this difficult time and it must be rewarding for our
Rotarians to be able to help their neighbours and their communities
through this. I will try to get further specifics to you on what we
should continue to supply, but bulk rice, beans, flour, proteins,
vegetable oil etc and Tents are a safe bet for now.
Part-2
There are in excess of 10,000 Shelter Boxes in Haiti and most of them
set up or in the process of being set up. The distribution is being
done through a number of international organizations. Rotary has had
an allocation of them for the use of Rotarians and their families in
need. As of today there are about 45 in our possession still not
distributed but they will be sent out in the next couple of days.
There has been a great response with Water Boxes, Purification Systems
and water supply. In many instances these resources have been sent
directly to Rotary in Haiti for distribution. In my discussions with
the team on the ground it appears that the distribution of these
assets would be best handled by the Haiti Water Commission and the
selected agency it is working with for the distribution. They are
better equipped to know where the camps are set and what the needs
are. They also know what supplies are available to each of them from
the organizations currently on the ground. My advice to Claude was to
help train the group doing the distribution on the use of the
equipment before they deliver these units to families and groups. And
then assist by providing the assets to them for distribution.
The rural situation remains the same. The need is for shelter, food,
school supplies and the support for secondary medical, education etc.
The bulk food supply is still available in most areas in the country.
Our best help there is to fund the purchase of the basics while it
lasts. This is what we have been doing and will continue although this
can be very expensive and a little more difficult to manage.
I am expecting a specific request from our leaders for their regions
that will identify the exact number of Schools, families and students
we are talking about. The consensus is the rural areas have each grown
by in excess of 20% since the earthquake.
The response to this has varied from funding bulk shelter and feeding
camps, providing international NGO's that provide food and shelter
with bulk food, to each Rotary family committing to look after a
specific number of displaced families.
There is the potential for hoarding and other issues with this, but we
are taking all precautions practical and possible at this time. Long
term we will need to be better at this if we want to continue with
it.
The long term response to this disaster is going to be an enormous
drain on our human and financial resources for some time to come. I
believe that we should begin discussing our role in the long term
recovery and rebuild effort right away. I think our response going
forward should be more and more in line with what we ultimately
identify as our long term sustainable strategy. To do this we will
need to get a sense very soon of where we are going to fit in the
grand scheme of things in Haiti. Will it be an emphasis area, will it
be communities, will it be in the planning? Who knows!
I have approached a well respected international investor and business
man who has developed a sustainable settlement tradition in The
Bahamas. He has a concept and some ideas that I believe could well be
at the core of our response to the future development of Haiti. His
concept addresses the creation of a sustainable settlement that takes
into account social, financial, cultural, health, and environmental
elements. I believe this is an opportunity that needs to be explored
as a possible Rotary solution in its long term response. I will keep
you posted on the progress of this idea when I hear back from those I
have sent it to.
There are some immediate needs that will come up that we must still
fulfill but we must also begin to recognize that response must move
from the immediate to the medium and long term.
PDG Dick
paul d'oliveira, concord ma (#6561)
hard work. paul d'oliveira, rotary concord ma #6561, maca...@aol.com
On Feb 8, 2:02 am, D7020 Website - Haiti Updates