Panic erupts in flood-ravaged Haiti

[leftchick]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/09/24/haiti.jeanne.ap/index.html

<snip>
GONAIVES, Haiti (AP) -- Survivors who were left with almost nothing after Tropical Storm Jeanne devastated this tiny town buried unclaimed corpses in mud-clogged backyards and attacked aid trucks and even neighbors bringing them food.

"You don't want to make me use this!" one man screamed as he waved a wrench at people carrying cauldrons of food to distribute at a church. The volunteers had come from the port of St. Marc to Gonaives, where flooding from the storm killed at least 1,100 people.

Hungry and thirsty survivors -- some of whom have lost entire families and everything they own -- were losing patience at the slow pace of relief.

Knee-deep mud sucked up animal carcasses and sharp pieces of torn-off zinc roofs, as well as human excrement after the sanitation system was destroyed. Limes have become a hot item in the devastated city of 250,000 because people hold them to their noses to relieve the stench


:(

[jmcgowanjm]

1. Rumor: Tortuga, 26K disappear from Jeanne's Waves

During the middle of the 17th century the island of
Tortuga located to the west of Cap Haïtien was settled
by smugglers, run-away indentured servants and members
of ships' crew of various European nationalities, who were
for the most part a gang of lawless rifraff. Most earned their
living by capturing animals to sell for their leather, or roasting
the meal over smoking (boucan, in French) fires, and so came
to be called buccaneers. Tortuga later became the
headquarters of the pirates of the Caribbean who raided
the Spanish treasure ships, and was a recruitment centre
for expeditions mounted by many notorious scoundrals
including the British pirate Henry Morgan.

This is the 2nd day I've read this. From different sources.


How hard could it be to find this out?

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. A false rumour, it seems

"The one good piece of news yesterday was that the remote island of La Tortue (Turtle Island) was found to be largely unaffected. First reports had suggested it might have disappeared under floodwater but helicopter pilots said its peasant homes remained largely intact."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=565103

The news stories are using the French name, rather than the old Spanish one.

[jmcgowanjm]

15. Yes, seems started by UN

The island of La Tortue off Haiti's north coast is also
heavily damaged. UN workers say it is barely visible beneath
the flood waters, but rescue workers have been unable to
reach it to assess the devastation.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/1095761409069_35/?hub=CTVNewsAt11&subhub=PrintStory

But I wouldn't want to be on La Tortue right now.

And they have no idea how many died in Haiti.

The island should be evacuated. One day that CVT
oil tanker
is gonna stop making the trip to Port au Prince.

[AP]

2. Remember, Aristide was about to enact an income tax so that the gov't...

...would finally have some money to build some infrastructure in that country so they could start making lives less desperate.

But that would have made labor more expensive, so he got coup'd with the help of the US.

Now people get washed away by a Hurricane because there's no real infranstructure.

We suck.

[leftchick]

3. Everytime I see a "God Bless America" sticker.....

I want to scream...... It should be GOD Forgive America!!!!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. I like that idea...

Know any web-bizzes that make up stickers?

[jcappy]

6. Bush Haiti "policy" murderous

"The U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti put the number of missing at 1,251. Toussaint Kongo-Doudou, a spokesman for the mission, said 1,113 bodies had been recovered and nearly 300,000 were homeless in Haiti's northwest province -- with the vast majority of victims in Gonaives."

These numbers are horrendous--so much of them due to US imperial wrecklessness. The country was in absolute turmoil when Jeanne hit, thanks to Bush's coup there.

[newyawker99]

8. Hi jcappy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[kokomo]

13. I haven't even heard Bush utter the word Haiti, where is the aid???

Haiti, is another nation that Bush helped to "break" and now that they are in dire needs of aid from the rest of the world, their misery hardly shows up in our media and I have yet to hear Bush even mention the hurricane devastation in Haiti. He is only concerned about hurricane victims in the swing states!

[tlcandie]

4. Such horrible news!

<snipped from original article>
This week's floods were made far worse by massive deforestation that left surrounding valleys unable to hold the rain unleashed by some 30 hours of pounding by Jeanne.

The crisis was only the latest in long-suffering Haiti, a country of 8 million people has suffered 30 coups d'etats. In February, rebels forced President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power, prompting the United States to send troops who later turned over responsibility to a U.N. peacekeeping force.

The rebels' refusal to disarm has meant ongoing instability.

Rebel leader Wynter Etienne said some in Gonaives were getting "angry and aggressive" because the same people were getting relief each day while others starved.
<snip>



It seems deforestation, 30 coups, and more have contributed to the problems they are experiencing at this time. :cry:

Very interesting that the news source does not recognize the US has having been the last coup's instigator!

[DeepModem Mom]

7. CNN International reporting live - could barely hear reporter for chaos...

in the background. They lost audio, and one feared for him. Horror there.

[leftchick]

10. Haiti Horror....

and no one listens.... :(

[JoFerret]

11. Heartbreaking

.

[peacetalksforall]

12. So what are the facts on aid from the U.S.?

We descend and snatch their leader and install gringos and criminals. Isn't it our responsibility to help since someone in this country declared that we own the people and the country. Si or No! Savez-vous la verite?

[bullimiami]

14. bush is responsible for haiti

he fomented coup and installed a puppet government which he selected.

just in case anyone forgot.

thats another thousand or so deaths he can answer for while the devil is plucking his head off and kicking it around for fun while his headless body get dogpiled naked and sodomized.