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<DIV><FONT size=2>The mind boggles at the size of this and other natural
disasters. This calls to mind the tidal wave a few years ago whose death
toll exceeded 250,000.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>But the death toll is only a small part of the
suffering. The lost of loved ones, jobs, homes/housing and the resulting
social disorganization last for many years.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Earthquakes are usually accompanied by aftershocks some of
which can continue to damage the already weakened infrastructure.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Our hearts go out to those who now must live amidst the
results of this disaster.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>W.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=NGIER@uidaho.edu href="mailto:NGIER@uidaho.edu">Gier, Nicholas</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, January 13, 2010 2:33
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Nancy Casey on the
Haiti Earthquake</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><!-- Converted from text/plain format -->
<P><FONT size=2>Greetings:<BR><BR>I'm sure that Nancy Casey, who makes yearly
humanitarian trips to Haiti, will not mind me sharing this with the
Vision.<BR><BR>As I'm sure you know, a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti
yesterday.<BR><BR>Most of the news from the media is coming from the capital
and other<BR>cities where the situation is very bad. Most construction is of
concrete<BR>that is skimpy on cement and rebar. (Once I heard a homeowner
argue with<BR>a handyman over whether a repair was going to require 4 or 6
nails.) The<BR>poorest people live in shacks made of materials propped
together. In the<BR>cities, the destruction, terror and suffering going on now
are on a<BR>scale that is hard for us to imagine. Survivors won't have access
to<BR>clean water, sanitation will go south, the roads that bring food
from<BR>the countryside are surely broken and every family has lost loved
ones.<BR><BR>The disaster on LaGonave has a somewhat different flavor.
Casualties and<BR>damage are less in the countryside than in the capital. Life
is lived<BR>outdoors. There are fewer buildings and fewer people inside them.
They<BR>experienced shock after shock (see below). Many houses fell down.
People<BR>were hurt, but I don't know that anyone was killed. People are
frantic<BR>for family members on the mainland, especially children going to
high<BR>school in Port au Prince. Cracked cisterns will cause water
shortages.<BR>The transportation system that brings food to the island--docks,
roads,<BR>vehicles, ships and boats--is entirely disrupted, so in a few days
there<BR>will start to be a critical food shortage there.<BR><BR>The good
news/bad news is that the progressive community on LaGonave has<BR>experience
with this kind of catastrophe--in the aftermath of the coup<BR>of 2004 and the
hurricanes of 2008, they faced crises of similar<BR>magnitude (from which they
are still recovering). Even now they are<BR>organizing their response. There
will be a fund to expand school meal<BR>programs to include families. They
might charter a boat to bring food<BR>over from the mainland. They will know
what to do. There will be a fund<BR>to expand the reconstruction program put
together after the hurricanes.<BR><BR>More good news is a coalition of groups
called "Farming is Life". They<BR>have been working for many years to heal
environmental damage and strive<BR>for food sustainability. Every year they
make gains towards the goal of<BR>making the island less vulnerable to these
kinds of food crises.<BR><BR>So here's the pitch: You can put money straight
into the hands of people<BR>who truly need it in the throes of this disaster
by sending a check to<BR>the VP Foundation PO Box 9757, Moscow, ID 83843,
fiscal agent for this<BR>work in Haiti. On your check you can write:<BR>FOOD
and the money will ward off starvation<BR>SHELTER and the money will go to the
reconstruction of homes<BR>FARMING and the money will support long-term food
self-sufficiency.<BR>Or you can write "as needed."<BR><BR>You can also donate
online using PayPal. Go to vpfound.org/support.html<BR>and click on Courageous
Women.<BR><BR>LaGonave is a remote hinterland of Haiti, so help that emmanates
from<BR>the capital might or might not trickle there. The support you send is
so<BR>much more than a drop in the bucket. Thank you very much.<BR><BR>Nancy
Casey<BR><BR>p.s. A group of us from Moscow (4 people) have been
planning a trip to<BR>LaGonave and will still probably go in
March.<BR><BR>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR> From
Benaja, the school secretary, on the night of the earthquake<BR>writing in
Matenwa on LaGonave via satellite connection<BR><BR>” 7:16 pm: Until now
everything is ok around here, I mean Matènwa, Plèn<BR>Mapou, Bwa Nwa, Nan
Kafe, Grande Source. You know, people are yelling<BR>everywhere, because it’s
the first time this has happened in Haiti like<BR>this. There are a lot of
houses broken everywhere, thank God we are safe<BR>here. But almost every 10
to 20 mn, we feel the earthquake. But in Port<BR>au Prince there is a lot of
damage.”<BR><BR>8:20: Up to now the tremors are still intense. You know that
people are<BR>not used to this kind of thing, it is really difficult. People
are<BR>running around, they are trying to get in contak with their
families,<BR>there is shouting everywhere. You know that many people in
Matènwa have<BR>children in Port Au Prince, which is worrying everyone. The
cement roof<BR>is shaking tremendously.<BR><BR>8:34 One just passed now. It
had a lot of force. I would say almost as<BR>bad as the first one, if not the
same.<BR><BR>9:10: The school yard is filled with people now. Bernise went to
get<BR>Anita [her Mother, known for her coffee] and even she is here in
the<BR>lakou. SHe is lying down in the yard where the children usually
play<BR>ball. It is like a huge funeral in the yard tonight. It is
totally<BR>filled with people. Thank you for this big meeting place that
is<BR>equipped with light. No one wants to go inside anyone’s house to
sleep.<BR><BR>After midnight there was another one that felt just as harsh as
the<BR>first one.”<BR><BR></FONT></P>
<P>
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