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As the crisis in Haiti escalates, we have decided to turn over the top of our home page and each of our 17 sections to the relief efforts, and the many different ways we can all help. This moment of human tragedy and intense suffering is also a great opportunity to tap into our better instincts of empathy and compassion -- and take action.
Leading the way is our HuffPost Impact section, with its comprehensive coverage of the ways we can each make a difference in the shattered lives of those in Haiti.
Technology shows us the impact of "Mobile Mobilization" and new online responses to the earthquake, along with a roundup of how college students around the country have risen to the occasion.
Politics looks at the different approaches Washington is taking to helping Haiti, from legislation in Congress to fundraising on K Street to appeals from elected officials.
Entertainment looks at both the traditional and the surprising ways celebrities are supporting Haiti relief efforts.
Sports features coverage of the ways athletes, leagues, and teams are responding.
Media highlights how the news networks are "doubling down" on their Haiti coverage.
Business looks at how the corporate world is stepping up and pitching in.
Style shows us how the fashion world is rallying to the cause.
Living leads with a post by Jeremy Rifkin on "the earthquake that triggered a global empathic response"... and what the Haitian crisis tells us about human nature.
Comedy leads with David Letterman's heartfelt appeal to viewers.
World continues its ongoing liveblog, including news of the struggle to bring relief to Haiti.
Green focuses on the environmental impact of the earthquake.
Books highlights what the publishing world is doing, as well as partnering with The New York Review of Books to spotlight great writing about Haiti.
And our local sections are covering how the people of New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago are responding. For example, how Tigeorge's Chicken in LA has become the hub for Angelenos looking to help Haiti.
So give these sections a look... and give whatever you can to help alleviate the suffering of the people of Haiti.
Check out this slideshow of the tops of all the sections:
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Caroline Gluck: Dispatch from the Ground in Haiti
The needs in Haiti now are enormous, as most basic services just aren't functioning. At the best of times, daily life in Haiti for the 80% or so of the population, who have to live on less than two dollars a day, is a daily struggle.
The Haitians have virtually nothing and there is almost no electricity or newspapers to tell the population the extent of the rescue efforts, leading to frustration and anger because they feel abandoned. We in the rest of the world have TVs, Radios and all the online media to see the huge efforts, the Haitians almost nothing.
So I suggest that efforts be made to gain a million or more transistor radios, with batteries and drop them to the crowds, so they can hear the AFN or whatever radio stations are capable of transmitting. This would have the effect of calming passions, as they would know when and where relief supplies would be available.
I''m not very au fait with how to word this suggestion, but I hope it finds merit and can help the Haitians.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMbDYNDC3sA
Like the Move Your Money thing, this can help.
I was thinking of things to help too. Haiti is surrounded by water, but you can’t drink it and water is what they need most.
In SEAL Survival Training they taught us to dig holes near the beach, place a can or bucket in the bottom, cover the hole with a plastic sheet held down at the edges with rocks, and weight the center of the plastic with a small stone to form a point depression just over the bucket below. Then we would soak the soils around the hole with ocean water, saltwater. The moist soils would cause evaporation under the plastic and fresh water, as pure as rain, would drip off the plastic into the can below.
One 2-foot hole would make a gallon or more a day.
Couldn’t tey set the children busy making pure fresh water???
This would also keep the children occupied,, not having to just witness so much of the horror around them.
Water seems to be the need right now. This process is simple and could mean millions of gallons per day.
Self-Empowerment!!!!
Just a thought.
All the best, Knute
Service givers would be successful in approaching groups to be fed or cared for if they asked someone in groups being served, to function as interpreter/mediator explaining the process of service being given.
I saw Anderson Cooper's images of hundreds of organized (well-lined up)
to receive food from a truck and being scared from accepting the food by one young man.
A megaphone provided to at least one person in the group being served to explain to their countrymen and answer questions. Recruit some Haitians from here if necessary.
One Haitian with a megaphone at distribution points would be more useful than whistles.
That one such person on each such scene would attract and encourage others to cooperate for the good of the group.
Besides, such action affirms the dignity of a proud though hurting people.
There might be no political or economic infrastructure but observing the calm and patience of the people it is obvious that there are strong communal bonds which can work to the advantage of foreigners trying to deliver aid.
The self-fulling prophecies of pending riot and ignorance of subsurface jealousy of the attention being given Haiti and external politics can motivate outsiders to start rumors of pending danger.
Those loud mouth jerks should have had been removed from the scene IMMEDIATELY by those slow moving UN peace keepers. Formerly a member of the U.S. military, I probably would have done a little bit more to them. Also, if I was in charge, I would never had allowed the truck, which was distributing biscuits to the hungry, to leave the scene.
Having covered Hurricane Katrina as a journalist, not one of you have a clue as to how civilized or well mannered you would act if faced with equal devastation. This is a very human reaction, to an absolute horrible situation. People are traumitized, having seen and experienced unspeakable horror . We as viewers are also experiencing the same through the prism of a TV screen. Trauma creates psychosis - if you don't believe me research the topic. None of us will ever be the same again. It is all so
To whom it may concern:
Has anyone considered air-dropping supplies into Port-au-Prince considering the limited ability of ground vehicles to deliver needed supplies into the earthquake affected area? It is my understanding that supplies are sitting on the tarmac for lack of delivery vehicles. Is it not possible for our military to at least drop food/water parcels via parachute if not medics and medical supplies? It seems to me that such efforts would ensure prompt delivery of necessary aid and assist in preventing the possibility of civil unrest. Just a modest suggestion… It worked during WWII. Why not now?
I have already made a donation. What else can I do?
Copied to:
U.S. Department of Defense
UNICEF – Port-au-Prince
www.whitehouse.gov
1. Re-designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), without any date restriction on eligibility.
2. Reviewed and re-authorize Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA) of 1998. All Haitians in the United States should be provided a part to citizenship the same way Cubans are.
3. Designate Haiti for Refugee Status: Airlifting and resettlement of Haitians as refugees in the United States, the same way we resettled over 150,000 Bosnian-Serbs, among others, in the United States after the war in the former Republic of Yugoslavia, should be initiated immediately. In the resettlement effort, political impact of the Haitians’ chosen places of resettlement must not be a consideration. That is, do not resettle them in Utah when Miami is a better climate for them based on their country of origin.
4. Review all U.S. Globalization policies towards Haiti and eliminate all policies which benefit U.S. farmers at the expense of Haitian farmers.
5. Stop, stop, please, stop, the U.S. meddling in choosing Haitian leaders.
These five points would be a positive start in helping recovery and long-lasting survival of Haiti.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_immigration_to_the_United_States_and_Canada
A few rich French and US interests [& their investors] have made the lives of Haitians hell for two centuries - and Pat Robertson does not know what coals burn inside him where his conscience should be...
After watching CNN cover the Haitian story for 45 minutes I walked to the restroom. Upon return, my adult neice had changed channels to American Idol. I could only hang my head in wonder as to her absolute disconnect. Although I am new to Facebook, I have 188 'friends' mostly black. Out of all of those people only 8-10 of them have said anything about Haiti. I am simply amazed . . . . and angered by this.
Are relations between the two countries THAT bad that one will not come to the rescue of the other in times of DIRE need?