Disasters are part of our world. I’m lucky enough to live in a country which tends not to suffer issues of the severity of some other parts of the world. I am therefore “used” enough to seeing a news story like the Haiti earthquake break, and the appeals come in to support charities in their efforts to help the victims, and recover the dead. In parallel with this, there is always a rush around by governments to put money and resources into action to support the situation.

It’s as a result of this precedence, that I feel completely angered by constant reports from the media who seem to land in Haiti, and see no signs of support being given to this country. Dead people lying in roads for days on end seems to be a standard over there now, this is not hours after the event, but days. “We’re” obviously there, and we’re obviously doing “everything we can” with the available resources, but this country is not inaccessible to the world, I refuse to believe that it is that difficult to get people and resources into the country. How come we don’t send military resources in from the america’s, and other parts of the world? Military personnel are used to tough conditions, and could split the country into sections to each “control” from a recovery perspective, recovering and burying the dead, getting power back online for hospitals etc… I’m absolutely shocked at our lack of ability to handle this situation better.

I’ve actually not donated specifically to this cause as yet, which may come as a surprise reading the above. I do give a regular donation to several charities which will no doubt be involved, but I would usually in such a situation give a specific donation to the DEC or a specific charity fund for the situation. The reason is simple, the media portray of this disaster gives me no confidence that it is money that is needed, the people of Haiti need people. People to mend their electricity supplies so hospitals can support them, they also need more doctors, nurses and people to mend the general infrastructure of their country. I can’t help but therefore be irritated by the appeals for money, feeling that it almost suggests that we have the wrong end of the stick, and that someone is going to go over to Haiti and say “don’t worry, we’ve got some money to help you”, I obviously don’t believe this is true, but the lack of action on the ground, and suffering is difficult to watch, knowing that the world pulls together on these things, and that somehow we just don’t seem to be getting it right this time, and that is clearly causing suffering, and resulting in the loss of lives of people who could perfectly well have survived this disaster.