[Caer Ibormeith]

This has been just devastating for Haiti. It had just started getting back on its feet from all the political unrest of the last decade.

My heart goes out to the people of Haiti. Help is on the way.

Also, to Haitian Americans who are waiting on word about their loved ones, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/ ... index.html

[SilverMiniCooperS]

It truly is a disaster of biblical proportions.

My heart and prayers go out to them all

[mr dragon]

It is a tragedy of very serious proportions, I was reading about it earlier today. As you say Sandy, sadly the Haitians have had to put up with all sorts of awful domestic issues and violence over the years, and now this. Years ago I when I worked on a boat we used to stop in Haiti in a 'secured' area. You couldn't leave that area because of safety issues. I found the local Haitians that I met to be terrific people, very warm and friendly. It's very sad. My heart goes out to them.

[ukus]

My heart goes out to them too ..... it's been very sad watching the new's footage and seeing the devastation and loss. Still so many people trapped under the rumble

[ukus]

Golly , they reckon over 50,000 could be dead.
On a happier note a two year old and a 65 year old were rescued alive today..... I hope there will be many more.


We are also being warned about the numerous scams already on-line from fake charities collecting to help Haiti.
Horrific situations like this earthquake always bring out the best in people and the lowest scum of the earth happy to gain from such sadness and the folks that only want to help.

WASHINGTON (Jan. 14) -- It didn't take long. Less than 48 hours after the Haiti earthquake, the FBI is probing suspected charitable scams.
Paul E. Bresson, an FBI spokesman, said investigators have begun looking into a "small number at this point, predominantly unsolicited e-mails" masquerading as legitimate charities seeking donations.
The earthquake may have come as a shock, but the the lightning-quick appearance of possible scams in its aftermath was not.
"In the past with 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami, we've seen these types of frauds that have popped up," Bresson said, adding that many have come in the form of unsolicited e-mails or bogus Web sites.
On Wednesday, in anticipation of the scammers, the FBI issued a public advisory urging people to carefully scrutinize charitable organizations before donating. It warned against responding to unsolicited e-mails and urged Americans to be "skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims."
As well all know, tragedies like this bring out a generous side of people. It also brings out the con men.
One of those con men was Gary Kraser of Florida, who set up a bogus Web site in the aftermath of Katrina, called AirKatrina.com. The site claimed he and other Florida pilots needed money to "fly in medical supplies and transport children in need of immediate medical attention," according to his federal indictment in Miami.
Kraser not only lied about that. He also said he had worked for the White House aboard Air Force One for four different presidents.
To assure donors it was on the up and up, the Web site said that every "dollar, every nickel, will go directly into the tanks of these pilots' planes on their mission of mercy," according to his indictment. The Web site included a schedule of suggested donations ranging from $5 for a "partial tank" of jet fuel to $3,000 for a "full tank" of jet fuel.
Kraser reportedly collected $40,000 in donations and kept it. He was sentenced in 2006 to 21 months in prison.
The scams after Katrina were pervasive and happened very quickly, said FBI agent Howard Schwartz, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI New Orleans office.
Schwartz said people have to be particularly leery of new organizations or Web sites that pop up within hours of a disaster.
He said a Katrina task force was established just weeks after the disaster. It eventually turned into a broader task force, the National Center for Disaster Fraud based in Baton Rouge. The office continues to take calls about charitable scams and other frauds that pop up after natural disasters.
The center has more than 20 federal agencies, including the FBI and local and state law enforcement. The hot line is (866) 720-5721.
In early 2005, following the merciless tsunami, the FBI busted Matthew Schmieder, who sent out 800,000 e-mails soliciting donations to help victims. The unemployed Pittsburgh painter later told the FBI he thought it would be OK to use the money to fix his car and pay bills if he gave some to charity, according to NBC News. He received probation and was ordered to pay $2,650 in restitution.
And in 2007, the Internal Revenue Service issued a warning after an e-mail circulated that pretended to be an IRS solicitation for victims of the California wildfires.
Media reports said that the bogus e-mails included an excerpt of a speech by a California Assembly member on wildfires and urged donors to click a link. It led to a bogus IRS Web site that solicited donations.
The FBI hasn't been the only organization to issue warnings. The Better Business Bureau said in a statement in the aftermath of the Haiti disaster:
Whenever there is a major natural disaster, be it home or abroad, there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of Americans to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and in some cases fraudulent charities. Not only do Americans need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, they also need to make sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance.
On its Web site, the BBB provided some key tips for Americans about donations:
Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.
Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to http://www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fundraising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting earthquake victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fundraising and administrative expenses. They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but the expenses will still be incurred.
Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. In response to the tsunami disaster in 2004, there were concerns raised about many Web sites and new organizations that were created overnight, allegedly to help victims.
Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers to quickly provide assistance. See if the charity's Web site clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.
Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider "avoiding the middleman" and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.
In-kind drives for food and clothing -- while well intentioned -- may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need -- unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to be able to properly distribute such aid. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

As if a few months in clink is likely to deter these scum ..... They all ought to serve no less than 20 years and forced to do community clean-up during their sentence (IMO)

[SilverMiniCooperS]

I have been watching a lot of the coverage of this and the scams don't bother me any where near as much as the effing UN. A group set up a mobile hospital and were treating many people and even performing surgeries on many of them. Yesterday evening the UN came in and ordered all the doctors and nurses to leave the hospital as they had 'security concerns'. The doctors and nurses did not want to just leave all those patients there but the UN made them. Dr. Sanjay Gupta (a neurosurgeon) is there as a correspondent for CNN, and was told where the supplies were and left him in charge of all those patients - by himself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you beat that???

I was so pissed I couldn't even think straight when I saw that. They have tons of aid and supplies sitting at the airport and very little of it is being distributed as there is no one entity in charge of distribution. I have heard several times them saying they are waiting for the Haitian government to tell them - FOLKS - THERE IS NO BLOODY GOVERNMENT IN HAITI. Just git 'er done!

The UN couldn't organize a piss-up in a pub for chrissakes!

[ukus]

Security concerns, what the heck? ..... that's truly outrageous Jen, especially with all of the trouble we have gone to to send aid and Helicopters into difficult territory to try and help folks who need help so badly.
There seems to be a whole lot of red tape quagmire over there

ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON (Jan. 16) -- The operating room is prepped with oxygen tanks, ventilators and a roster of blood donors for earthquake victims from Port-au-Prince. But while the medical facilities on this air carrier vessel perhaps exceed those of any other triage center nearby, nearly all of the ship's 50 patient beds are empty.
"At this point, I have no criteria for anything. I don't care who it is or what it is, we'll take it," said Commander Alfred Shwayhat, the ship's senior medical officer. Shwayhat, an endocrinologist, internist and aerospace anesthesiologist, said he is equipped to handle virtually any malady.
He's hatched a plan for filling the ship's enormous hanger bay with as many as 1,000 Haitian refugees. But his mission, as part of the recently dubbed Operation Unified Response, is to treat anyone sent to him by military commanders in Port-au-Prince, and so far that has only amounted to nine patients, at least two of whom were Americans.
One reason beds are empty is that the ship doesn't have the authority to pick up victims; it has to wait for the Air Force to call and request a Medevac.

Re the charities I have given to the Red cross and Doctors without Borders (two genuine charities)
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/


..... it was so sad to hear of the little 11 year old lass who was rescued and died later of her injuries. It really is grim over there.

[mr dragon]

It is really grim out there from what I've seen. I've been impressed about the countries wanting to step in, help, and respond to it though.

Re the charities I have given to the Red cross and Doctors without Borders (two genuine charities)
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/

I agree. Karen. If you're going to do it and know your money is going to go to something directly legitimate, you can't go wrong with either.

[SilverMiniCooperS]

I was in a conundrum as to which to donate to and then saw Clinton and Bush - so I gave to them.

http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

[Caer Ibormeith]

I was in a conundrum as to which to donate to and then saw Clinton and Bush - so I gave to them.

http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

It's nice to see them putting aside their political differences to help in this truly tragic situation. Good on both of them, and an example to us all.

As far as the security situation goes, I think it is being overblown. There have been a few skirmishes over food and water, but that's understandable considering people have lost their loved ones and homes, and haven't had any clean water or food in a week. I'd be less than patient myself. For the most part, the Haitians have been coping with this tragedy with calm and hope. The story of critically injured patients in a makeshift hospital spontaneously singing their national anthem in quiet voices moved me to tears.

On a positive note, the Iowa couple looking for the daughter they adopted from a Haitian orphanage found her, Maya, alive and well along with the other children in the same orphanage. All the children have been adopted by couples in the US. The Federal government got all of them emergency visas and they are all now in Florida waiting to go home with their new parents.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/ ... tml?hpt=T2

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/HaitiEa ... id=9564464