Haiti's Devastation

The world’s natural concern for others has been noticed and is worthy of admiration, especially in Haiti, where people exist more as a happening than as a government for and of the people.

UN soldiers help evacuate the injured. UN photo

(PASO ROBLES, Calif.) - The devastation in Haiti and the nature of the people is such that - without a workable government of their own - chaos appears to me to be the order of the day for the foreseeable future. The question is, how best can individuals help?

Water, sanitation and food are the immediate essentials, but because people are unable to help themselves, rogue types are already building barricades of dead bodies that only deters the effectiveness of help arriving at the airport.

I will wait to see if these obstacles can be overcome before I donate.

Port au Prince needs to be evacuated, the dead buried quickly, and the wounded moved to safe, suitable areas for care as soon as possible so that the problems of the city - transportation, disease, and sanitation can be addressed, water and food can be safely distributed from depots.

Removal of debris must occur before adequate shelter can be provided and distribution depots established.

THE TASK IS MONUMENTAL, and it remains to be seen how successfully FIRST RESPONDER nations of the world can get past the first hurdle if the city is to be rebuilt where it once existed.

Adding more people to a devastated area already encumbered by too many people, will likely only add to the problem. How and what may be done to alleviate the immediate situation remains to be seen.

Stuff is accumulating at the airport that cannot be moved to where it is sorely needed because Haitians armed with machetes roam the streets, and fights are occurring over what is wanted and sorely needed.

There are two sorts of people in Haiti; those who accept help from outsiders with grace, and those who swarm distributors to get as much as they can without regard for others.

The United States has sent soldiers and marines who may be able to get things better organized. This is not the first time the U.S. military has Intervened in Haiti, and it may take years for it to be withdrawn, as in the past.

Until I am able to see progress in this regard, I am reluctant to contribute, but afterward I will, so long as genuine progress is being made to help all the people. There will be plenty of time to donate once these preliminaries are met.

I learned long ago that one of the hardest things to do in life is to do nothing when one wants so badly to do something to help.

And unfortunately scam artists abound to take unfair advantage of our human nature. The Paso Robles Police Department has cautioned people to donate only to legitimate agencies so as to avoid being taken.

The world’s natural concern for others has been noticed and is worthy of admiration, especially in Haiti, where people exist more as a happening than as a government for and of the people.

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Kenneth G. Ramey was a 79-year old "writer without a Website" who is generating excellent, provocative articles on the subject of religion and world affairs. We are pleased that Ken's "lone wolf" presence as a writer in the world has been replaced by a spot on our team of writers at Salem-News.com. Raised in Minnesota and California during the dark years of the Great American Depression, Ken is well suited to talk about the powerful forces in the world that give all of us hope and tragedy and everything in between. You can write to Ken at: darken1@sbcglobal.net