newsworthy
a journey through hell in Haiti
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOCK MENZIES
WHEN JOHN T. “JOCK” MENZIES, PRESIDENT OF THE
American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), visited earth-quake-ravaged Haiti in late March, he had an abstract idea
of what he would encounter.
Being face to face with the reality was another matter.
The capital of Port-au-Prince and the Western city of
Leogane at the quake’s epicenter each resembled, to
Menzies, a modern-day Dante’s Inferno. He said large
areas of both cities were covered in dust, the residue from
a combination of pulverized structures, exhaust from
burning diesel fuel, and huge rubbish fires set in a desperate effort to incinerate waste that otherwise would have
been routed through non-existent sanitation systems.
Menzies saw streets choked with rubble and makeshift
housing—with crude roofs often made out of cloth—
erected next to destroyed homes. He witnessed mountains
of trash and litter being picked over by humans and animals alike. He saw roads hopelessly clogged by merchant
storefronts that had literally been moved off their sidewalk
moorings and into the street. Traffic in Port-au-Prince was
at a standstill most of the days he was there, Menzies noted.
At night, the capital’s streets were transformed into ghostly thoroughfares with the movement of stray individuals
and motorbikes barely visible through the eerie gloaming.
For Menzies, who returned to the United States March
28 after a weeklong trip to meet with non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) working with ALAN, the images
were searing. “You know what to expect, but until you
touch it and smell it, you just don’t get it,” he said.
Months after the Jan. 12 quake that left approximately
230,000 dead and 750,000 homeless, Haiti remains a basket case of near-epic proportions. Water treatment systems lie in ruins and drainage canals have been badly
compromised, raising fears that flooding during Haiti’s
traditional spring rainy season and possible summer hurricanes to follow might trigger another humanitarian disaster. Nearly 2,000 schools, hospitals, and health centers
have been destroyed. About 25 million cubic yards of
debris lie scattered, enough rubble to cover Washington,
D.C.’s National Mall to a height of 700 feet, according to a
report in The Washington Post. To put the magnitude of
the damage in perspective, the Washington Monument is
555 feet high.
In addition, Haiti’s central government has been, in
Menzies’ words, “decapitated” both in terms of leadership
and infrastructure.
The bureaucratic void has created chaos. For example,
the government requires NGOs to submit written reports
chronicling the situation and their needs. However, it lacks
the resources and manpower to process the paperwork. As
a result, NGO representatives must rehash their findings in
face-to-face meetings with government officials often conducted in a cacophony of English, French, and Creole.
Supply chain getting back on track
After an initially nightmarish start when relief supplies
would arrive in Haiti by air and then be abandoned in random locations because there were no consignees p. 20
