As I watch the various news coverage of the Haiti Disaster, I am becoming more, and more concerned about the slow progress regarding the mobilization of food, water, and medicine to the people.
For hours I've witnessed (via news broadcasts) dozens of planes being offloaded and then the palettes are stacked to one side of the runway at the Airport in Haiti.
I know the U.S. and the other nations involved in the relief effort, are making a galant effort, but I get the sense that the process is moving too slow, and at a "by the numbers" pace.
This is not acceptable!
As News Broadcasters reveal that relief efforts have all but come to a screeching halt due to the lack of trucks, and safe roads, I can't help but think about all of the people who, if survived the quake, are now lying in the streets, hungry and thirsty, and dying. Hell, I get famished if I fall asleep and wake up the next day on an empty stomach.
Has anyone ever heard of an Air -drop?
For the life of me, I cannot understand why someone hasn't figured out that waiting around for the ideal conditions to set up Tents, and organize lines of people for some sort of mobile Soup Kitchen, is not what needs to happen at the moment.
Someone who can think outside the box needs to figure out that until the roads can be cleared via Bulldozers, or whatever heavy equipment is needed, their ought to be a concerted effort to crack open boxes of MRE's (Military Rations), and start making low level flights over the cities and dump as much food and water as possible.
Better yet, I have seen plenty of open areas such as parks which seem ideal for Helicopters to land. The Haitian Government owns 2 Helos. So for the life of me, I do not understand why USAID has not done any "Hot Drops". That is to Fly into hard to reach areas, and without landing, hover low enough to dump a load of aid, and return to base for another run.
Of course I am not suggesting we drop boxes on top of people's heads, and let there be a "free for all" but find some rural areas outside of the congested cities, and put several hundred military boots on the ground with Red Cross Workers who would be in charge of distribution. Then, as word travels, people will slowly begin to gather. Paratroopers could also help carry back food for those who are immobile.
I'm stunned nothing along these lines seems to be taking shape. As of now it is being reported that a plan has yet to be formed.
Maybe it is my lack of knowledge about how rescue operations work, that gives me such a grand, but simple idea, but I have seen too many military movies to know that if there were wounded soldiers on the ground, there would have been boots on the ground the same night of the quake.
If anyone reading this has any way of getting word to the news anchors on the scene, or can get a hold of the Red Cross or USAID, please implore them to start making air drops before people get so desperate they begin storming the Airport.