What are other first world nations (particularly European) doing regarding the Haitian tragedy?

[Meldread]

Can someone hit me with some news links regarding this?

I keep hearing over and over again that the United States will bare the brunt of having to deal with this tragedy, but I think that is baloney. If France, Germany, the UK, and other such nations aren't stepping up to the plate then President Obama should publicly shame them into action. Call them out. If nothing else, they can send money.

I want to know what they're already doing, so news links to their efforts would be desirable. Thanks!

[GCP]

1. From the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8456192.stm

[LuvNewcastle]

2. Here is an article about countries helping now.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N13147609.htm

[redwitch]

3. I have already seen info in one of the many posts here.

We will probably send lots more personnel, we are very close by after all. But everyone is offering support in terms of medicine, money, search and rescue etc. UN teams, whoever survived that is, have been there for years.

[HeresyLives]

4. It's gotta be your news networks.

Countries all over the world pitched in immediately.

This was Canada this am.

'So far, the government has sent a C-130 Hercules plane with medics, firefighters, a search and rescue and reconnaissance team. It left just after 9 a.m. ET. Their job is to assess the needs of the devastated country. They have also brought along some basic supplies and equipment for extracting people.
The official said a C-17 (a huge cargo plane) will likely follow as well as a Navy ship with a helicopter and more supplies, including Canadian Forces engineers.'


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/cabinet-huddles-amid-grim-reports-from-haiti/article1429479/

[Meldread]

5. Thanks for the responses!

I've been busy throughout the day, and each time I've had a chance to tune into MSNBC to see what was going on, the political analysis of the situation seemed to be that the United States would likely be expected to bare the brunt of the relief effort. Which struck me as odd, because this is a humanitarian crisis, and to my knowledge humanity didn't end at the United States border.

Thanks for all the responses and links. I'm going to check them out now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Well if you read US Media Katrina had nobody else on the ground

that said the State Department spokesman was clear about coordinating with international partners and that we were not alone doing this. He specifically mentioned Brazil and Canada for the Americas...

So at least the tone from State has changed and it is a historic change.

[Hello_Kitty]

6. We're the closest country with the kind of resources we have at our disposal.

Of course, we're going to be the first there*. But it will be an international effort, I promise.


*Don't get me started on them not responding to Katrina with it.

[Meldread]

10. Of course.

Yes, don't get me started on Katrina as well. It still boggles my mind - we've reacted in record time to mobilize and send aid down to Haiti. There are already American's down there working... and somehow we couldn't do shit when Katrina hit? Ugh.

Anyway, I realized that the international community would be pitching in, but the impression I got from the scant time I've had to watch the coverage was that the United States would be expected to carry the brunt of the relief effort. Obviously, I'm all for doing whatever we can, but it just threw me for a loop - as I got the impression that other nations weren't really stepping up to the plate like they should have been. It got me somewhat angry, thinking that nations like France and Germany could be sending a bit of token cash, meanwhile knowing full well that an entire city just got wiped out with 10,000 to 100,000 or more people dead.

Nations that don't have their military currently in battle need to send their military doctors down to Haiti. Without facilities to actually treat people, they likely have the best expertise and training to handle such situations. It can't be too dissimilar to the battlefield, where there is no nearby hospital, and major action has to be done on the spot in order to save lives.

[malaise]

8. Please note from BBC

Cuba, which also felt the quake, has sent 30 doctors.

Cuban field hospitals in Port-au-Prince were already treating hundreds of injured, according to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

[suffragette]

9. As others have noted, look at other news sources

Each will focus a bit more on its own country, just as ours do on the U.S.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100113-international-community-rallies-aid-quake-struck-haitians-haiti
Has some of the same info as other links posted here. Additionally includes Brazil.

Brazil : The country’s defence minister and army chief have left for Haiti to get first-hand information about the Brazilian-led UN stabilisation force in Haiti. At least four Brazilian soldiers have been confirmed dead, with many others missing. Brazil’s government also announced it was sending 10 million dollars in immediate aid.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/13/f-disasters-military-dart.html
Story on specialized Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) team being deployed to Haiti.

I was watching the one Canadian channel I receive earlier today and saw a very moving segment with Governor General Michaelle Jean, who was born there. Found the video, here's the link:
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/ID=1384707282

Europe has been in the grip of ongoing snow and ice storms with many transport problems including airport closures, so at least one aid flight was delayed. Perhaps your news source was considering that when it reported.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100113/wl_afp/europeweather

LONDON (AFP) – Fresh heavy snowfalls brought new winter woe to parts of Europe on Wednesday, disrupting transport links and delaying a humanitarian flight to earthquake-stricken Haiti.
Airports closed across Britain, hundreds of flights were cancelled in France and Germans shivered as temperatures dropped to well below freezing and snow piled up.
As new snowfalls battered Britain, business leaders said the worst winter in three decades was costing the country hundreds of millions of pounds (euros, dollars) a day.
Snow at London's Gatwick airport held up a flight carrying 70 rescue specialists bound for Haiti with 10 tonnes of equipment.
The plane eventually departed at around 6:40 pm (1840 GMT) and was among the first to take off after the runway was cleared, a spokesman said.
"Today's snow once again meant our teams had to overcome challenging conditions to ensure our runway was safe for aircraft and passengers, including the important mission to Haiti," said Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate.

[Meldread]

11. Thanks!

I wish there was a news station dedicated to looking at things from a more global prospective, since this is an international humanitarian crisis. I didn't have much time during the day to keep up-to-date with the coverage, and when I did there was absolutely no mention of what other governments were doing except our own. During political analysis of the situation (was watching MSNBC) they talked about how, since Haiti was in the Western Hemisphere, that it was basically our problem and we were going to bare the brunt of the relief effort. That gave me the impression that other nations weren't really stepping up to the plate like they should have been, which is why I came here.

Thanks so much for the links. It was a given that the United States would respond rapidly to the crisis, we always respond quickly to such things. Not to mention we have tons of non-profit charitable organizations who immediately mobilize as well.

[cutlassmama]

13. BBC usually does

[suffragette]

14. Was it the report by Andrea Mitchell?

I was just watching NBC and they had reports from Brian Williams as well as some from MSNBC.
Williams wasn't bad.

The segment with Andrea Mitchell sounds just like what you described. Not surprising emphasis coming from her. She even ended it with saying something about this being when George W. Bush could become engaged or involved. Absolute crap reporting.

Depending on your cable package, you may receive BBC.

If you don't, some PBS stations carry a 1/2 hour BBC news broadcast. Some may also have EuroJournal.

Of course, going online gives you even more access.

You can read BBC and watch their videos though I can't find a free live stream on their site.

CBC has a live link to "The National."

Many newspapers have an English version.
Deutschewelle is one: http://www.dw-world.de/

France 24 has live streams in French or English.

Just a small sample of the options there.

[Paper Roses]

12. I saw a news clip of men wearing shirts with Venezuela on the sleeve.

These men were loading medical and humanitarian supplies for Haiti. Cuba is sending a large contingent of medical personnel. I would venture to guess that most nations of the world will send what they can.

As to who tries to be the big cheese, well, that's another thing altogether.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/earthquake_in_haiti.html

This link shows some very graphic pictures but you can see the logo's of some of the other counties on their clothes.

[applegrove]

15. Canada is loading two ships full of supplies and sending them to Haiti. We are also sending our

military's DART Teams to Haiti. We have a big haitian community, especially in Montreal. We are as involved as the USA is.

Of all the places in the Americans that earthquake happened in the worsst possible place.

[Cleita]

16. Finns are already there from what the news reports say.

UN troops are coming in and they come from many nations. Too bad our corporate news outlets don't have the network of offices and correspondents throughout the world that they used to have when they were legitimate news organizations. It will take us longer to find out. In the meantime Brian Williams and Ann Curry have nowhere to go as they cool their heels, with their crews on the tarmac in the Port au Prince airport.