85 elderly quake survivors await death in Haiti

[RamboLiberal]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The old lady crawls in the dirt, wailing for her pills. The elderly man lies motionless as rats pick at his overflowing diaper. There is no food, water or medicine for the 85 surviving residents of the Port-au-Prince Municipal Nursing Home, barely a mile (1 1/2 kilometers) from the airport where a massive international aid effort is taking shape.

"Help us, help us," 69-year-old Mari-Ange Levee begged Sunday, lying on the ground with a broken leg and ribs. A cluster of flies swarmed the open fracture in her skull.

One man has already died, and administrator Jean Emmanuel said more would follow soon unless water and food arrive immediately.

"I appeal to anybody to bring us anything, or others won't live until tonight," he said, motioning toward five men and women who were having trouble breathing, a sign that the end was near.

-----

"I'm pleading for everyone to understand that there's a truce right now, the streets are free, so you can come through to help us," said Emmanuel, 27, one of the rare officials not to have fled the squalor and mayhem. He insisted that foreign aid workers wouldn't be in danger if they tried to cross through the crowd to reach the elderly group.

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20100117_ap_85elderlyquakesurvivorsawaitdeathinhaiti.html

Damn, I hope someone with aid reaches these people. No one should have to die like this!

[piedmont]

1. Kick and rec. I hope they go to them too. nt

[Warpy]

2. No, they should have the comfort of morphine and relative cleanliness

even if there is no room to offer them life saving treatment. I hope that someone has at least put them in shade.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. K&R. This is just unspeakable...

And it reminds me of Katrina. ;(

Hoping for an update... ;(

[BunkerHill24]

4. I've said it before and I'll say it again

This relieve effort is cluster fuck.....and we will learn it hopefully when all is discovered.

[stray cat]

6. The earthquake made things a bit difficult and who is suppose to save everyone?

Haiti is not a US state - if we completely take over its an occupation and would be labeled such as people don't get helped. Surely you are not in favor of occupations of sovereign nations for the sake of the people?

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. huh?

:silly: Surely you are not in favor of occupations of sovereign nation for the sake of the people? eh?


Out of Iraq and Afghanistan, then.

What are we doing there?

Why are we there then, if not for the sake of the people?

Isn't that what our leaders continue to claim, among other reasons?

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. So what is YOUR plan?

I will wait for the detailed 5,000 page plan...

Please do tell me exactly how are you going to deal with the zero infrastructure in the country? I mean not like they have a working port or anything that might make things easier.

[CreekDog]

8. explain why it's a clusterfuck

how long would it take you to get help to a city of 2 million whose government, infrastructure, ports, roads and airport were rendered inoperable in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake?

tell us.

:wtf:

:rant:

[HughMoran]

10. I await a detailed explanation of how an internet warrior would have done it differently

Read this - it was written with you in mind -> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7479650

[Maru Kitteh]

15. +1

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. Kick. n/t

[malaise]

9. This is too sad

I hope help reaches them urgently. cry: :cry:

[anigbrowl]

11. They're already dead, unfortunately

It's heart-rending to read, but the sad fact is that with limited resources, these people will be helped last. If it comes down to saving old people or children, the logical thing to do is save the children. I doubt there will be resources left over for these elderly victims.

[foxfeet]

12. K&R

[Vidar]

13. K&R.

[Maru Kitteh]

14. Kicked and Rec'd with a very heavy heart.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. I wish wish all my heart that this was not happening

and I am sure the tasking guys are having a hell of a time with some of the triage decisions as to where you send what.

Triage, to do the most good for the most people.