By JOAN LOWY
All civilian flights from the United States to Haiti were halted Thursday at the request of the Haitian government because there is no room at the earthquake damaged Port-au-Prince airport for more planes and no fuel to spare for departing aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the “ground stop” on flights Thursday morning after the Haitian government said it would not accept more flights into Haitian airspace, said a U.S. official who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named.
At the time, there were 11 flights circling the heavily damaged airport, but no more ramp room to store planes once they had landed, the official said.
There was also very limited jet fuel available for planes leaving Haiti, the official said.
The air traffic control tower at Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport was destroyed in Tuesday’s earthquake.
SOME QUOTES TO THINK ABOUT.
Rescue and relief workers have arrived and begun the grim task of recovering the dead and dying from the rubble.
The International Red Cross estimates that between 40,000 and 50,000 people have been killed and three million people – a third of Haiti’s population – have been affected by the earthquake.
The bodies of about 7,000 who lost their lives have already been buried in a mass grave.
MAN 1: There’s no help, no hospital, no electricity, no food, no water, nothing. There are too many people dying.
MAN 2: She’s fighting but I need help, but there’s no help. My last daughter’s dead, they buried her somewhere. You know what I’m saying, I want to know what happened, you know what I’m saying. But me, I’m fighting right now with her.
WOMAN 1: My family is dead. I don’t have money, I don’t have a house, I don’t know what I’m going to do now.
REPORTER 1: The car park at the hospital was just full of dead bodies. There were even children sleeping in amongst those dead bodies and then doctors trying to treat people desperately but they have no materials here.
One doctor turned to me and just said, “This is all we have. We need help and we need help now.”
REPORTER 2: Atop a pile of rubble that used to be a building you would find a small group of men who had been digging here for more than five hours to rescue a teenage girl. Her feet are the only part of her still visible.
UNICEF SPOKESWOMAN: UNICEF is bringing in a lot of supply water containers, water purification tablets, you know large tents that can be used for temporary health care centres, temporary schools so that you can begin to deploy resources where they’re needed.
BARACK OBAMA: At this very moment one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history is moving towards Haiti. More American search and rescue teams are coming, more food, more water, doctors, nurses, paramedics, more of the people, equipment and capabilities that can make the difference between life and death.
It’s the middle of the night in Port-au-Prince and for the survivors who have been left homeless this is their third night without proper shelter.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid have been pledged by world governments and organisations and millions more have been raised from individual and corporate donations.
I would hope the death toll is lower but I have just spent time with the man coordinating the gathering and burying bodies. His estimate is at least 200,000 nationwide.
No matter what, it is a disaster of untol magnitude.
We must worry about the living. Unfortunately, what little infrastructure we had has been destroyed as ministry after ministry collapsed on their staffs. There is a tendency, among my countrymen, to think they are competent to do anything. This is a danger that can destroy the effort, as it did in 2008 hurricane strikes.
I never thought I will agree with this opinion, but you know
This entry reminds me of when I was a kid growing up in Louisville. My father used to say “When life give you lemons, make lemonade”. But he was a hopeless alcoholic who never made much sense so I never paid much attention to him. Have a great day!
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