Friday, November 5, 2010

Model Haitian Relocation Camp Evacuated Before Storm

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Model Haitian Relocation Camp Evacuated Before Storm


Better safe than sorry sounds like a solid strategy when dealing with people who have already been left homeless due to an earthquake.

So with a hurricane bearing down on Haiti, it's hard to argue with officials who have asked the people of the Corail-Cesselesse relocation camp to leave the camp, which is in the storm's path.

What makes the evacuation so painful is that the camp might be the best on the island-nation. It has thousands of orderly rows of tents.

The call to abandon the camp, which is situated just outside Port-au-Prince, is coming under some fire. It was billed as having built-in, hurricane-resistant construction features. And since Hurricane Tomas has weakened in recent days, many are questioning why the 7,850 residents need to leave at all.

One thing everyone knows is the storm is a killer.

Tomas killed 14 people and caused nearly $40 million in damages in St. Lucia.

The storm might pose little threat, or it could get stronger and devastate the camp. No one knows. No one is marching the people of Corail-Cesselesse from their homes at gunpoint -- the evacuation is voluntary, so people can make up their own minds if they want to stay.

But the people who stay behind can't say they haven't been warned. Moving is undoubtedly a hardship, but everyone in Haiti has suffered since the earthquake hit in January.

One of the biggest problems for the Haitian people is the lack of cooperation Haiti is getting from foreign governments that pledged relief aid but have failed to live up to their commitments.

It is a shame that the United States hasn't paid any of the $1.15 billion in reconstruction aid promised in March.

I can understand this government needing to investigate exactly what entity in Haiti would get the funding and how it would be distributed. That due diligence is especially important in light of the record of widespread government corruption in Haiti.

But at this point, U.S. investigators should be done with their probe. How long do they expect the Haitian people to wait?



 

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Source: http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/11/04/model-haitian-relocation-camp-evacuated-before-storm/

CINDY MCCAIN CINDY SHEEHAN CITIZENS UNITED CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION

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