So far nearly all of the relief efforts have focused on the capital city of Port-au-Prince, while residents of outlying areas like Carrefour and Léogâne have been left on their own. A major fuel shortage is also hampering relief efforts. While many Haitians are fleeing to the countryside, hundreds of homeless families have set up a makeshift camp in Saint Pierre square in the Pétionville district of Port-au-Prince.
The US military has taken control of the only airport in Port-au-Prince and is facing criticism for diverting some aid planes. Doctors Without Borders says five of its planes carrying surgical teams and equipment weren’t allowed to land and were diverted to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. US forces also turned back a French aid plane carrying a field hospital. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused President Obama of militarizing the aid effort in Haiti.
President Hugo Chavez: *“Mr. Obama, send field hospitals instead of so many soldiers, so that there are fewer soldiers with machine guns and rifles, and a generous amount of doctors and nurses and medical equipment.”*
During a trip to Port-au-Prince, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the US response.
Hillary Clinton: *”I want to assure the people of Haiti that the United States is a friend, a partner and a supporter, and we will work with your government under the direction of President Préval to assist in every way we can.”*
Haitian President Préval left Haiti Monday to visit Santo Domingo for an emergency meeting to discuss financing the recovery effort. Dominican President Leonel Fernandez said it would take at least $10 billion over five years to rebuild Haiti. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Port-au-Prince on Sunday.
Ban Ki-moon: *”It is unprecedented. It is one of the largest, most serious natural disasters in recent decades. For the United Nations, again, it was the single biggest loss in the history of this organization. That really compounds everything.”*
Stories continue to emerge from Haiti of people surviving after being trapped for days. On Friday, an Australian TV crew helped rescuers save an eighteen-month-old girl named Winnie. The crew and rescuers moved the rubble piece by piece to get to Winnie, who was stuck in a collapsed house. Winnie was found after neighbors heard a baby screaming under the rubble. Once rescued, she was handed to her uncle, Franz, who said her parents had died in the earthquake. Deiby Celestino played a major role in Winnie’s rescue.
Deiby Celestino: *“She is the hero, because she fought for three days, like I said. I mean, she’s still alive, and the man up there—it was a great experience. The man up there is the one that actually saved her, not me.”*
