Looters Break Into U.N. Warehouses in Haiti

Looters have broken into U.N. food warehouses in Haiti's crumbled capital, an official said Friday, as security and logistical challenges mounted for groups trying to feed at least 2 million people reeling from a devastating earthquake.

The U.N. World Food Program stressed that looting was normal in emergency situations, but spokeswoman Emilia Casella said the agency didn't know how much remained of its pre-quake stockpile of 15,000 tons of food aid in Port-au-Prince.

"The physical destruction is so great that physically getting from point A to B with the supplies is not an easy task," Casella told a news conference. "Pictures can get out instantly ... and that's important because the world needs to know. But getting physically tons and tons of equipment and food and water is not as instant as Twitter or Skype or 24-hour television news."

The international community has already donated hundreds of millions of dollars and sent in the first of hundreds of doctors, engineers, soldiers and aid workers.

But the U.N. and others still hadn't figured out how to deliver assistance through broken roads and crumpled buildings, with little machinery to clear the mess. They are also contending with masses of people gathered in Port-au-Prince's streets, few working phones and a massive influx of goods and personnel without an organized plan.

Casella said her agency was working to collect enough ready-to-eat meals to feed 2 million Haitians for a month.

newsmax.com...

Kind of puts it all into a logistical perspective. I just hope that any and all cash and food donations stay out of the hands of any remaining Hatian politicians.

[edit on 15-1-2010 by jibeho]

Desperate people will always loot when it's a matter of survival.

Perhaps something good can come from this.

I kinda hope that this disaster brings Haitians together and allows them a fresh start with their country.

IRM

Goood for them for trying to feed themselves. These people have been devistated. Why was the food in a warehouse to begin with. Shouldn't it be in someones stomach. Well i guess it is now.

This is deffinately ok in my opinion. These people are trying to survive right now. Deffinately a lot better than someone coming out of Wal-Mart with 40+ pairs of shoes, talking about "we got to survive dont we?" Yea.

MessonTheFED!

No sense starting another thread on this subject...

Looks like people are getting really angry about not getting help fast enough that they are building road blocks with dead bodies and rocks... To tell you the truth... if it was me and my family in that kind of situation, I would do whatever it takes to ensure the survival and care of my family, legal or illegal!

Washington Post

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Angry Haitians set up roadblocks with corpses in Port-au-Prince to protest at the delay in emergency aid reaching them after a devastating earthquake, an eyewitness said, Shaul Schwarz, a photographer for TIME magazine, said he saw at least two downtown roadblocks formed with bodies of earthquake victims and rocks. "They are starting to block the roads with bodies, it's getting ugly out there, people are fed up with getting no help," he told Reuters.

Also... here on Associated Press

Originally posted by MessOnTheFED!
Goood for them for trying to feed themselves. These people have been devistated. Why was the food in a warehouse to begin with. Shouldn't it be in someones stomach. Well i guess it is now.

This is deffinately ok in my opinion. These people are trying to survive right now. Deffinately a lot better than someone coming out of Wal-Mart with 40+ pairs of shoes, talking about "we got to survive dont we?" Yea.

MessonTheFED!

That was my first reaction. I think the food is part of an ongoing UN program in Haiti. I would imagine that the UN was feeding more Haitians than the Haitian govt itself. The looters knew exactly where to go. I would be right next to them If I were in that situation.

Ditto on the Wal Mart looting in recent memory. No need for a 60" Plasma in Haiti right now.

Originally posted by x2Strongx
No sense starting another thread on this subject...

Looks like people are getting really angry about not getting help fast enough that they are building road blocks with dead bodies and rocks... To tell you the truth... if it was me and my family in that kind of situation, I would do whatever it takes to ensure the survival and care of my family, legal or illegal!

Washington Post

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Angry Haitians set up roadblocks with corpses in Port-au-Prince to protest at the delay in emergency aid reaching them after a devastating earthquake, an eyewitness said, Shaul Schwarz, a photographer for TIME magazine, said he saw at least two downtown roadblocks formed with bodies of earthquake victims and rocks. "They are starting to block the roads with bodies, it's getting ugly out there, people are fed up with getting no help," he told Reuters.

Also... here on Associated Press

Sorry, Junior Moderator.

Great time to protest and setting up roadblocks is a great way to get the aid where it is needed.

If this continues then all relief should just be air dropped so they can fend for themsleves. This is just ridiculous. Blocked roads are the problem to begin with. Hey let's block more roads.

reply to post by jibeho

Sorry, Junior Moderator.

I was stating... that there was no sense in me starting another thread on this subject with the information that I added, so I figured I would just add it to your thread.

If you feel that my added information doesn't help your thread I will be more than happy to remove it...

Originally posted by x2Strongx
reply to post by jibeho

 

Sorry, Junior Moderator.

I was stating... that there was no sense in me starting another thread on this subject with the information that I added, so I figured I would just add it to your thread.

If you feel that my added information doesn't help your thread I will be more than happy to remove it...

You provided great information. I misunderstood your comment. I thought you were questioning the purpost of this thread. My apologies.