Disaster: Haiti Needs Toilets as Much as Food and Water
food distribution photo: LA Times
That’s right the Associated Press has reported that amongst the major concerns, the lack of latrines has entered the top three. The need for water and food for over one million homeless has been there since the earthquake first hit. Now over two weeks into this ordeal a new threat has developed and that is the lack of toilets. At present there are on average one latrine per 2000 people.
The homeless has crowded into the capital city of Port-Au-Prince leaving no empty spaces and no place to dig for latrines. Unicef is on site and trying to coordinate water and sanitation. As of Saturday they are digging latrines for approxiamately 20,000 people. They are expecting about 1,100 squatting platforms for the camps in which they will be partitioned off with sheets of plastic for some privacy.
This is inconceivable to me that over one million are left homeless by this terrible disaster and that there are hundreds of thousands packed into the capital city. Not only are they not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Additionally they have the threats of widespread disease due to this severe situation of lack of latrines and all these people together in one place. While there is over three dozen groups aiding in the effort to build these latrines, it has also been reported that the water that is being brought in is dirty and they are using it to cook with and to bathe with because they have no other choice.
It’s one thing when your homeless due to your own fault, but it is completely different if it wasn’t because of something you did. When it is of your own doing, you have this mentality built in you to be able to accept what you have to do in order to survive. It is also different when you are homeless in a country that is not in the midst of a disaster. In other words for all those homeless in New York for instance, they can go to the nearst bathroom and utilize the toilet and the sink, knowing the water is clean. All these folks in Haiti however are living a whole different way. Forced homelessness is a crushing blow to the human psyche. All I can imagine is one million people sitting back and saying; “What did we do to deserve this?” They could turn to Reverend Pat Robertson and he would be all to willing to tell them. (See Pat Robertson Admonishes Haiti)
Half the children are suffering from Malaria reports the hospitals. It is evident that although the rainy season doesn’t begin until
smoldering trash and fires amongst their tent camp photo: LA Times
making homes out of tin photo: AP
April, since they are living outside there is standing water where mosquito’s are known to breed. It has been estimated that over 200,000 tents are required to house the majority of the homeless. At this point only 5,000 have been donated. Some of the homeles have been building small structures out of pieces of wood and tin awning type material.
The Haitian Government is pretty much paralyzed by this disaster. They have not even been able to produce any plans of Emergency Response or Recovery.
We pray that the Lord, our Father in Heaven, stand by this nation that is of need and guide them through their strife. Protect those that are still in need of medical care and those that need follow up care as well as the homeless and all the volunteers that have thoughtlessly left the safety and security of their own homes to reach out to those in need during this horrble disaster. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen
May God bless you.
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