Dominicans Respond to Haitian Tragedy January 14, 2010 11:00AM
"It was like the end of the world."
The Dominican Republic was the first country to give aid to Haiti in the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating earthquake. Some of the first video images of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince came from a Dominican television crew.
On the face of it, the quick reaction from Haiti's neighbor may not seem surprising given their proximity. But historically, a much wider gap in relations has existed between Haiti and the Dominican Republic since colonial times. The Dominican Republic's outpouring of support to Haiti is a reminder of how the less-than-friendly legacy between the two nations has been buried even deeper.
Some tensions still exist between citizens of both countries. Dominicans recall how they were under Haitian rule for a period in the mid-1800s, and how they repeatedly fought Haitian aggressions. Today, Haitians provide cheap labor in the Dominican Republic, a trend that has caused resentment on both sides, not unlike the illegal immigration debate in the United States.
But as far as the countries themselves are officially concerned, "relations are at a high point compared to 20 or 30 years ago," Ernesto Sagas, associate professor of ethnic studies at Colorado State University, told CNN. "Relations between the countries at the presidential level are at high levels."
Dominican Public Works Minister Victor Diaz Rua surveyed the damage in Port-au-Prince Wednesday as his country planned the necessary logistics to provide international aid. "The center of the city, where the presidential palace collapsed, is practically completely destroyed," Diaz Rua told CNN en Español, noting he saw hotels, schools and hospitals that were damaged.
Diaz Rua also saw few emergency teams working. "We're going to send teams from the Dominican Republic to help with the rescue. We're going to send food, water and mobile clinics," he said.
Such cooperation was not historically the case. Haiti, a former French colony, and the Dominican Republic, with roots as a Spanish colony, have tensions that go back to those days, Sagas said.
The Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti in 1844, after Haiti had occupied it. The Dominicans spent the next 20 years fighting off Haitian invasion attempts. By the early 20th century, Haitians had become a source of cheap labor in the neighboring country. Racism and security concerns resulted in a massacre in 1937. Dominican leader Rafael Trujillo ordered the execution of Haitians living near the border between the countries, resulting in the killings of 20,000 to 30,000 Haitians, historians say.
The current tragedy appears to push those tensions further into the past. "This is the worst disaster in Haiti's recorded history," Sagas said. "The best role the DR can play is to open its border for other nations to funnel all the aid to Haiti." The Dominican Republic appears to be following that path.
The government on Wednesday started sending food, medicine and rescue crews to Haiti, the El Nacional newspaper reported. Top Dominican leaders amassed at the border as a staging ground to begin transporting aid into the country. Among the aid are 10 mobile cafeterias that can produce 100,000 meals a day, and heavy equipment to remove debris, Diaz Rua said.
Haiti: A Country in Need of Our Help Posted January 14, 2010 3:00PM
Haiti Senator fears over one-hundred-thousand dead from 7.3 earthquake
A devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near her capital of Port-Au-Prince on Tuesday afternoon. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Haiti since 1770, and two of its aftershocks were nearly as intense.
The damage is horrific, and has only worsened in the wake of the aftershocks. Haiti's centers of government, national and international, have in many instances been leveled. Hospitals are overflowing, and the country simply does not have the capacity to respond to the sheer volume of need.
Estimates of the death toll from Haiti's leaders have ranged from 100,000 to 500,000, though the damage is too severe to project accurately. One thing is certain: the loss is sure to be astronomical.
Accounts and photographs have poured in, showing the world the extent of this tragedy. Haitian President René Préval recounted, "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed. There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.''
The Red Cross estimates that over 3 million people, a third of Haiti's population, may need immediate emergency assistance. In the face of such need, the Red Cross has already run out of medical supplies. More are on the way, but no one knows when they will arrive, or how many they will be too late to save.
President Préval has asked the world for medical assistance, saying Haiti lacks the capacity to hospitalize the wounded.
In response to this devastating natural disaster, President Obama has order a Marine Expeditionary Unit, consisting of approximately 1,100 United States Marines, to provide humanitarian assistance and security as attempts to bring in outside aid increase in the coming days and weeks.
However, each of us should not simply take solace in the fact that some of our men and women in uniform are being deployed to provide relief -- we should all join the rescue effort. Each able American should find a way to help bring relief to a nation that is facing a dire situation which will only worsen without significant and immediate aid.
So this week I am going to ask that you to help the Haitian recovery effort in some way, whether it is a direct donation or even volunteering to help collect funds for one of the charities listed below. Together, we can help make a difference for a nation where thousands of parents have been separated from their children and will not know for weeks or longer if those children have even survived this tragedy.
Here are a few ways to help this massive rescue/support operation:
• You can make an automatic $10 donation to the Red Cross by texting "HAITI" to 90999 from the USA. The money will be charged directly to your cell phone bill and will go to an organization which, since its founding in 1881, has been one of the foremost emergency response organizations. You can also contribute to the Red Cross and read about further ways to help through their website -- www.redcross.org.
• Catholic Relief Services, with a track record of rushing humanitarian relief to survivors within hours of man-made and natural disasters around the world, has already pledged $5 million to efforts in Haiti ad with our help can facilitate much more -- www.crs.org.
• Doctors Without Borders provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. They have already established emergency clinics in Haiti -- www.doctorswithoutborders.org.
• Samaritan's Purse, founded by Franklin Graham, is a nondenominational evangelical Christian relief organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. http://www.samaritanspurse.org.
I want to thank each of you who are able to take a few minutes from your busy schedules to find a way to help. Your assistance may very well help save a life or enable a family to reconnect in the midst of a terrible human tragedy. And tonight, we should all say a prayer for those who lost their lives in this tragedy and those who remain in Haiti fighting for their survival.
"Exclusive DRSol Dominican Republic Color Satellite Photo"
Summary Across the Dominican Republic in the last 24 hours the highest observed temperature by DRSol was 88 at La Isabella. The coolest reading also came from La Isabella with an overnight low of 64. A few spotty but light rain showers were reported, the last in Puerto Plata International at 4PM yesterday afternoon. Skies were generally partly cloudy. Winds are averaging 8 mph from the SE, with a peak gust to 16 mph seen at 3PM yesterday afternoon at Barahona.
Today: Variable clouds with a chance of showers. High 87F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Tonight: Some clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 66F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 88F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 AM EDT TUE SEP 15 2009
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
THE REMNANTS OF FRED ARE LOCATED ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN THE NORTHERNMOST CAPE VERDE ISLANDS AND THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS. WHILE THIS SYSTEM MAY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE INTERMITTENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS IT MOVES WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT AROUND 15 MPH OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE NOT CONDUCIVE FOR RE-DEVELOPMENT INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM CAN BE FOUND IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...UNDER AWIPS HEADER NFDHSFAT1 AND WMO HEADER FZNT01 KWBC.
ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
Today: Variable clouds with a chance of showers. High 87F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Tonight: Some clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 66F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 88F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
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