Wednesday, January 13, 2010

When Helping Haitians, Remember the Afghanistan Food Drop.

For the people that are still well and physically fit, they will become depleted without supplies. They will be outside the perimeter of the worst hit areas. I would begin there and allow them to be confident so they won't become desperate and move from secured and perhaps safe areas.

The people in devastated areas will welcome the relief and it will curb the anarchy.

Good luck. We can do this.

The difference, of course, was 'time' and the fact the people were not suffering through a disaster. But, the quicker the supplies can be distributed the better and if dropping similar packages as those we dropped in Afghanistan will bring about 'viable' populous of people able bodied and willing to help, it will start the recovery quicker.

It might bring about 'quiet' sooner. Less desperation if the people are getting the aid directly and without trying to 'move' to distribution points. There is always a chance of 'black market,' but, without money to begin with there really is little chance of that.




Before we sent retaliation forces into Afghanistan, the people were prepared for our arrival by fliers and food provisions dropped by the USA Air Force. There were small packages along with information as to whom was sending the help to the Afghan people and whom was coming to aid their country.

The trouble with logistics NOW is that it may come too late. If the drops over Haiti could be more wide spread and included 'basic' medical supplies, the people will know what do to with them.

...The containers, called TRIAD for Tri-Wall Air Delivery System, were tied to a static line that tightened and flipped the containers over once they were clear of the aircraft. The 410 food packets in each box then spilled free and dispersed over the drop zone.

"We determined our drop zones taking into account where the people who needed the aid are located, potential threats in the area, and existing wind conditions to maximize accuracy to the best of our ability," Allardice said. "Our goal was to get the aid to the right people, without putting them at undue risk."

Each of the 2,200 calorie ready-to-eat food rations provides an entire day's nutritional requirement for one person. Each packet contains two main vegetarian meals based heavily on lentils, beans and/or rice. It also has complementary items such as bread, a fruit bar, a fortified biscuit, peanut butter and spices.

"One meal provides enough nutrition for an entire day for one person, but needs to be supplemented with liquids," said dietitian Capt. Dana Whelan of the 86th Medical Group here. "The meals are a good source of protein, fortified with vitamins and minerals and are appropriate for someone in a poor state of nutrition....

The Weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is not very cold and the news isn't getting better.



January 12, 2010
1028 gmt
Antarctica Satellite

There are many heat transfer systems still at work in the Southern Hemisphere. I can see at least six major ones on this image. On the face of a clock, 12 o'clock, 2, 4, 6:30, 8 and 10 o'clock.


Is Antarctica Melting? (click title to entry - thank you)

...Rignot's paper surprised many people. JPL scientist Ron Kwok saw it as demonstrating that "the old idea that glaciers move really slowly isn't true any more." One result was that a lot more people started to use the radar data to examine much more of Antarctica. A major review published in 2009 found that Rignot's Pine Island Glacier finding hadn't been a fluke 7: a large majority of the marine glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula were retreating, and their retreat was speeding up. This summer, a British group revisited the Pine Island Glacier finding and found that its rate of retreat had quadrupled between 1995 and 2006 8....




The Coldest Reporting Station

Vostok, Antarctica


Local Time: 6:36 AM VOST (GMT +06)


Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E


Elevation :: 11220 feet


Temperature :: -30 F


Humidity :: 38%


Dew Point :: -40 F


Wind :: 9 mph from the WSW


Wind Gust :: -


Pressure :: inches (Rising)


Visibility :: 12.0 miles



The Warmest Reporting Station

Base San Martin, Antarctica


Local Time: 12:46 AM GMT (GMT +00)


Lat/Lon: 68.1° S 67.1° W


Elevation :: 13 Feet


Temperature :: 40 F


Conditions :: Overcast


Humidity :: 64%


Dew Point :: 32 F


Wind :: Calm


Wind Gust :: -


Pressure :: 29.62. inches (Rising)


Visibility :: 12.0 miles


UV :: 0 out of 16


Clouds :: Overcast 1476 ft


(Above Ground Level)




It's terrible. There is every reason to believe the infrastructure is desimated in Haiti. Large measures will be needed swiftly for any survivers.

The Caribbean Plate and North American Plate meet at this juncture. The slippage being seen along the North American plate that caused the earthquakes in California and Mexico is the SAME movement as this disaster. There was some movement last year I believe that hit Guatemala. But, I have to check on that to be sure.

There was no predicting this. All the significant seismic activity following the California earthquake was along the Solomon Islands. (click here) This is a sudden and undetected movement.

Strong earthquake hits Guatemala

May 4th, 2009 - 7:53 am ICT by IANS (click here)

Guatemala City, May 4 (DPA) A strong earthquake rattled Guatemala Sunday, with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 104 km and took place about 68 km west of Guatemala City, the US Geological Survey reported.

The tremors lasted about 20 seconds and were felt across the Central American country, according to the National Seismological Institute inGuatemala City, which also said this was the strongest earthquake of the year.




There are fears thousands of people are buried under the rubble. (Reuters)

9 Aussies safe in Haiti, others still missing (click here)

Posted 1 hour 32 minutes ago (Time now 4:53 EST on Jan. 13, 2010)
Updated 1 hour 1 minute ago

Federal Government officials are trying to locate a small number of Australians believed to be in the vicinity of the devastating Haiti earthquake.

There are fears thousands of people are buried under rubble following the 7.0-magnitude quake near the capital Port-au-Prince.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) says nine Australians in the affected zone have been located safe and sound.

It will not say, however, how many others are still unaccounted for....





This is what the Presidential Palace used to look like. The entire structure above the first floor is collapsed. The survivors in that building will be minimal, even on the lower floors. A lot of debris will have shifted to the lower structures and the weight may be too great for it to continue to stand.

Fierce Quake Devastates Haitian Capital (click title and here - thank you)

Amateurs stay home. There should be limited access to the small island for now.

There will be time when the area is secured to respond by NGOs. The land, government and nutritional infrastructure is too depleted and unstable for volunteers to be attending to the people. This needs widespread support from global governments no different than the countries of the Christmas Tsunamis. The ability to respond to emergencies is going to be limited until major construction equipment can be delivered and move debris, clear and make roads and provide methods of movement to shelters, food and water sources and temporary medical facilities.

Attempting to help beyond what the Haitian and other government authorities allow could mean additional casualties and my prohibit organized rescue efforts otherwise. Please don't go beyond the ability of aiding governments to help the survivors. Watercraft responding should remain well offshore and do as instructed by any responding naval vessels. Thank you.

I am quite confident the Haitian people are simply terrified with aftershocks and the inability to access in any reasonable way to their country's emergency. Please be extremely cautious and 'think through' personal peril and the best way to help. Thank you.



Haiti: Presidential palace and hospital among buildings hit (click here)

By David Usborne, US Editor

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

A devastating earthquake struck the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti last night, causing what first reports said was widespread damage in the densely populated capital of Port-au-Prince with one hospital among numerous buildings said to have collapsed.

Part of the national palace, which is home to Haiti's first family, had also collapsed. Information on the precise extent of casualties remained sketchy as evening became night across the country. However, early reports suggested the numbers hurt and killed could turn out to be very significant.

The earthquake, which was followed quickly by severe aftershocks, measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. Its power and scope to cause grave damage may have been exacerbated because it occurred just ten miles from the capital and was only about six miles deep, which geologically speaking is shallow...