Can anyone truly grasp the magnitude of the disaster in Haiti? I can't think of any single traumatic event in the history of the Western Hemisphere that claimed so many lives in so little time. Even though the poorest nation in the Americas has been in the news for so many reasons, Haiti still seemed worlds away for most of us until last week's 7.0 earthquake, the many aftershocks and the heartbreaking stories. Here in New London County, we are reminded of the 5,000 Haitians living in Norwich who are so directly affected by the terrible news from their homeland. We also realize how close we all really are to this hard hit land just one island away from Puerto Rico and less than 700 miles from Miami. I had just arrived on vacation in Fort Myers, Florida when the news came. That night I picked up a station in the Bahamas talking about a possible tsunami that thankfully never happened. The next day I heard a restaurant worker worrying about the safety of his family members in Haiti. In the airport someone was talking about feeling the quake on a cruise ship off the Haitian coast. Cuba, while part of the relief effort, still couldn't pass up the politics as its media condemned the "occupation" of the Presidential Palace grounds by U.S. troops. At least these people have a voice that can be heard. Some 200,000 Haitian voices were silenced as of one week ago. Keep up with Red Cross relief efforts here. 
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Unthinkable in Haiti
Can anyone truly grasp the magnitude of the disaster in Haiti? I can't think of any single traumatic event in the history of the Western Hemisphere that claimed so many lives in so little time. Even though the poorest nation in the Americas has been in the news for so many reasons, Haiti still seemed worlds away for most of us until last week's 7.0 earthquake, the many aftershocks and the heartbreaking stories. Here in New London County, we are reminded of the 5,000 Haitians living in Norwich who are so directly affected by the terrible news from their homeland. We also realize how close we all really are to this hard hit land just one island away from Puerto Rico and less than 700 miles from Miami. I had just arrived on vacation in Fort Myers, Florida when the news came. That night I picked up a station in the Bahamas talking about a possible tsunami that thankfully never happened. The next day I heard a restaurant worker worrying about the safety of his family members in Haiti. In the airport someone was talking about feeling the quake on a cruise ship off the Haitian coast. Cuba, while part of the relief effort, still couldn't pass up the politics as its media condemned the "occupation" of the Presidential Palace grounds by U.S. troops. At least these people have a voice that can be heard. Some 200,000 Haitian voices were silenced as of one week ago. Keep up with Red Cross relief efforts here. 
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