I have been working for months on a book about the Haiti earthquake. Specifically I have been trying to separate the experiences of disaster relief from those that have taken over: working to help Haiti in general.
Disaster response is an effort that stands alone from any perspective in a person's life. It is like nothing else one can live through as one leaves the normal day to day of one's life and walks off of an airplane into total social chaos. One does one's work gets on an airplane after a day or week or month and steps off of that airplane back into the land of Wal-Mart.
So here is what I have done: I took the January blog and put it into a book. I wrote an introduction and an afterword. I then went through each blog post and added commentary where needed and scattered three dozen photographs throughout the manuscript. It ended up being 96 pages in and 8.25" X 8.25 " picture book. It is surprising to me how readable it seems to be. test readers who have reported back have been laudatoryhowever one questions motives when one's friends and family do this sort of review. A couple of acquaintances, Haiti veterans, have also been complementary so I feel good about it.
The link is the book on Amazon. Because of the color photography the book is, in my opinion, very expensive. I have priced it as low as I am able. This evening the self publisher (CreateSpace whom I love) is updating the cover so it shows out of print. That should be resolved tonight. If anyone gets the book I would enjoy feedback. An e-book is available at smashwords.com search 'Callout:'
Regards to all. happy holidays and remember give until it hurts then give some more.
http://www.amazon.com/Callout-Haiti-Earthquake-Response-journey/dp/1456421212/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291543206&sr=1-2&tag=533633855-20
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
There be angels
So as anyone who follows this blog knows (or should know darn you!) I have been laboring to acquire infrastructure for Haiti. Technology infrastructure. There is plenty of content here on my ideas of an information economy for Haiti. A lot of stuff about technology for education. A lot of stuff about the academy to turn out thousands of technologists every year and to provide gainful employment for those graduates.
So these are ambitious plans, goals and dare I say dreams? I know how to build the infrastructure however as I know as well as anyone on the planet knows this stuff is expensive. Really expensive. Once you have the stuff you have to have the skilled people to do the work. Expensive again.
Much of what I have done on Haiti in the last three months has been associated with this overall idea of building a technology infrastructure. To that end I have bothered and pestered and cajoled people to help. That has not yielded a whole lot of tangible progress. Yet chance encounters and conversations have led to the point achieved this day August 5 2010: In a warehouse in South Daytona Florida is enough equipment to build the foundation of an information society in Haiti. No exaggeration and no hyperbole.
A guy by the name of Rob Degnan found out what I was doing in Haiti and sent me some surplus gear a few weeks ago. He turned around and told a friend of his name of Lou what was going on and Lou contacted me. Lots of surplus equipment available in excellent shape was I interested? You bet. I took a look and said 'let's do it send it to me." Ah. Shipping.
It turned out to cost $ 3,000 to ship a full semi trailer load of technology equipment. I don't have the money. Lou picked it up.
I need to spend a month or so going through this equipment; setting up operating systems; configuring equipment to the particular project of which there are more than a dozen; I need warehouse space and work space.
I spent a month asking around for donated space. No go. The truck left NJ on Tuesday still no place to do the work. Andree's brothers said we can put it in our warehouse thanks a ton guys. That was fallback position but the work couldn't be done there not enough space and more importantly it would interfere with their day to day business.
I met a guy by the name of Dwight Selby at, of all places, a garage sale last Saturday. It turns out he owns a warehouse complex. He is also involved in a Christian mens group that does good works. They do not appear to be affiliated with any particular faith or church. Just good people trying to make a better world. Dwight was in Haiti in June doing just that. We had a lot to talk about. Being who I am with no compunction about asking for help I asked Dwight for help.
Dwight gave us an amazing space to work in. Warehouse space to hold a space shuttle it seems and an air conditioned office area in which to work. When the truck showed up this afternoon Dwight spent three hours sweat in the 105 degree heat with me to unload the equipment.
Andree came by and went right to work. Of course.
So tomorrow the work begins to build the equipment out to the specifications need for almost a dozen projects in Haiti. We have a place to work; we have the gear; there are volunteer engineers ready to get to it. In a month we will load this stuff into a shipping container and it will go to Port au Prince where the volunteer engineers will stage it and set it up. The government will have capabilities never before even dreamed of. Education will be available in ways never envisioned. Property records will be available in ten milliseconds instead of ten weeks. And a bunch of other capability that has been a pipe dream for the folks in Haiti who thought this stuff up.
So whatever your definition of angel know that angels walk amongst us. They have skin of every color. They do their daily work and then they step up and do more; tired and hot and exhausted they stand up for other humans.
There be angels and it is my honor to have met so many.
Rob
Lou (and the team)
Dwight
Noel
Laval
Joe
Andree
and so many I haven't named.
So these are ambitious plans, goals and dare I say dreams? I know how to build the infrastructure however as I know as well as anyone on the planet knows this stuff is expensive. Really expensive. Once you have the stuff you have to have the skilled people to do the work. Expensive again.
Much of what I have done on Haiti in the last three months has been associated with this overall idea of building a technology infrastructure. To that end I have bothered and pestered and cajoled people to help. That has not yielded a whole lot of tangible progress. Yet chance encounters and conversations have led to the point achieved this day August 5 2010: In a warehouse in South Daytona Florida is enough equipment to build the foundation of an information society in Haiti. No exaggeration and no hyperbole.
A guy by the name of Rob Degnan found out what I was doing in Haiti and sent me some surplus gear a few weeks ago. He turned around and told a friend of his name of Lou what was going on and Lou contacted me. Lots of surplus equipment available in excellent shape was I interested? You bet. I took a look and said 'let's do it send it to me." Ah. Shipping.
It turned out to cost $ 3,000 to ship a full semi trailer load of technology equipment. I don't have the money. Lou picked it up.
I need to spend a month or so going through this equipment; setting up operating systems; configuring equipment to the particular project of which there are more than a dozen; I need warehouse space and work space.
I spent a month asking around for donated space. No go. The truck left NJ on Tuesday still no place to do the work. Andree's brothers said we can put it in our warehouse thanks a ton guys. That was fallback position but the work couldn't be done there not enough space and more importantly it would interfere with their day to day business.
I met a guy by the name of Dwight Selby at, of all places, a garage sale last Saturday. It turns out he owns a warehouse complex. He is also involved in a Christian mens group that does good works. They do not appear to be affiliated with any particular faith or church. Just good people trying to make a better world. Dwight was in Haiti in June doing just that. We had a lot to talk about. Being who I am with no compunction about asking for help I asked Dwight for help.
Dwight gave us an amazing space to work in. Warehouse space to hold a space shuttle it seems and an air conditioned office area in which to work. When the truck showed up this afternoon Dwight spent three hours sweat in the 105 degree heat with me to unload the equipment.
Andree came by and went right to work. Of course.
So tomorrow the work begins to build the equipment out to the specifications need for almost a dozen projects in Haiti. We have a place to work; we have the gear; there are volunteer engineers ready to get to it. In a month we will load this stuff into a shipping container and it will go to Port au Prince where the volunteer engineers will stage it and set it up. The government will have capabilities never before even dreamed of. Education will be available in ways never envisioned. Property records will be available in ten milliseconds instead of ten weeks. And a bunch of other capability that has been a pipe dream for the folks in Haiti who thought this stuff up.
So whatever your definition of angel know that angels walk amongst us. They have skin of every color. They do their daily work and then they step up and do more; tired and hot and exhausted they stand up for other humans.
There be angels and it is my honor to have met so many.
Rob
Lou (and the team)
Dwight
Noel
Laval
Joe
Andree
and so many I haven't named.
Friday, July 30, 2010
July
No post for a month hard to believe.
Work continues and is accelerating on rebuilding (or creating) Haiti's infrastructure including communications and computing. The world's donors (governments and NGOs) continue to ignore pledges made in the winter and spring to Haiti. 2% of actual dollars committed have been delivered and that is terrible.
A datacenter in a semi is on the way to Florida where I will service the equipment and package it for Haiti. More than a dozen projects are depending on this equipment. Exciting times but challenging as well. Everything cost money and there's not any of that left. I will figure out a way.
Work continues and is accelerating on rebuilding (or creating) Haiti's infrastructure including communications and computing. The world's donors (governments and NGOs) continue to ignore pledges made in the winter and spring to Haiti. 2% of actual dollars committed have been delivered and that is terrible.
A datacenter in a semi is on the way to Florida where I will service the equipment and package it for Haiti. More than a dozen projects are depending on this equipment. Exciting times but challenging as well. Everything cost money and there's not any of that left. I will figure out a way.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
CARDICIS III
I am in Santo Domingo at the CARDICIS III. To know what the conference is about go to the website:
This conference proposes to take a look at the recovery of the Haitian nation and peoples from new perspectives. It is incredibly productive. A presentation of recommendations will be made to the Presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon.
First session ran over ten hours. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the same.
This conference proposes to take a look at the recovery of the Haitian nation and peoples from new perspectives. It is incredibly productive. A presentation of recommendations will be made to the Presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon.
First session ran over ten hours. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the same.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Working in Port au Prince
I am in Haiti again, I arrived Friday afternoon. I will be here until mid-day Sunday then on to Santo Domingo for the CARDICIS conference through Friday night. Look it up; it is an interesting event.
Today I got the Hotel Oloffson's media hotspot up. A little more work by the broadband vendor Monday morning and media types will be able to do useful internet from Port au Prince. This is a joint project of Wired.com; Conde Naste magazines; MultiLink and the Hotel Oloffson. You should have seen all of the NGO folks staying here today when I told them that there were three Apple laptops for use by anyone. Keys have been clacking nonstop. Richard Morse, owner of the hotel, is being really generous in letting people use the hotel's communications. A lot of NGO and UN folks stay here so it's a valuable infrastructure to relief and recovery efforts.
This afternoon and evening I am going to the Salvation Army HQ to plan a broadband installation there. Bob Poff, the guy who brought me to Haiti in January, contact me last week. The organization is moving into permanent HQ finally and have no internet. No emails; no browsing nothing that we all consider basic to the functioning of any office. I have enough computers and servers to build them out so that will probably be a July project.
The IBM donation to Save the Children/Ministry of Education finally got approved. That equipment is in transit to a freight handler in New York and will consolidated into a single shipment next month.
It looks like July onward will be very busy coordinating installation; volunteer engineers; physical plant stuff.
It is good to be back.
Today I got the Hotel Oloffson's media hotspot up. A little more work by the broadband vendor Monday morning and media types will be able to do useful internet from Port au Prince. This is a joint project of Wired.com; Conde Naste magazines; MultiLink and the Hotel Oloffson. You should have seen all of the NGO folks staying here today when I told them that there were three Apple laptops for use by anyone. Keys have been clacking nonstop. Richard Morse, owner of the hotel, is being really generous in letting people use the hotel's communications. A lot of NGO and UN folks stay here so it's a valuable infrastructure to relief and recovery efforts.
This afternoon and evening I am going to the Salvation Army HQ to plan a broadband installation there. Bob Poff, the guy who brought me to Haiti in January, contact me last week. The organization is moving into permanent HQ finally and have no internet. No emails; no browsing nothing that we all consider basic to the functioning of any office. I have enough computers and servers to build them out so that will probably be a July project.
The IBM donation to Save the Children/Ministry of Education finally got approved. That equipment is in transit to a freight handler in New York and will consolidated into a single shipment next month.
It looks like July onward will be very busy coordinating installation; volunteer engineers; physical plant stuff.
It is good to be back.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Got a wonderful donation today
I inventoried donated computer equipment from a company in Piscataway New Jersey today.
Great equipment. About 70 desktops; 25 or so servers; two self-cooling data center racks and a bunch of ancillary equipment. This stuff is some of what I mentioned in Thursday's posts. The equipment is used but in great shape.
This technology infrastructure is going to fundamentally change a lot of lives. I am very excited. Combined with donations from individuals and companies including IBM I now have about one full twenty foot container of equipment to get to Haiti.
Compared to securing the donations and moving the equipment to Haiti the deployment and installation will be fun.
Great equipment. About 70 desktops; 25 or so servers; two self-cooling data center racks and a bunch of ancillary equipment. This stuff is some of what I mentioned in Thursday's posts. The equipment is used but in great shape.
This technology infrastructure is going to fundamentally change a lot of lives. I am very excited. Combined with donations from individuals and companies including IBM I now have about one full twenty foot container of equipment to get to Haiti.
Compared to securing the donations and moving the equipment to Haiti the deployment and installation will be fun.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A missive from Jordan
Jordan Allie is one of the two former Marines whom I met in mid-January. Jordan and Josiah did the standard Marine gig in Haiti: saving lives and being quiet about it. We stay in contact a bit. He sent me this piece from Robert Service. I know I have seen it before but after the last five months it strikes a chord with me. I do not feel that failure is a consequence of failing to fit in but it is deeply moving to me. To all who pick up and go and to all of our families who suffer because we do; if I may be so arrogant as to include myself in this group.
The Men Who Don't Fit In By Robert W. Service:
There's a race of men that don't fit in, A race that can't stay still; So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the world at will. They range the field and they rove the flood, And they climb the mountain's crest; Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood, And they don't know how to rest. If they just went straight they might go far; They are strong and brave and true; But they're always tired of the things that are, And they want the strange and new. They say: "Could I find my proper groove, What a deep mark I would make!" So they chop and change, and each fresh move Is only a fresh mistake. And each forgets, as he strips and runs With a brilliant, fitful pace, It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones Who win in the lifelong race. And each forgets that his youth has fled, Forgets that his prime is past, Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead, In the glare of the truth at last. He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance; He has just done things by half. Life's been a jolly good joke on him, And now is the time to laugh. Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost; He was never meant to win; He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone; He's a man who won't fit in
The Men Who Don't Fit In By Robert W. Service:
There's a race of men that don't fit in, A race that can't stay still; So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the world at will. They range the field and they rove the flood, And they climb the mountain's crest; Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood, And they don't know how to rest. If they just went straight they might go far; They are strong and brave and true; But they're always tired of the things that are, And they want the strange and new. They say: "Could I find my proper groove, What a deep mark I would make!" So they chop and change, and each fresh move Is only a fresh mistake. And each forgets, as he strips and runs With a brilliant, fitful pace, It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones Who win in the lifelong race. And each forgets that his youth has fled, Forgets that his prime is past, Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead, In the glare of the truth at last. He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance; He has just done things by half. Life's been a jolly good joke on him, And now is the time to laugh. Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost; He was never meant to win; He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone; He's a man who won't fit in
Donations!
I have a round 11 technology projects in some stage of completion in Haiti. NGOs and government ministries.
I have been beating the bush to secure equipment donations and all I have managed generally is a bunch of thorns from the bushes.
This week I have received donations of the following:
Cisco networking equipment
SAN storage gear
A bunch of monitors for desktops
A large brand new UPS unit
At least 80 desktop computers with fresh Windows operating systems and monitors
Quite a few servers
This equipment is going to do three projects in total and contribute equipment to three others. Schools are going to be the recipients of the bulk of the gear; adult literacy programs are the focal point.
This is exciting. Now the challenge: I have to get the equipment from the US to Haiti. I am working on donor transport but right now it looks like it's got to be payment for shipping. Oh well.
I have been beating the bush to secure equipment donations and all I have managed generally is a bunch of thorns from the bushes.
This week I have received donations of the following:
Cisco networking equipment
SAN storage gear
A bunch of monitors for desktops
A large brand new UPS unit
At least 80 desktop computers with fresh Windows operating systems and monitors
Quite a few servers
This equipment is going to do three projects in total and contribute equipment to three others. Schools are going to be the recipients of the bulk of the gear; adult literacy programs are the focal point.
This is exciting. Now the challenge: I have to get the equipment from the US to Haiti. I am working on donor transport but right now it looks like it's got to be payment for shipping. Oh well.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The shelter question
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The NGOs and the UN who are running the shelter cluster (UN speak for the agencies making sure that the homeless in Haiti have a place to live that is dry and safe and free of intrusion by mosquitoes et al) decided a couple of months ago that rather than providing tents to the homeless that they would use tarps.
I have yet to find anyone in the system who can explain this decision to me. The subtext is cost. A tarp cost about $ 30 delivered to Haiti. A decent durable tent cost about $ 500. There is a need for about 400,000 shelters. Now remember that we aren't talking about permanent homes. I am talking about immediate shelter needs for hungry injured people; one third children.
So the powers that be; primarily the Red Cross; decided that tarps would be the answer. While some staff were and are on the ground in Haiti the decisions are made elsewhere.
As noted on this blog by a representative of the American Red Cross (ARC) hundreds of thousands of Haitians made homeless had been provided shelter.
Bullshit.
I dug into the numbers. 560,000 tarps to house 1.5 million homeless. 60,000 tents.
I pressed and finally got someone who actually had some numbers.
The site surveys by the shelter cluster tell us that between 3 and 5 tarps are required to produce a viable shelter. There are other components: the shelter cluster tells people they need to access local resources to build a frame for the tarp. No floor of course and forget keep mosquitoes out.
So the media relations folks at the ARC say the population has been served above the 90% level.
Bullshit twice. Take a look at this recommended shelter construction picture. It is helpfully written in Creole.
Imagine you are a mid-30s single parent with one elderly parent to care for. Of the five people in your family group one has significant trauma from the earthquake perhaps an amputation. The children have been living in the dirt four the past five months. The job you counted on to provide money to buy food disappeared 12 January. Most of the food aid to the camps has stopped. Water is hard to find. Everyone is sick. Depression? You can not even imagine. Every day the struggle is to find food and water for your family. Dry clothes are a thing of fantasy because it has been raining for two months. And the people responsible for dispensing the hundreds of millions of dollars of aid that the world donated tell you to do the following:
1. Find open space of about 200 square feet.
2. Find four or five tarps.
3. Locate structural lumber to build a frame.
4. Locate a shovel
5. Locate various fastening items such as clips; ropes; hammer; nails
6. Build a frame that is properly cross braced.
7. Build a peak roof on the frame.
8. Properly attache tarps to the frame for side walls.
9. Put the roof on the structure (guess you need a ladder)
10. Assure that all materials are firmly attached to withstand torrential downpours and high winds.
11. Find mosquito repellent because even if the thing stands up you can't secure it against bugs.
Do all that while trying simply to survive. A good tent cost $ 500 and will house ten people with stand up headroom; a waterproof floor; ventilation via screened windows. The citizens of the United States donated $ 400,000,000. Of which over $ 300,000,000 remains unspent. Enough to buy 600,000 ten person tents that at half occupancy could hold three million people.
The Red Cross would rather keep the money in the bank and turn out this sort of drivel. No awareness of the real situation on the ground. No sympathy to the victims. Just bureaucratic crap that some think tank put together in their air conditioned office in Geneva or Melbourne or Washington. This is so shameful it approaches criminal liability.
With no further ado here is the shelter cluster's recommendation on how to shelter yourself in Haiti. Let's all build one of these so we can live in sympathy with Haiti eh. Yeah that won't happen in my lifetime.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tech-Assist-Haiti
Andree and I went ahead and spent the money to form a not for profit on Haiti. The name is Tech Assist Haiti. Web site coming soon.
One of the primary reasons I did this was that I can deduct my own expenses on the Haiti stuff. I did my tax return last month and realized that I couldn't take any of the money we have spent off of income. Argh! So the corporation is formed and the application for 501(c)(3) designation is in process. So anyone moved to donate money to a reliable cause will have a place to put it. And equipment which can be donated; a fair value letter will be provided; bingo a return of some of your taxes paid.
One of the primary reasons I did this was that I can deduct my own expenses on the Haiti stuff. I did my tax return last month and realized that I couldn't take any of the money we have spent off of income. Argh! So the corporation is formed and the application for 501(c)(3) designation is in process. So anyone moved to donate money to a reliable cause will have a place to put it. And equipment which can be donated; a fair value letter will be provided; bingo a return of some of your taxes paid.
Projects
Here are the current projects that I am work on. I can't get anyone to spring a single penny to move stuff forward but the struggle will continue until I am successful or I drop. Right now put your wagers on dropping but I am buying lottery tickets regularly.
• Save the Children-Computer labs in schools. Need computers.
• Ministry of Education. Two projects: computer labs in schools and building tech infrastructure for the ministry. Need computers. Funds for various logistics activities.
• Salvation Army: computers in their schools and putting broadband connectivity into their facilities. Need computers, funds for volunteer travel.
• MultiLink: Helping with engineering assistance and looking for funding to put their nationwide broadband buildout into operation.
• Ministry of Public Works and Ministry of Energy: Strategic planning conference on building Haiti tech infrastructure properly. http://haiticon.ht we need a sponsor to pay for the facility and prep work.
• Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Education, IBM: Building an academy to house/feed/train technology works. Build a datacenter to host outsourcing. Huge project, $ 8 to $ 10 million next two years.
• Grand Chemin Project: Community building project to create business center, clinic, school, farmer’s coop. Need computers. Need funds for various logistics activities.
• Conde Naste Magazines and Hotel Oloffson: Build a reliable internet café for the use of all journalists (this one is almost finished)
• Richard Morse and Jimmy Buffet: Community building in the countryside to bring jobs, technology to underserved population. Don’t know what is needed there.
• Save the Children-Computer labs in schools. Need computers.
• Ministry of Education. Two projects: computer labs in schools and building tech infrastructure for the ministry. Need computers. Funds for various logistics activities.
• Salvation Army: computers in their schools and putting broadband connectivity into their facilities. Need computers, funds for volunteer travel.
• MultiLink: Helping with engineering assistance and looking for funding to put their nationwide broadband buildout into operation.
• Ministry of Public Works and Ministry of Energy: Strategic planning conference on building Haiti tech infrastructure properly. http://haiticon.ht we need a sponsor to pay for the facility and prep work.
• Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Education, IBM: Building an academy to house/feed/train technology works. Build a datacenter to host outsourcing. Huge project, $ 8 to $ 10 million next two years.
• Grand Chemin Project: Community building project to create business center, clinic, school, farmer’s coop. Need computers. Need funds for various logistics activities.
• Conde Naste Magazines and Hotel Oloffson: Build a reliable internet café for the use of all journalists (this one is almost finished)
• Richard Morse and Jimmy Buffet: Community building in the countryside to bring jobs, technology to underserved population. Don’t know what is needed there.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Rant: 48 hours on
So my rant or fit of anger or pique or whatever it is called is 48 hours old now. I have had time to calm down from the sensory overload that I experienced Thursday to Monday.
Going back and forth between the US and Haiti as I have been doing is a jarring exercise. The fact I am doing this every few weeks is creating a cumulative effect on me. My frustration with the lack of activity on the part of every segment of my home society is growing by the hour. There is a humanitarian disaster (as opposed to a point event disaster like an earthquake) evolving less than two hour's flying time from my house. That really bothers me.
It bothers me because for the first time in human history the facts of an imminent disaster are available to everyone who cares to know. This is not the early Soviet Union where Stalin killed 20 million and no one knew. This is not Nazi Germany where our leaders knew that the government of Germany was killing millions of innocents but the population did not know here. This is not Rwanda in Bill Clinton's term where people sort of knew something was wrong but the tribal complications and distance created indifference. This situation is simple; the facts are out there for everyone; the situation degrades every day.
I have come to the conclusion that the US is comprised of a bunch of hard working people who care deeply about a lot of things. People who look themselves in the mirror and tell themselves that they are contributing members of society. The totality of this culture is one of giving and compassion. The problem lies in that totality.
We seem to think that our government will take care of things like Haiti. Our government will make sure that tens of thousands do not die of malaria. Our government will 'do the right thing' and make sure that things are OK for the Haitian people. After all, we tell ourselves, the US gave billions in aid after the earthquake so we have done our part. Many of us donated money to the Red Cross for Haiti. We can feel good about that.
That sort of group think collective avoidance of individual responsibility for action is directly affecting the people of Haiti. A nation built on the principle of individual responsibility and individual action has become a nation that wants reality TV and delivery pizza.
What is our individual responsibility? We all have our own answer to that question. Based on the comments I have received from my rant two nights ago I pissed off a lot of folks. I think that is wonderful. According to the site counter there have been just under 200 readers of that page since I put it up. 200 folks; the few who reached out to me were angry. I hope I made 200 angry. Maybe one or six or thirty will take action.
The next rant is scheduled for the 24 hours following my next return from Haiti if not before. Fair warning.
Going back and forth between the US and Haiti as I have been doing is a jarring exercise. The fact I am doing this every few weeks is creating a cumulative effect on me. My frustration with the lack of activity on the part of every segment of my home society is growing by the hour. There is a humanitarian disaster (as opposed to a point event disaster like an earthquake) evolving less than two hour's flying time from my house. That really bothers me.
It bothers me because for the first time in human history the facts of an imminent disaster are available to everyone who cares to know. This is not the early Soviet Union where Stalin killed 20 million and no one knew. This is not Nazi Germany where our leaders knew that the government of Germany was killing millions of innocents but the population did not know here. This is not Rwanda in Bill Clinton's term where people sort of knew something was wrong but the tribal complications and distance created indifference. This situation is simple; the facts are out there for everyone; the situation degrades every day.
I have come to the conclusion that the US is comprised of a bunch of hard working people who care deeply about a lot of things. People who look themselves in the mirror and tell themselves that they are contributing members of society. The totality of this culture is one of giving and compassion. The problem lies in that totality.
We seem to think that our government will take care of things like Haiti. Our government will make sure that tens of thousands do not die of malaria. Our government will 'do the right thing' and make sure that things are OK for the Haitian people. After all, we tell ourselves, the US gave billions in aid after the earthquake so we have done our part. Many of us donated money to the Red Cross for Haiti. We can feel good about that.
That sort of group think collective avoidance of individual responsibility for action is directly affecting the people of Haiti. A nation built on the principle of individual responsibility and individual action has become a nation that wants reality TV and delivery pizza.
What is our individual responsibility? We all have our own answer to that question. Based on the comments I have received from my rant two nights ago I pissed off a lot of folks. I think that is wonderful. According to the site counter there have been just under 200 readers of that page since I put it up. 200 folks; the few who reached out to me were angry. I hope I made 200 angry. Maybe one or six or thirty will take action.
The next rant is scheduled for the 24 hours following my next return from Haiti if not before. Fair warning.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The reason for the rant...
I live in Florida and work in New York. I had seven client meetings yesterday it was a very long day.
One of the meetings was at a company (I can't say the name) that has, hands down, the most opulent facility I have ever seen. Fifteen or twenty floors of office building. On every floor two, not one, food/coffee bars. Everything free. All of these people rushing around doing their work and stopping to get a coffee or juice or something to eat.
I sat there for half an hour waiting for my meeting. Watching all of these people go by. Thinking of the streets of Port au Prince. Knowing that if we transported 1,000 Haitians into that building they would think that aliens had abducted them and taken them to the mother ship of Doritos and Coke.
It weighs on one. A lot.
One of the meetings was at a company (I can't say the name) that has, hands down, the most opulent facility I have ever seen. Fifteen or twenty floors of office building. On every floor two, not one, food/coffee bars. Everything free. All of these people rushing around doing their work and stopping to get a coffee or juice or something to eat.
I sat there for half an hour waiting for my meeting. Watching all of these people go by. Thinking of the streets of Port au Prince. Knowing that if we transported 1,000 Haitians into that building they would think that aliens had abducted them and taken them to the mother ship of Doritos and Coke.
It weighs on one. A lot.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Rant
Fair warning. This is a rant. For a lot of reason I will not explain I am fairly well placed in a space where I am fed up.
I was just on my balcony have a cigarette before going to bed. My balcony looks across the Hudson River at the World Trade Center. I was comparing in my mind the events of 9/11 and the Haitian earthquake. Then I thought about Katrina.
In Katrina we lost under 3,000 Americans. On 9/11 the death toll was about the same. Between these two events the US government and US charities spent a lot of money. $ 300 billion dollars perhaps?
We are failing our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
$ 300 billion dollars would feed the population of Haiti, pre 12 January, for 60 years. If every single Haitian sat down on the ground and did no not do a thing our expenditures for the two events here in the good old USA would feed them all for sixty damned years. Two generations.
People I knew died on 9/11. i was as upset about that event as anyone. I went to Katrina and spent all of my money helping people. I borrowed everything I could and spent that too. I still haven't paid off those bills. I feel that I am justified in commenting on those events and on Haiti.
The ugliness in our society has just simply reached a level that I am not able to tolerate. People in Haiti die every day. And in Sudan. And in Yemen. And in Uruguay. And in West Virginia. And in Miami. Mumbai. Name a place.
We live our lives of indescribable luxury. We do our little bitty things to 'help' and go on with our soccer matches and our lunches at work and our prewashed blue jeans. And we ignore the suffering on our planet.
I watched a man die on the streets of Port au Prince yesterday. Nothing special except to those who loved him and trust me there were people who loved him. Children starved to death today on this planet. Mothers cried that cry that is unique; most of us here in our pampered palaces do not know that sound. I do.
Haiti is one hour and 20 minutes from Miami by air. At least four airlines fly to Port au Prince on a regular schedule these days. It cost me $ 160 to fly to Port au Prince last week.
So tell me good and caring Americans: why aren't those airplanes full of you going to Haiti with your baggage full food? Why are there tens of thousands of people in Haiti whose minds have broken wandering around without a therapist to counsel and heal them? We have lots of shrinks here. Why aren't they there?
So we argue our silly political arguments. We actually give a rolling shit if Rush Limbaugh really speaks for the right. People spend millions of dollars arguing over a woman's right to an abortion.
Get over yourselves. You are spoiled. Your concerns are just about 100% childish. You won't go hungry in America. Your biggest concern will be the wound to your pride if you have to get food stamps. You can go to a hospital and get treated; if you do not have insurance you may get nasty telephone calls from a bill collector. Oh goodness, a bad phone call.
Live in a tent during a six hour torrential downpour. Do that when your four year old child has pneumonia. And your elderly mother (old at 50 in Haiti) has one leg because she got slammed by a concrete block on 12 January. Know that whatever you do your child will probably die and when your mother is too much of a burden that you will turn her out on to the street because you simply can not take care of everyone around you who is in need.
You are spoiled rotten. That's not your fault your parents, your society, did that. You are an adult. It is your responsibility to live your own life now. Care about others; care about strangers. Spend all of your money and walk away from your job and abandon the competition with who has the nicest car or the prettiest dress or the best record on liberal social causes. Get over yourself you are not all that important.
You do not matter any more than the naked woman walking the crowded streets yesterday or the nice man who fell over and died while I looked in his eyes. Yesterday. The people who never had a chance because they have had bad government and bad schools and bad luck.
Shut up about what matters to you. I don't care. I am sitting here watching Keith Olberman and if I had the opportunity I would walk in his studio on-air and ask him 'what have you done for Haiti?'.
What have you done for Haiti?
I have the answer: nothing. If you had I would have met you there because you know what? I have.
Shame on you.
I was just on my balcony have a cigarette before going to bed. My balcony looks across the Hudson River at the World Trade Center. I was comparing in my mind the events of 9/11 and the Haitian earthquake. Then I thought about Katrina.
In Katrina we lost under 3,000 Americans. On 9/11 the death toll was about the same. Between these two events the US government and US charities spent a lot of money. $ 300 billion dollars perhaps?
We are failing our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
$ 300 billion dollars would feed the population of Haiti, pre 12 January, for 60 years. If every single Haitian sat down on the ground and did no not do a thing our expenditures for the two events here in the good old USA would feed them all for sixty damned years. Two generations.
People I knew died on 9/11. i was as upset about that event as anyone. I went to Katrina and spent all of my money helping people. I borrowed everything I could and spent that too. I still haven't paid off those bills. I feel that I am justified in commenting on those events and on Haiti.
The ugliness in our society has just simply reached a level that I am not able to tolerate. People in Haiti die every day. And in Sudan. And in Yemen. And in Uruguay. And in West Virginia. And in Miami. Mumbai. Name a place.
We live our lives of indescribable luxury. We do our little bitty things to 'help' and go on with our soccer matches and our lunches at work and our prewashed blue jeans. And we ignore the suffering on our planet.
I watched a man die on the streets of Port au Prince yesterday. Nothing special except to those who loved him and trust me there were people who loved him. Children starved to death today on this planet. Mothers cried that cry that is unique; most of us here in our pampered palaces do not know that sound. I do.
Haiti is one hour and 20 minutes from Miami by air. At least four airlines fly to Port au Prince on a regular schedule these days. It cost me $ 160 to fly to Port au Prince last week.
So tell me good and caring Americans: why aren't those airplanes full of you going to Haiti with your baggage full food? Why are there tens of thousands of people in Haiti whose minds have broken wandering around without a therapist to counsel and heal them? We have lots of shrinks here. Why aren't they there?
So we argue our silly political arguments. We actually give a rolling shit if Rush Limbaugh really speaks for the right. People spend millions of dollars arguing over a woman's right to an abortion.
Get over yourselves. You are spoiled. Your concerns are just about 100% childish. You won't go hungry in America. Your biggest concern will be the wound to your pride if you have to get food stamps. You can go to a hospital and get treated; if you do not have insurance you may get nasty telephone calls from a bill collector. Oh goodness, a bad phone call.
Live in a tent during a six hour torrential downpour. Do that when your four year old child has pneumonia. And your elderly mother (old at 50 in Haiti) has one leg because she got slammed by a concrete block on 12 January. Know that whatever you do your child will probably die and when your mother is too much of a burden that you will turn her out on to the street because you simply can not take care of everyone around you who is in need.
You are spoiled rotten. That's not your fault your parents, your society, did that. You are an adult. It is your responsibility to live your own life now. Care about others; care about strangers. Spend all of your money and walk away from your job and abandon the competition with who has the nicest car or the prettiest dress or the best record on liberal social causes. Get over yourself you are not all that important.
You do not matter any more than the naked woman walking the crowded streets yesterday or the nice man who fell over and died while I looked in his eyes. Yesterday. The people who never had a chance because they have had bad government and bad schools and bad luck.
Shut up about what matters to you. I don't care. I am sitting here watching Keith Olberman and if I had the opportunity I would walk in his studio on-air and ask him 'what have you done for Haiti?'.
What have you done for Haiti?
I have the answer: nothing. If you had I would have met you there because you know what? I have.
Shame on you.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Woke up with a song in my head
Nice day here in Haiti. I woke up this morning after a 20 hour day with a song in my head. Don't know the tune I think it is something like Jimmy Buffett's Havana Daydreaming.
Haitian Tears
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Somewhere there in my life
I got old
My hair fell out
My friends moved on
And I just made money
53 years and all I had
Was a family that loves me full
I thought life was bad
Didn’t know what I had
Fishing for reds and reading some books
What more can there be?
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Dad and granddad to the kids
Son and buddy and brother
Haiti got hurt and I got called
Left Memphis and didn’t’ go home
My pack weighed my back
Old bones ached with every step
Delmas 2
In January
Nothing could really be this bad
Sat phone rings
The wife says hi how are you are you alive?
Yes I am fine I have to go
The kids have no water
Aftershocks and MREs and bonfires in the night
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Leave and return it’s in my skin
I can’t explain don’t want to explain
No one understands
The kids are hurt the mothers are sad
We gotta help them out
Money is easy time is scarce
How can I find the balance?
Wife says OK you go away
Don’t forget we love you and come home soon
Mom says you may die there I say I know
And I will be proud of you , you gotta go
Everyone says you have work the team needs you bad
I say OK I’ll do it someday but right now the rucksack is packed
Call you later if the cell phone works take care of things my friends
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
I get it now what I needed
It’s all right there at home
Love and time and smiles and tears
They filled up all those years
They made me strong for the days so long
To wipe these Haitian tears
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Haitian Tears
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Somewhere there in my life
I got old
My hair fell out
My friends moved on
And I just made money
53 years and all I had
Was a family that loves me full
I thought life was bad
Didn’t know what I had
Fishing for reds and reading some books
What more can there be?
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Dad and granddad to the kids
Son and buddy and brother
Haiti got hurt and I got called
Left Memphis and didn’t’ go home
My pack weighed my back
Old bones ached with every step
Delmas 2
In January
Nothing could really be this bad
Sat phone rings
The wife says hi how are you are you alive?
Yes I am fine I have to go
The kids have no water
Aftershocks and MREs and bonfires in the night
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Leave and return it’s in my skin
I can’t explain don’t want to explain
No one understands
The kids are hurt the mothers are sad
We gotta help them out
Money is easy time is scarce
How can I find the balance?
Wife says OK you go away
Don’t forget we love you and come home soon
Mom says you may die there I say I know
And I will be proud of you , you gotta go
Everyone says you have work the team needs you bad
I say OK I’ll do it someday but right now the rucksack is packed
Call you later if the cell phone works take care of things my friends
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
I get it now what I needed
It’s all right there at home
Love and time and smiles and tears
They filled up all those years
They made me strong for the days so long
To wipe these Haitian tears
I smoked too much dope
Never snorted no coke
Didn’t have the money
Rode some waves
Loved the babes
Tried to find what’s funny
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Humbled
I have been working on a number of projects in Haiti. Anyone following these infrequent blog posts know what I am doing. I am doing quite a few posts on Facebook simply because it is easier than doing a blog update.
I have been working with an individual in Haiti to get broadband into his hotel for a public access internet cafe. It is 80% public service and 20% for his clientele. I am going to Haiti this week to do the site survey. The logistics are all in place. The provider is set. I have to find a few desktops to set up in the hotel for public access; that will not be a problem at worst case I have an inside source at IBM that gets them for right at $ 200 each.
So the reason for this post: We were emailing back and forth on details. The guy asked me a question about streaming video (the question was actually generated to him by Jimmy Buffet) and I answered the question.
So two things humbled me:
1. Jimmy Buffet (who I admire on all levels) is involved in this discussion. Way cool.
2. Richard (the client/customer/user/friend) asked me "Are you a technology Angel"
The caps were his.
Wow. I am head down working details to get stuff done. Anyone who knows me knows that is what I do. If I was a mule pulling a plow in the Delta I would probably run into the oak tree at the end of the row. I spend so much time in the weeds I sometimes just don't realize that some of this stuff is important on an individual basis.
You can approach the level of sadness despair death and anger in Haiti in two ways. You can get there and lose yourself in the simple fact that many people die every day. Things that we here in the US don't even think about kill people. A scratch on the leg from a piece of reinforcement bar sticking out into the sidewalk. A drink of water from a dirty source. Spoiled food. A mosquito bite. That is if you did not get squashed on 12 January or in the aftershocks in the following 10 days.
A hundred other ways to die. You can lose yourself in this; Sean Penn is doing that right now. I admire him like few people I have ever witnessed but the man is killing himself saving lives. That is one way to do it. The other is to write them all off. Accept that many will die while you working to resolve the infrastructure problems that cause the poverty that is the foundation of everything. That is how I view it. I have to step back and say 'I can't save them all so maybe I can save the next generation.'
That is an arrogant attitude and of course I can't save the next generation. The principle is valid. Most of the humanitarian assistance people I know have developed deep capability to ignore individual suffering. At least on the conscious level. I will never tell anyone of the nightmares. It is the only way to stay sane and do the work.
Then some guy who you have met twice who is trying to do good things for his nation calls you an angel. Wow.
When the day job is killing me and my wife is yelling at me because I am neglecting my kids and grandkids and she is scared I will die in Haiti I don't have a reply for her. This is tough stuff to do. It was tough the first week and it is tough now after four months. We are now into the deep grind period. The media are gone. No telethons this week; some other disaster has taken the stage. I could have gotten on an airplane to Chile or to China in the last two months. Logistics and communications are the closest things disaster response has to a religion and I guess I am a high priest. Haiti is going to be my last. It may be the end of me but that is Ok because in the end we should be measured not by what we put in the bank but what we give away. All the people who love me are reminding me constantly that I am giving it all away and my response is 'go with me and see why.'
It's my blog so I get to pontificate any way I want.
Poverty has been with us forever. My Baptist upbringing says that the poor will be with us always. I reject that statement. We can break the back of poverty. We can end hunger. 1,200 children a day die on this planet from prevantable causes. Tweleve hundred!
When you brush your teeth tomorrow morning look in the mirror and think about the 400 children that died while you were alseep. The 400 who will die while you work at your stamping machine or desk or gas pump or fly your airplane. Another 400 will die while you have your after work drink and your dinner and watch American Idol. 50 will die during the show. If you are disturbed by these facts and toss and turn all night another 400 have died. If you are blessed to be a parent think about the fact that every hour 100 parents have had their dearly loved expire. Died. Gone.
I don't need a zero percent financed new car every two years. Neither do you. 1,400 square feet is fine for a family of five you do not need 3,500. I know people who handle it in 40 square feet of Coleman tent. Turn off the air conditioner. Cook your meals instead of spending a thousand a month eating out. Give to Doctors Without Borders or Oxfam or Salvation Army. Don't give to the others because, despite the posts below, those are the international NGOs I believe have it together.
I am no angel. I am a spoiled narccistic self indulgent spoiled brat. We all are.
Richard you paid me the highest complement of my life but I am not worthy.
I have been working with an individual in Haiti to get broadband into his hotel for a public access internet cafe. It is 80% public service and 20% for his clientele. I am going to Haiti this week to do the site survey. The logistics are all in place. The provider is set. I have to find a few desktops to set up in the hotel for public access; that will not be a problem at worst case I have an inside source at IBM that gets them for right at $ 200 each.
So the reason for this post: We were emailing back and forth on details. The guy asked me a question about streaming video (the question was actually generated to him by Jimmy Buffet) and I answered the question.
So two things humbled me:
1. Jimmy Buffet (who I admire on all levels) is involved in this discussion. Way cool.
2. Richard (the client/customer/user/friend) asked me "Are you a technology Angel"
The caps were his.
Wow. I am head down working details to get stuff done. Anyone who knows me knows that is what I do. If I was a mule pulling a plow in the Delta I would probably run into the oak tree at the end of the row. I spend so much time in the weeds I sometimes just don't realize that some of this stuff is important on an individual basis.
You can approach the level of sadness despair death and anger in Haiti in two ways. You can get there and lose yourself in the simple fact that many people die every day. Things that we here in the US don't even think about kill people. A scratch on the leg from a piece of reinforcement bar sticking out into the sidewalk. A drink of water from a dirty source. Spoiled food. A mosquito bite. That is if you did not get squashed on 12 January or in the aftershocks in the following 10 days.
A hundred other ways to die. You can lose yourself in this; Sean Penn is doing that right now. I admire him like few people I have ever witnessed but the man is killing himself saving lives. That is one way to do it. The other is to write them all off. Accept that many will die while you working to resolve the infrastructure problems that cause the poverty that is the foundation of everything. That is how I view it. I have to step back and say 'I can't save them all so maybe I can save the next generation.'
That is an arrogant attitude and of course I can't save the next generation. The principle is valid. Most of the humanitarian assistance people I know have developed deep capability to ignore individual suffering. At least on the conscious level. I will never tell anyone of the nightmares. It is the only way to stay sane and do the work.
Then some guy who you have met twice who is trying to do good things for his nation calls you an angel. Wow.
When the day job is killing me and my wife is yelling at me because I am neglecting my kids and grandkids and she is scared I will die in Haiti I don't have a reply for her. This is tough stuff to do. It was tough the first week and it is tough now after four months. We are now into the deep grind period. The media are gone. No telethons this week; some other disaster has taken the stage. I could have gotten on an airplane to Chile or to China in the last two months. Logistics and communications are the closest things disaster response has to a religion and I guess I am a high priest. Haiti is going to be my last. It may be the end of me but that is Ok because in the end we should be measured not by what we put in the bank but what we give away. All the people who love me are reminding me constantly that I am giving it all away and my response is 'go with me and see why.'
It's my blog so I get to pontificate any way I want.
Poverty has been with us forever. My Baptist upbringing says that the poor will be with us always. I reject that statement. We can break the back of poverty. We can end hunger. 1,200 children a day die on this planet from prevantable causes. Tweleve hundred!
When you brush your teeth tomorrow morning look in the mirror and think about the 400 children that died while you were alseep. The 400 who will die while you work at your stamping machine or desk or gas pump or fly your airplane. Another 400 will die while you have your after work drink and your dinner and watch American Idol. 50 will die during the show. If you are disturbed by these facts and toss and turn all night another 400 have died. If you are blessed to be a parent think about the fact that every hour 100 parents have had their dearly loved expire. Died. Gone.
I don't need a zero percent financed new car every two years. Neither do you. 1,400 square feet is fine for a family of five you do not need 3,500. I know people who handle it in 40 square feet of Coleman tent. Turn off the air conditioner. Cook your meals instead of spending a thousand a month eating out. Give to Doctors Without Borders or Oxfam or Salvation Army. Don't give to the others because, despite the posts below, those are the international NGOs I believe have it together.
I am no angel. I am a spoiled narccistic self indulgent spoiled brat. We all are.
Richard you paid me the highest complement of my life but I am not worthy.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Getting a project organized
I have been working a lot since Monday to get the Ministry of Education infrastructure project organized.
Infrastructure is one of the buzz words running around our world these days. It really means the back end of a computing center. You access infrastructure when you go to Google to look up something; when you sign on to a bank; when you use email or SMS texting. The work is actually done on banks of servers. That is the infrastructure. I have made a living for 31 years building the stuff. It's not very interesting work but it is a good living.
The Haitian government had IT infrastructure before the earthquake. When the Ministry of Education's building collapsed it crushed all of the servers. The desktop computers, laptops and printers as well. When Andree and I met with the Director General of the Ministry he identified the creation of a new ministry infrastructure as the most critical function that was yet to be restored.
Restoring schools to function is a high priority of the Haitian government as well as with many of the NGOs operating in the nation. Without access to student academic records the school system is hamstrung.
I have presented the technical requirements for the infrastructure to IBM for provision of the equipment. I have not had a response yet I hope to get that in the next days. I have also reached out to some additional suppliers if that source of equipment does not work out. I will get this done.
I have located one of the very important pieces of equipment: a brand new 10 KVA UPS system. That is an expensive proposition and all I have to do is get it shipped. This is probably the most expensive individual piece of equipment. Total cost on this project is going to be in the neighborhood of $ 200,000.00.
I have volutneers in line to do the technical engineering. Our analysis of the requirements (the tech design is about complete) is that it will be about 12 days of work.
I am working on acquiring some cash dollars to cover the volunteers' expenses. All of the volunteers are willing to cover their expenses but based on last week's trip I want to try to cover those costs. A week in Port-au-Prince is costly these days when one considers air travel, driver and car, hotel, food and all of the costs that go along with travel.
So I will let everyone know how things go. It is an exciting project with high value to the people of Haiti. My target is project initiation by the first of May with completion by the end of the month.
Rick
Infrastructure is one of the buzz words running around our world these days. It really means the back end of a computing center. You access infrastructure when you go to Google to look up something; when you sign on to a bank; when you use email or SMS texting. The work is actually done on banks of servers. That is the infrastructure. I have made a living for 31 years building the stuff. It's not very interesting work but it is a good living.
The Haitian government had IT infrastructure before the earthquake. When the Ministry of Education's building collapsed it crushed all of the servers. The desktop computers, laptops and printers as well. When Andree and I met with the Director General of the Ministry he identified the creation of a new ministry infrastructure as the most critical function that was yet to be restored.
Restoring schools to function is a high priority of the Haitian government as well as with many of the NGOs operating in the nation. Without access to student academic records the school system is hamstrung.
I have presented the technical requirements for the infrastructure to IBM for provision of the equipment. I have not had a response yet I hope to get that in the next days. I have also reached out to some additional suppliers if that source of equipment does not work out. I will get this done.
I have located one of the very important pieces of equipment: a brand new 10 KVA UPS system. That is an expensive proposition and all I have to do is get it shipped. This is probably the most expensive individual piece of equipment. Total cost on this project is going to be in the neighborhood of $ 200,000.00.
I have volutneers in line to do the technical engineering. Our analysis of the requirements (the tech design is about complete) is that it will be about 12 days of work.
I am working on acquiring some cash dollars to cover the volunteers' expenses. All of the volunteers are willing to cover their expenses but based on last week's trip I want to try to cover those costs. A week in Port-au-Prince is costly these days when one considers air travel, driver and car, hotel, food and all of the costs that go along with travel.
So I will let everyone know how things go. It is an exciting project with high value to the people of Haiti. My target is project initiation by the first of May with completion by the end of the month.
Rick
Monday, April 12, 2010
A comment from the Red Cross
Gloria Huang posted a comment to today's post clarifying the shelter situation from the Red Cross perspective. I thought that it would be courteous to reproduce the post on the main blog so that everyone will see it without clicking on 'comment' on the original post. I want to thank MS Huang for the clear report.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gloria Huang said... Hi Rick,
I work at the American Red Cross headquarters and am hoping that I can help clarify the tent issue you mentioned above.
I think that the report you are referencing actually states that we have provided over 1 million people with shelter materials, which include tents and tarps and other shelter supplies. Our goal has been to provide emergency shelter materials to all of the estimated 1.3 million homeless by May 1st, when rains are expected to reach their peak.
We also plan to help construct transitional shelters out of timber or steel as soon as possible, as more rubble is cleared and other factors like land ownership are resolved.
As far as tarps versus tents goes, Red Cross workers on the ground are conversing with survivors to decide whether to provide a tarp or a tent. Factors in this decision process include: amount of rubble in the area, size of family unit, who is most vulnerable, the survivors’ needs, and which item would work best for them as a transitional shelter until a more permanent one can be found or built.
Shelter is definitely a priority right now. We actually just released a three month report on Haiti relief, which I hope will help provide you with more detail: http://bit.ly/ARC3monthHaiti
Feel free to also email me with any other questions you have, and I will do my best to find answers for you. Thanks,
Gloria Huang
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gloria Huang said... Hi Rick,
I work at the American Red Cross headquarters and am hoping that I can help clarify the tent issue you mentioned above.
I think that the report you are referencing actually states that we have provided over 1 million people with shelter materials, which include tents and tarps and other shelter supplies. Our goal has been to provide emergency shelter materials to all of the estimated 1.3 million homeless by May 1st, when rains are expected to reach their peak.
We also plan to help construct transitional shelters out of timber or steel as soon as possible, as more rubble is cleared and other factors like land ownership are resolved.
As far as tarps versus tents goes, Red Cross workers on the ground are conversing with survivors to decide whether to provide a tarp or a tent. Factors in this decision process include: amount of rubble in the area, size of family unit, who is most vulnerable, the survivors’ needs, and which item would work best for them as a transitional shelter until a more permanent one can be found or built.
Shelter is definitely a priority right now. We actually just released a three month report on Haiti relief, which I hope will help provide you with more detail: http://bit.ly/ARC3monthHaiti
Feel free to also email me with any other questions you have, and I will do my best to find answers for you. Thanks,
Gloria Huang
We are back in Florida
I had to cut the trip short because of a couple of urgent day job items so Andree and I flew out of PauP Sunday afternoon. Landed in Miami took a cab to Ft. Lauderdale airport picked up the car and drove home. 13 hours total travel time a tremendous improvement on previous trips.
We had a bit of a problem getting across the city to the airport because suddenly in the last couple of days there are dump trucks and small bulldozers (mostly Bobcats) everywhere. The rubble cleanup accelerated in the four days we were there and by Sunday morning the dust in the air was as thick as it was immediately after the earthquake. That is a positive. Roads that were clear six weeks ago now have rubble piles in them as the people of the city move rubble from the collapsed buildings to the roadside. That is the sytem the government has set up: move the rubble to the roadside and the government will pick it up. That is the same process used for removal of bodies immediatley after the earthquake; it seems to be working.
We saw a number of frame buildings being put up on cleared city lots. Frame construction with tin roofs.
Today is when schools have been told to reopen. There is a lot of anxiety for people on this; they want their children to go to school however many of the schools are private and charge fees and most of those who had jobs no longer are employed as most businesses shut down due to either destruction of the business or loss of customer base. Another concern is that it is very difficult to move around and transporting students is going to take hours back and forth every day.
On the negative side I read a Red Cross report last week that more than one million tents have been distributed and most of the population has a tent. We went from PauP to Leogane to Jacmel on Saturday (a very interesting trip) and the majority of the population is living in makeshift shelter still. I have no idea where all of these tents are going.
Even with a tent the living conditions continue to be horrible for the displaced. The tents are right next to the roads; sometimes in the roads; and are covered with thick dust. Even with daily heavy rain the dust is pervasvie I have a sore throat just from breathing it for three days. I can not imagine having a small child living in a tent at or on the road breathing that all of the time.
This, my third trip to Haiti after the earthquake, was the first trip where it was necessary to have money. There are hotels and restauraunts and taxis. Not many and there are waiting lists for rooms. And things, for us at least, have gotten very expensive. Three nights in a hotel and two meals a day cost us just under a thousand dollars. A couple of club sandwiches and Coke for lunch runs around $ 50 without tip. Ouch. For what we spent on this trip we could have had a nice vacation. Drivers and ancillary costs and airplanes and all that and it got expensive.
I am of two minds about spending money like this to stay in a hotel I would not even go near here in the USA. On the one hand I do not like the high prices however pumping $ 1,000 a day into the tourism and hotel economy can not be a bad thing for Haiti.
That's all for now.
We had a bit of a problem getting across the city to the airport because suddenly in the last couple of days there are dump trucks and small bulldozers (mostly Bobcats) everywhere. The rubble cleanup accelerated in the four days we were there and by Sunday morning the dust in the air was as thick as it was immediately after the earthquake. That is a positive. Roads that were clear six weeks ago now have rubble piles in them as the people of the city move rubble from the collapsed buildings to the roadside. That is the sytem the government has set up: move the rubble to the roadside and the government will pick it up. That is the same process used for removal of bodies immediatley after the earthquake; it seems to be working.
We saw a number of frame buildings being put up on cleared city lots. Frame construction with tin roofs.
Today is when schools have been told to reopen. There is a lot of anxiety for people on this; they want their children to go to school however many of the schools are private and charge fees and most of those who had jobs no longer are employed as most businesses shut down due to either destruction of the business or loss of customer base. Another concern is that it is very difficult to move around and transporting students is going to take hours back and forth every day.
On the negative side I read a Red Cross report last week that more than one million tents have been distributed and most of the population has a tent. We went from PauP to Leogane to Jacmel on Saturday (a very interesting trip) and the majority of the population is living in makeshift shelter still. I have no idea where all of these tents are going.
Even with a tent the living conditions continue to be horrible for the displaced. The tents are right next to the roads; sometimes in the roads; and are covered with thick dust. Even with daily heavy rain the dust is pervasvie I have a sore throat just from breathing it for three days. I can not imagine having a small child living in a tent at or on the road breathing that all of the time.
This, my third trip to Haiti after the earthquake, was the first trip where it was necessary to have money. There are hotels and restauraunts and taxis. Not many and there are waiting lists for rooms. And things, for us at least, have gotten very expensive. Three nights in a hotel and two meals a day cost us just under a thousand dollars. A couple of club sandwiches and Coke for lunch runs around $ 50 without tip. Ouch. For what we spent on this trip we could have had a nice vacation. Drivers and ancillary costs and airplanes and all that and it got expensive.
I am of two minds about spending money like this to stay in a hotel I would not even go near here in the USA. On the one hand I do not like the high prices however pumping $ 1,000 a day into the tourism and hotel economy can not be a bad thing for Haiti.
That's all for now.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Three days in PauP
Andree and I have spent the last three days going from 6 AM until 11 PM. An amazing amount can be accomplished if you do not sleep.
We are still in Haiti at the Hotel Oloffson (Google it a very cool and funky place) and will fly home tomorrow. We made amazing progress on the infrastructure projects.
We visited a small orphanage on Friday afternoon. Michael and Mathieu had been there and provided initial subsistence aid. Andree and I went there with a couple of duffel bags of things for the kids. Get this: A young Haitian couple is caring for 39 children around the clock. They live up a small hill from blasted ruins that you have to climb over to get to.
I aggreed to help Jean Prospere Alneus
He and his wife do this on their own. They have nothing. Yet they feed house wash and educate 39 resident children and another 46 day students. We took a few small things and gave them all our cash when we left. Amazing place.
We need to help them. I will set up some web assistance.
I will post (when we are back in the US) some video of this group. The children are clean and happy and they would be stone dead without Jean and his wife.
Friend him; he is posting updates on Facebook.
A great trip. This nation and this large city are still mortally wounded. There are still huge problems in delivery of basic subsistence to hundreds of thousands. Haitians are essentially saying 'screw the international community and 'our own government' and going forward with rebuilding. That is bad because they are just trying to survive and will make bad choices in the construction.
More Sunday or Monday when I am back in the US. Send me an email if you want to help Jean Prosper and his wife (I did not get her name damn it) and I will let you know how to do it. 39 beuatiful kids.
Rick
We are still in Haiti at the Hotel Oloffson (Google it a very cool and funky place) and will fly home tomorrow. We made amazing progress on the infrastructure projects.
We visited a small orphanage on Friday afternoon. Michael and Mathieu had been there and provided initial subsistence aid. Andree and I went there with a couple of duffel bags of things for the kids. Get this: A young Haitian couple is caring for 39 children around the clock. They live up a small hill from blasted ruins that you have to climb over to get to.
I aggreed to help Jean Prospere Alneus
He and his wife do this on their own. They have nothing. Yet they feed house wash and educate 39 resident children and another 46 day students. We took a few small things and gave them all our cash when we left. Amazing place.
We need to help them. I will set up some web assistance.
I will post (when we are back in the US) some video of this group. The children are clean and happy and they would be stone dead without Jean and his wife.
Friend him; he is posting updates on Facebook.
A great trip. This nation and this large city are still mortally wounded. There are still huge problems in delivery of basic subsistence to hundreds of thousands. Haitians are essentially saying 'screw the international community and 'our own government' and going forward with rebuilding. That is bad because they are just trying to survive and will make bad choices in the construction.
More Sunday or Monday when I am back in the US. Send me an email if you want to help Jean Prosper and his wife (I did not get her name damn it) and I will let you know how to do it. 39 beuatiful kids.
Rick
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