American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture
because we just had a mild tremor, lasting for a minute or so. Apparently it was a 5.8 earthquake in Washington, DC, with epicenter in Mineral, VA.
More at Instapundit, and Mr. Bingley, who’s on a 25th floor.
UPDATE
Stacy’s already starting an earthquake victim’s relief fund, and an on-the-epicenter interview,
Thousands Flee Wrecked Haitian Capital
Thousands of Haitians crammed onto rickety school buses and the backs of trucks to flee the ravaged capital on Monday in an uncertain quest for shelter, fresh water and stability in the countryside.
As you know, undocumented Haitians living in the US have been granted Temporary Protection Status, and there is an airlift of Haitian orphans to the US.
Little Miss Attila lets the snark flow on the people objecting to bringing Haitians to the US for medical treatment,
I assume that there will now be a series of comments from bitter, used-up people who want to explain to me that the United States is a remarkably fragile place, and if anyone who came here for emergency medical treatment were to wrangle a way of staying here permanently, it would bring this entire nation right to its knees. My readers are divided on the issue of orphans such as these kids in Port au Prince being granted visas (one commenter suggests the age of 12, helpfully, as a cutoff), but many are terribly opposed to any adults being cared for in this country, because they might overstay any visas granted to them for medical care, and then they would bring their twisted ethics into this country of 280,000,000 or whatever. Then they would infect us with TB, which our hospitals simply aren’t prepared to screen for.
The Anchoress is updating on her Notes From Haiti’s Children.
Haiti is in a most desperate situation. What we do now is what matters.
The right move, at the right time, since it prevents them from being deported in this time of crisis:
Obama administration grants TPS to Haitians
The Obama administration announced Friday that it would grant tens of thousands Haitian nationals Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, an immigration benefit sought for years by Haitian activists, immigrant advocates and South Florida lawmakers.
The move comes following intense pressure on the administration this week to approve Haiti for TPS in the aftermath of the country’s devastating earthquake.
TPS is granted to selected immigrants who cannot safely return to their homelands because of natural disasters, armed conflicts or other emergencies. Those eligible are allowed to remain here, obtain work permits and temporary stays for specific periods — a status often renewed indefinitely.
Three Republican legislators were behind the move,
South Florida’s three Cuban-American Republican members of Congress — Reps. Lincoln and his brother Mario Diaz-Balart, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, sent a joint letter to Obama requesting TPS for Haitian nationals along with immediate humanitarian aid for Haiti.
A group in Florida is seeking also to bring hundreds of Haitian orphans to the USA.
UPDATE, 12:45PM Eastern
Le Monde reports 100,000 dead from the earthquake,, in a country with a population of 10 million. The country has been literally decimated in one afternoon.
Earlier today,
In today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern,
Following the devastating category 7 earthquake that hit Haiti – the most powerful in Haiti’s history
The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0, occurred about 4:53 p.m. and was centered about 10 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Witnesses reported a series of strong aftershocks
the American Red Cross has a disaster alert
6:20 pm The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation. As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.
To donate,
12:30am (1/13/2010) You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti.
or through their International Response Fund.
UPDATE
Raw video from CBS:
NY Times: Fierce Quake Devastates Haitian Capital
At the NYT blog, Gleaning Information From Haiti Online
The capital of Haiti, Port-Au-Prince has been heavily damaged by an Intensity 7 quake. The Navy will probably play a pivotal role in relief operations because they can move large numbers of hospital beds at 500 miles per day. The real race against time will be for those who are buried alive. The rickety nature of buildings in Haiti may work in the survivor’s favor. Easier to dig them out. Crowbars, reinforcing bars cut in 4 foot lengths and sharpened at the end — all these need to be pressed into service.
I had the misfortune of being in an 8 storey building about 150 miles from the epicenter of an intensity 7.7 quake and I can tell you for a fact that it taught me a great deal about human nature. I was in an open plan office with about 80 people in it. Three persons fell to the ground in complete hysterical panic. By that I mean kicking their feet in the air and writhing on the ground. Three persons went into a state of enhanced consciousness. By that I mean they were taking it all in and thinking. In less time than it takes to blink, the three had made eye contact with each other. The rest were in a state of shock and were literally open-mouthed. In about one or two seconds, the three persons in enhanced consciousness took charge of everything. The remaining seventy odd persons instinctively took their orders from the three and carried the panic stricken like hogs down the stairs.
I made two choices in a split second. One was to adjust my tone and voice to something I estimated would most carry authority; and the other of which was to tell the boys to head for the ground floor instead of the roof. Halfway down the stairs I was wondering whether the wager would come off. The real fear was being buried alive and the question was whether the building would hold up until we got down.
WSJ: Fierce earthquake rocks Haiti
AP: Quake-stunned Haitians pile bodies by fallen homes
Video from Reuters
CNN: Haitian envoy: Quake levels most of capital
UDPATE 2
The Salvation Army is also mobilizing in Haiti:
The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations to assist in the effort via:
• Online Credit Card Donations
• 1-800-SAL-ARMY• postal mail at:
The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
(*designate checks and money orders to ‘Haiti Earthquake’)
I have supported the Salvation Army in the past, and urge you to contribute to their efforts.
The Anchoress has roundup, more links to aid sources, and updates from in-country.
A friend advised me that Doctors Without Borders lost all three clinics in the country. The Anchoress also linked to that article.
