Expand airdrops of food and water in Haiti

[G_j]

Just Foreign Policy:

Urge your representatives to pressure the Obama Administration to expand airdrops of food and water in Haiti

In part because of restrictions imposed by the U.S. military, aid is still not getting through quickly enough to people in Haiti who desperately need it. In particular, fresh water is not getting through to people who need it.

Established aid groups who have a long history of working in Haiti have suddenly found themselves unable to deliver urgently needed medical, water, and food supplies because the U.S. military will not grant them access to ports and airports. Doctors Without Borders reports that a "plane carrying 12 tons of medical equipment, including drugs, surgical supplies and two dialysis machines, was turned away three times from Port-au-Prince airport since Sunday night." (1) Groups ready to deliver aid to Jacmel - the fourth-largest city in Haiti - were told they would receive no clearance to land there from the U.S. military, even though they already had both aid supplies and the means for distributing them. This aid is only just now beginning to be delivered - thanks to assistance from the Dominican Republic, not the U.S.

In Port-au-Prince, huge stockpiles of aid sit in warehouses while people wait for supplies that mean the difference between life and death.

Finally, the US has started to airdrop water and food. Would you join us in urging that these airdrops, including water purification tablets, be immediately expanded, and that established aid organizations be allowed to deliver urgent assistance?

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/airdrop

AP reports that "The U.S. military has airdropped water and food into Haiti after earlier ruling out such a delivery method as too risky… Military officials are considering whether the method was successful enough to be used throughout Haiti." (2)

The risk cited earlier by Defense Secretary Gates was that airdrops might trigger riots if there was no structure on the ground to distribute the supplies.

But the primary driver of potential violence is shortage: if there is plenty to go around, there is no reason to fight. That's why these airdrops must be immediately expanded.

Please join us in demanding that the Obama Administration immediately expand the airdrops of water and food into Haiti, and that established aid organizations be allowed to deliver urgent assistance.

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/airdrop

Thank you for all you do to help bring about a just foreign policy,

Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns, Megan Iorio and Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy

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References:

1) "Doctors Without Borders Plane with Lifesaving Medical Supplies Diverted Again from Landing in Haiti: Patients in Dire Need of Emergency Care Dying from Delays in Arrival of Medical Supplies," Doctors Without Borders, January 19, 2010
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=4176

2)"US military airdrops supplies into Haiti," Associated Press, Monday, January 18, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/18/AR2010011803559.html

[MercutioATC]

1. I think I'll let the experts do their jobs.

As has been explained many times before, there's a science to logistics. The people running this operation are VERY good at it.

I'm sure they're providing the maximum amount of aid they're able to.

[hayu_lol]

2. Airdrops can be immensely useful in the short term...

the military know how to do this. But, it takes time to calculate the load(size and weight), get it on pallets and tied down for drop, then add the rigging and chute/s as needed. Also takes trained people to get the stuff off the plane on site.

Someone needs to be in recovery down below on the ground. To just drop without some sort of control would be useless.

About 2200 pounds per pallet of 4 50 gallon drums of water. One does not want to be under that when it lands. Sea delivery is really the only way to get enough water on site. The same for meals and bulky items. Do we have any LSTs left in the active Navy? They could land bow on to the beach and open the doors/lower the ramps. Fully loaded 6 x 6s could then drive across the beach to whatever road is available.

(former loadmaster, dropmaster, jumpmaster, USAF)

[MercutioATC]

3. I agree.

...and I really think that they've taken this into consideration.

As I understand it, we're kind of short on transport planes right now because they're being used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if they were to be retasked, it takes time to position them.

A well-run logistics operation is a thing of intricacy and beauty. From what I've seen, they're doing a great job.

[G_j]

13. exactly

they are tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan.

there's the rub

[TxRider]

6. Yes amphib ships are on site now.

And deploying.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. And I forgot about those too

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. SInce you asked about the port

The Navy is working on bringing the port back on line, expect this in a week.

We are bringin in Roll on, roll offs...

And a few other navies are bringing LSTs apart of us.

:-)

[FedUpWithIt All]

4. MSF is now saying that they are even out of morphine.

What a nightmare this is.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. SHHH they are opening a second airport in Jacmel

and a third in the Dominican Republic...

And they are doing air drops in LZ SECURED by the 82nd... there is a reason for that, and it was kind of last measure

By the way... we are bringing the stuff in, the UN is in charge of distribution.

[BeFree]

9. Yes

You don't need to land on the one airstrip.
You don't even have a problem unloading.. no forklift.
No need for place to store.
People can open the packages on the ground, they ain't stupid.
Only a stupid person is gonna try and catch a falling pallet. They'll run away.

Dropping in the countryside where the people are saves all kinds of time.
Glad to see them finally doing just that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. They are SECURING the LZs before the drop

with like trained personnel.

read all those ugly paratroopers that have com in.

They are not stupid, but getting the netting off ain't that simple... not a question of intelligence either.

[BeFree]

11. Paratroopers?

Smart.
First fly a plane of paratroopers by the LZ then plane after plane of goodies.

Now why didn't I think of that?

Put men and material on the ground without landing.
What will they think of next?

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. you really have no clue how this is done

those paratroopers came by chopper, they secure the LZ, the plane does not land, they are doing a low altitude, relatively speaking, drop.

Once that lands those same ugly troopers are doing the distribution.

You read spanish? One of the Mexican papers actually wrote a story on this...