The Ojai Post

This disaster-on-our-doorstep ought to be a wake up call to the world to prepare and have resources like the dogs and rescue teams ready to deploy at a moments notice.

What kills me are the ongoing reports on CNN, etc. of the "stupid deaths" -- people dying for lack of simple medical care and supplies. But the infrastructure was crushed, and it is almost impossible to get supplies and medical personnel in, with no clean places to work. Humanity can learn a lot from this disaster if we pay attention.

I cried when I read the part about the girl saying "thank you," when rescuers offered her water.

These search dogs are amazing on every level --saving lives and opening our eyes to the often unseen, unrecognized intelligence of dogs.

Thanks for sharing this encouraging news . . . I LOVE DOGS !

I’ve been seeing the search teams in the media coverage and feeling grateful to them for the work they are doing in what must be unimaginably difficult conditions ; I still remember Murphy and Harley and Dusty and Ana and feel honored to have known them and so many others ! I recall meeting John Melville many years ago in Horn Canyon when he was out walking with Manny, the beautiful border collie who was another luminary from the early days of SDF ... Wonderful memories !

They need to direct the relief efforts to more effective methods of getting food to the people who need it. Why they are not using the "fluttering" distribution technique is mind boggling. All you do is fly over areas that are hard to reach by trucks and kick out thousands of small food packages, like granola bars, they "flutter" to the ground in tacked where kids and others can pick them up and eat they immediately. They can do the same with water bottles at under 50 feet without them breaking. The way it is now everything is getting clogged up at distribution points and the people who need the food are not getting it. Also gangs are controlling the food and hoarding it. If anyone here has a connection to the administration please relay the information. This was done in Bosnia under the Clinton administration and saved many lives.

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It is good to read this story. I didn't know SDF started in Ojai; that makes it all the more poignant and I can sleep more easily. Thank you for your great work on the Planet.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Haitians who were overjoyed to see loved ones alive but injured after last week’s quake are now having to watch them die slowly and painfully, doctors say. Infections are raging due to a lack of adequate medical supplies… see videos on U Tube…

infections out of control in haiti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suo6UzRb850

Re: Suza's comments #'s 7 & 8. I've seen the video and it is a telling piece of news and an insight into the priorities of the United States, as well as many other modern and rich countries.
The video shows a field hospital, indeed the only field hospital, set up in the disaster area. It has been set up by Israel, which flew in from the other side of the world. One burning question is, Why couldn't the U.S. set up a field hospital, or ten, or a hundred? The U.S. is not only far bigger and richer than Israel, it is practically next door to stricken Haiti.

Thousands are dieing daily because these relief agencies are not getting food to the people in the outlying areas. Thugs and the strong are grabing all the food.

The message is not getting through, or if it is it's being ignored.

video of air drop of food - this could have beed done on day one!

flutter drop

Military people who know about this are blistering mad about how many people are dieing every day about this screw up.

Wake up Obama

Don't be such a meanie!

Oh sorry, tell that to the thousands that are dieing in Haiti !

Katrina to the tenth power !

I'll have to look in the archives here for your withering criticism of Bush during Katrina...

You'll probably find a picture of hundreds of unused buses underwater that state and local authorities did not use to get those people out of there. Flooded New Orleans was a result of money not spent on upgrading levys. The money they got to upgrade the levies went in local officials pockets. They had more than a weeks warning to get out. And they did nothing. The govener of Louisiana would not let the Federal government in for days. But of course the whole thing was Bush's fault.

Water under the bridge. The problem at hand is Hatiti, why don't some of you well connected folks get the word out to feed these people.

Actually, Brian, I have been helping by participating in a Crisis Mapping google group that is generating over 200 messages a day. People are coordinating relief efforts and delivering accurate data and information to those on the ground. I've personally been able to connect the team at Ushahidi which has catalogued over 1,500 incidents in Haiti (haiti.ushahidi.com) with the Disasters and Conflict Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme (a client of mine).

And you?

Haiti does not need our SELF-SERVING and FUTILE political bickering right now....Playing the blame game at this point in the tragedy helps no one!

If an Obama/Bush/Clinton united effort without a partisan outcry means anything, it means that ALL of us with any sense of decency know that there are times to air our dirty laundry in public and there are times to bite our tongues, roll up our sleeves, come together in the spirit of humanitarianism and provide EVERYTHING WE CAN to help these people who couldn't give a toss about our political differences and pathetic finger pointing!

I came here originally to give a huge thumbs up to this great organization! Bravo!

And three cheers for Tyler!!!!

I've given what I can, what we are doing now is costing nearly $30 to $50 per meal per day. Deliverying 7000 meals in one shot with a C-17 would bring the cost per meal down to around $2 per meal. A C-17 can make a round trip from the US to Haiti in about 7 hours, they're just sitting on the ground ! This is not a new thing we've done it before and it was extremely successful. I'm just pointing out a real screw up. Thousands are still not getting food. We need to continue to donate but our dollar could be going a lot further.

Haiti's Vodoun, Santerian, Orisha Ancestor Spirits ...

There were some more trained dogs were sent to enhance the rescue operations with the rescuers and probably there will be some more relief and lives can be saved.

alaskan husky

Haiti's Voudoun by Mama Zogbé ...