Posted on 01/14/2010 11:52:55 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
Watching the ongoing relief efforst on TV, it is frustrating to know that people deserately need the basics and will probably not get them for days. The officials are offloading everything at the airport andit is stacking up. I am no expert, but IMO we need to be doing a 2 pronged approach to this disaster, and airstyle-type drop of World War II combined with the precise relief we are seeing set up on television. But why they are not doing the airdrops is beyond me. The peeople need the basics such as water and crackers and these could beeasily airdropped.
If anyone of any importance is reading this, please consider airdrops! People will not make it to surgery if they do not get the water they need.
LAPES? Yeah, that would work. Toss in the cost of the pallet and rigging to be added to the fuel. Figure a couple hundred dead on the ground for each drop.
I understand they wouldn’t need to land. But, the trampled bodies that will undoubtedly appear at EVERY early dropsite is a definite downside.
SnakeDoc
I think once the Marines and Army get there the can set up and guard/defend areas like soccer fields and parks for air drops. If you don’t have the military to guard drop zones there would be utter chaos.
There are not many experts.
Nice that the reporters are bringing in tents, water, and supplies for themselves. Do you think a single news organization purchased relief for the suffering Haitians.
Every scenario has a downside in this situation. This would merely assuage the immediate suffering and give people a chance.
Cholera is not going to be far behind without potable water.
Now if you dropped in some Army Rangers with those supplies, maybe it would have a shot.
I have thought about that too. Every news organization should (IMO) only have the people they absolutely need to cover this story, as each person’s footprint of need (water food, etc) is immense.
It pisses me off when I see the videos of people trapped in the buildings with people trying to help them get out, while the camera people just stand and film it. I say, “drop the frickin’ camera and get in there and help.”
Saltwater-converting ship is there or almost there.
Think of all the engineering needed in such a short period.
Asking to borrow private planes now.
snip
As the military's large-scale operation got underway, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, bearing 19 helicopters and equipped with operating rooms, was expected to arrive off the Haitian coast on Friday, he said.
Navy officers said the aircraft carrier will serve as a "floating airport" for a fleet of helicopters ferrying emergency teams and aid to Haiti, where rescuers raced against the clock to find survivors among thousands of corpses.
Officials have warned the death toll could top 100,000.
The carrier and the amphibious ships were equipped to purify water and deliver it by helicopter, a mission the navy has carried out in other natural disasters.
A guided-missile cruiser, the USS Normandy, and a frigate, the USS Underwood, along with several Coast Guard cutters were also steaming toward Haiti to provide more helicopters and assistance.
snip
The ship is expected to arrive Friday. A day or two to get it up and running.
Even once this happens, how will the water be distributed throught the city to people with broken legs?
Some “out of the box” (hate that phrase) thinking is desperately needed in this situation.....and I am seeing none of it.
Big difference to have the earthquake or its aftermath killing you vs. the US military killing you.
This is not analogous to airdrops(?) in WWII. At best, the helos arriving can sling load supplies, that would keep the casualties down. But they are a way out yet. This is part of the tragedy, the Haitian gov’t is such a POS that they have to wait for aid.
At this point, time is a killer, in the most literal of senses.
There will be supplies flying off that deck when they are in range IF there is a place to take it. That will be the problem as always. Coordination, not logisitical capability is the issue.
Instead of sending soldiers, philanthropic geniuses should go there without staying in a resort this time to learn something about the real Haiti.
I was thinking of a wagon-wheel-type distribution system, build say, 50. Using PVC 100-ft lengths, air drop empty water bottles all over, millions.
The hub of the wheel would be a pool that the helos could continuously drop 500 gal water bags into, which would then run down the pvc pipes into lines of people with water bottles.
Cheap and quick to build.
Time, thankfully, is not a US citizen. The Navy will have a plan when they are in range. They are good at that. Running amok only causes chaos and that causes more death.
Re: “Running amok”
At this point, the ports are destroyed, the roads are not good, and the airport is not even up and running again for night flightds with temporary lights!
There is only one gateyway into Haiti, the airport, and the roads leading out are not good. Only one gateway is not going to help the majority of people in Haiti in this situation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.