Posted on 01/14/2010 5:25:53 AM PST by EnjoyingLife


2000 x 1330 pixels, 3005 x 2000 pixels, 4256 x 2832 pixels
Photographer
Petty Officer 2nd Class Sondra-Kay Kneen, United States Coast Guard
Via
http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-201001.htm (#1, #2)
Are these before or after pictures! ;-)
Wow.
Horrible. I hope we can help Haiti to rebuild itself in a way that leads to more prosperity for Haitians and to an infrastructure that will help prevent this from happening again.
S. Miami/Homestead looked a lot worse after Hurricame Andrew.
Coast Guard? What state is Haiti and what part of the U.S. is it’s coast? Watch Obama make it the 51st state.
The CG needs to work on keeping illegals out of the USA and taking away drunks boats to keep them off the water.
What’s wrong in the second pic, what am I missing? The one crane is crooked, is that it?
It looks like the whole apron along the water has collapsed as well. Granted, there are no smoking ruins and mangled bodies in this one, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find something for you.
Interesting side thought. Note that the concrete buildings all fell over, but in the third picture the stacks of containers are all still standing. Perhaps we should build structures in earthquake zones like a stack of containers. Able to move a little, but not fall down.
I guess I’m cold hearted.
I’m tired of pouring Billions into other countries, only to have these goods stolen by local ‘War Lord’ wannabes. No matter what we do, we are blamed for not doing enough; while other countries who do nothing at all reap the benefits of GoodWill.
When we have earthquakes, hurricanes or other natural calamities; these other countries can’t even put together a freakin’ fruit basket for us.
But the cold hard fact of the matter is that pulling yourself up by your own boot-straps makes you stronger. The first priority of a sovereign goverment is to protect, provide and ensure the safety of the population. This is a chance for the Haitian Gov’t to prove itself to their taxpayers. This is an opportunity for the Haitian people to clean up, re-build and become a stronger community, instill national pride and stare the challenge in the face and proclaim “We are down now, but we will arise bigger, stronger and better than where we were”.
But, it’s soo much easier to demand that everyone else come in, re-build your houses, give you money, food, hospitals and industries and then complain that it’s just not good enough.
Likely there is nothing wrong. Scoping out areas to get assistance in. They have nothing at the airports to unload planes.
It is about China’s turn to become the world’s sugar daddy. With that aid, comes influence and expectations.
“”I hope we can help Haiti to rebuild itself in a way that leads to more prosperity for Haitians “”
Did anyone hear the interview Greta did last night with Bill Clinton? He said he and Hillary had been going to Haiti since 1975 (delayed honeymoon or some such tripe) and with all the work his foundation has been doing there along with the UN and others, the objective of making progress there had been nearly completed????? Now they will have to start all over!!
I don’t have his exact words but it was incredible to believe that he thought he could fool everyone with that statement. Nothing new there (fooling people) but anyone with a brain knows things haven’t improved there one iota! People still living on $2.00 a day, 50% unemployment, corruption still in place. That was part of Greta’s report - not Clinton’s words.
I didn’t know he was the UN Envoy to Haiti. He talked about getting the UN workers (deceased) out of the UN building that crumbled and getting them back to their families. Also people could make donations to help through his website or texting.
Someone pointed out yesterday - look at the photos of these buildings. There are no steel rebars to be seen. Cement/Brick without steel reinforcement are about as durable as sand-castles in an earthquake. I imagine even basic steel costs too much for them.
OMG! That’s horrible! Prayers for those poor people.
A friend’s son is stationed aboard the carrier USS Carl Vinson. It was headed from Norfolk to its home port in San Diego but was ordered to Haiti.
God bless and protect our sailors as they help the people of Haiti.

That is becoming a viable option in a lot places already. Structurally they could easily withstand an earthquake better than a masonry building, properly secured and welded I would much rather ride out a big quake in something like this than most buildings.
Go to the link in post one. I can't imagine that. Those poor people.
Shipping container homes are incredible! They’re even being used to build Army housing. Seems to me some charitable group should get involved in Haiti and make this a viable (and affordable) housing option.
We really need to revolutionize our building designs. We’re so 19th century in our design and material use. Concrete and steel are fine when you have the resources. Hati does not.
No matter how much is done it won't be enough. They are still of the mindset that the sugar plantation owners (white) destroyed the island and ruined the soil. They blame all their ills on the former plantations. For them there is no hope except for perpetual handouts.
I saw part of that interview. I don’t know anything about what Clinton did there, or what efforts have been made in general over the past several years, but it seems that too often places like Haiti become political battlegrounds and the only people who really suffer are those who live there.
You can not help those who will not help themselves. I would assume the primary reason this is one of the most impovrished countries in the world has a lot to due with a very unmotivated populace.
Actually, I think that's the premise behind a lot of the construction in San Francisco and L.A. now - lots of "give" so the buildings sway in a quake. I think there are some buildings actually built on springs.
The UN workers in Haiti are not appreciated by the Haitian people.
The workers are known for strong arm tactics to elicit bribes.
My son saw this first hand when he was there. UN workers stopped a car he was riding in and try to get the passengers to fork over some cash.
Haiti needs them in their future.....
The CG needs to work on keeping illegals out of the USA .
Agreed.
It’s ironic that the illegals from Haiti will risk a longer journey attempting to come to the USA rather then the quicker route to the People Paradise of Cuba.
Try getting the left to explain That decision.
Prayers for these people.
“But, its soo much easier to demand that everyone else come in, re-build your houses, give you money, food, hospitals and industries and then complain that its just not good enough.”
Until the next storm comes by!
How much would it cost to take a representative from each neighborhood to Hawaii with a movie camera to see the sugar plantations there and let them know how long those plantations have been functioning?
I agree! There is desperate need in Haiti now and suffering is everywhere. America will be there for them like we always are. But is there some way to build private enterprise or capitalism in some of the recovery efforts so Haitians have a stake in their recovery? If we don’t we’ll just be creating another socialist housing project that will need to be rebuilt every few years.

I could be wrong here, but that building that is toppled over is a gun turret for the Children's Hospital. I spent some time in Honduras and many stores had gun turrets (for security) like this. It is sad that a children's hospital would need this kind of secuurity.
You mean the 58th state, right?
I know we got beat up by hurricanes in ‘04, but when you think about it, hurricanes last a few hours. This earthquake was what, 45 seconds? It’s stunning the damage wrought in, literally, seconds.
For sure! We live on the Texas Gulf Coast in the middle of Hurricane Alley, since 1973. So far no damage to our house but you never know. We pull together before, during and after a storm. Neighbors help each other. The city government takes over and does an excellent job! We do wish that FEMA would stay OUT.
A gun turret? Lord, what a place. Thanks for the information.
2000 sq ft created from shipping containers
You beat me to it!
I know what you mean, and that's the way I used to think, too. When I moved to FL and worked w/ island people I couldn't believe how slowly they went about their kitchen duties, in a busy restaurant to boot. I told my friend in NY, who runs a HoJos, and he told me that he had a bus of islanders one day and it took them forever to get in the damn door, they poked along so.
However, since I moved to FL I've found that I have started moving a bit slower myself! I think it's all relative to where you live. Their lack of motivation is their way of life.
Not that there's not anything wrong with that: they just don't know anything different.
Holy socks!
And with the absolute glut of them just sitting in shipyards and in the graveyard of cargo ships no longer in use they have tons of them already built with no place to go. It could be a win win for everyone, but that makes too much sense so it will not be done....
It would probably cost a lot less than what it cost for Obama and his ‘posse’ in Hawaii last month.
A lot of the concrete was way thinned out with sand. Junk. Fake.
So, no or low rebar, sanded out concrete, poor craftsmanship. You know the site prep and foundations are junk.
No one, not even the locals would build a proper building because it is a bust out country. There’s no point in building for the long term, as things, values, economy, politics are not going to improve. You just do enough to extract what you can. Think of profitable slum lording an entire country. Or think of any long term Democrat city, or presently in the early stages, Michigan, California, New York....
Too expensive for Haitians though. Even uninsulated ones, (uninhabitable in hot tropical weather) cost from $1000 (used) to $3000 (new). No windows or doors either. Kitting one out so that it is habitable would be several times as expensive as typical Haitian construction methods. That is why they don't use them.
I would imagine that shipping containers would be very hot inside, especially in Haiti heat.
“But is there some way to build private enterprise or capitalism in some of the recovery efforts so Haitians have a stake in their recovery?”
Thanks. This is the point that I was trying to make. Sometimes, just like in the Soviet Union, people lose their motivation because they think the situation is hopeless for them. The people of Haiti deserve the opportunity to map their own destiny and to live in a county in which they can aspire to a much better life by virtue of self-determination and their own hard work.
Those in the US (i.e. the hard left), and elsewhere in the world who prop up socialist governments in small impoverished countries only perpetuate the poverty and hopelessness. That has to stop. Now is the time to ‘teach a man (or woman as the case may be) to fish, so that they can fish for themselves and never have to go hungry again.’
Many of the Haitians who made it to Miami, have actually become successful entrepreneurs, these are precisely the people we need to rebuild Haiti.
Shipping container homes are a good idea.
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