Posted on 01/19/2010 8:37:59 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
Breaking News Alert: At least 5,500 Americans are missing and unaccounted for in Haiti, the U.S. State Department tells NBC News...
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...
Determining the number of Americans or dual-citizen nationals in Haiti involves a lot of guesswork — dual citizens do not routinely register with the embassy — but there are clearly thousands whose whereabouts are not know, NBC News reported.
The U.S. Embassy told NBC there were an estimated 45,000 Americans thought to have been in Haiti before the quake. Many of those people are married to Haitians or involved in aid missions and are not looking to leave.
“Information about U.S. citizens who are believed to be trapped in buildings is passed to search-and-rescue teams on the ground in Haiti,” said Michele Bond, deputy assistant secretary for Overseas Citizens Services. “So far, we have opened more than 9,000 cases in the crisis database. Of those, just over 3,500 people have been accounted for. The rest are still people that we are working to ascertain the well-being of. As we receive information about anyone, we do contact family members to pass that information back to let them know what we’ve learned.”
Seems realistic to me...I mean an estimated 10,000 bodies have been dumped a day in landfills since this happened...around the clock...truckloads. There were a TON of charity, aid workers, government, UN, church etc..people from the U.S. working there. It always fascinates me when big events like this happen and you find out even in some of the most remote parts of the world (not saying Haiti is remote) but there is always a large group of Americans in there.
Exactly what I thought.
>Reports said that there were 45,000 Americans there.
I’m curious as to what that many Americans are doing there and who is paying them. I understand there are many
charities/missionaries there and how they earn a living, but 45,000?
I am not watching ANY televised coverage of the situation in Haiti, but am keeping up with internet news features. I cannot stand when tv/cable news reporters over play their emotions for the sake of drama.
I have no facts at my fingertips but Americans are the wealthiest people on earth per capita and even if they aren’t millionaires there are millions of Americans that can afford to travel and minister to people. There are also lots and lots of organizations that sponsor such people. And of course a certain percentage are US Govt employees doing whatever bureaucrats do or even nothing but drawing a taxpayer-paid salary. 45,000 out of a total population of 3 million or so doesn’t seem to be extreme.
If you have a facebook account, there is a discussion board. I’ll direct you if you’re interested. One guy seems to be full of information....some facinating stuff. For instance:
written on 16 January:
“Two million people, at least roaming the streets. At most 5000 UN peace keepers, and maybe 10,000 American troops. At best. To cover a had a population of 3.5 million. Even during a non crisis, a group this size would be hard pressed to keep the peace.”
Also 16 Jan:
“I have a shortwave radio tuned to ham bands, scanning what I can but most ham radios used in Haiti are 2 meter which has a limited range. Sometimes it can be picked up at great distances but that requires special atmospheric conditions.
I also have access to databases other than internet type search engines. Various news wires, etc.
I keep the television on with the sound off, but the closed captioning on. Because theres nothing constant on the ham bands, but you simply keep scanning until a strong enough signal is picked up, I also have internet radios which play internet streams. I am switching between the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Radio Netherland Worldwide for news reports. They all broadcast in English 24/7. Then Radio France International starts broadcasting at 4:00 GMT for a half hour in English every hour until about 12:00 GMT when hour long broadcasts come on.
Then I have my notebook computer turned on and on a lap desk.”
>>I have yet to see our press, wandering around in their >>Banana Republic safari shirts taking photo ops of orphans >>looters and bodies, cover a single American- Govt >>directed operation focused on finding, rescuing and >>evacuating Americans
I for one am glad they aren’t covering this. If they were there would be constant cries of “The Americans are only taking care of their own and leaving the poor Haitians to die”.
I feel bad for the Americans stuck in this but frankly this is the chance you take when you go to a 3rd world country.
If disaster happens you are completely screwed.
LQ
My thought as well. It will not be a shock if the death toll in Haiti reaches or exceeds 750,000.
nobama’s (the dithering feckless one)katrina.
5500, passport holders....
I got this off a facebook discussion board...regarding the USA response....
Dave Marks (FSU) wrote on January 16, 2010 at 10:07am
For all you critics of the response, let me break it down for you
1) 1500+ US troops are ON THE GROUND. This is MORE soldiers deployed in LESS time than the last COMBAT JUMP into northern Iraq in 2003.
2) The airport was secured, cleared, and functioning within the evening of the FIRST US military presence there. The logjam was so bad before the US got there that the airport was nearly inoperable. The US fueled, cleared, and took off a ton of planes to get things going.
3) The first USAR teams Virginia task force 1 and California Task force were on the ground in 48 hours, and had rescued many people within the first 12-18 hours. Every major DMAT team in the US is on standby, and can or will be deployed in 48 hours notice.
4) 24 military helicopters are active 24/7 and 6,300 troops more are due by Monday.
5) The USNS Comfort hospital ship recalled all of its personnel, is fully stocked, and is on its way. This took a full 36 hours LESS than for Katrina. I know, I was actually there BEFORE the Comfort.
6) The USS Carl Vinson is already on scene, and it operating at full ability for recon, clearance, and identification and helicopter landing sites. At least 4 Coast Guard cutters are on scene, and attempting to secure an operable port for international shipping.
7) More than 8000 nurses have been registered through a Union organization, and are either deploying or are on standby to provide aid.
8) Aid and volunteer organizations are completely overwhelmed by requests of medical personnel to deploy to Haiti. One organization estimated that it will take literally months to sort and assign personnel, and get them in country.
The list could go on all day. The point is that this might be the best coordinated, largest disaster response in the time since the initial event. If you look at the logistics of a COMBAT situation, where as many personnel as this were needed, it could not have gone any faster other than fighter jets and special operations making HALO jumps.
US military were not on any special alert before this, yet have mobilized AS FAST as a DEFCON 3 combat deployment.
well, we see your vote is for “PC”
act concerned for all victims, speak sonorously of unimaginable horrors, American compassion, yada yada yada
Send in Hillary Bill and Chelsea (the dog was otherwise engaged) to be photographed dropping off some water and deliver some gray poupon for the US embassy
but don’t prioritize rescuing Americans - even if you are the US Govt and you have a US Embassy there to handle US interests.
As the media shows the horrible destruction and the dead over and over again, I happened to notice I don’t see any animals anywhere. Do they not have any animals?
I didn’t know there were 45K Americans there. 5500 is not an unreasonable casualty count, I suppose.
A few days ago it was reported that over 1000 Canadians were missing although that number has dropped recently as I assume communications begin to get through. So 5000+ Americans isn’t hard to believe.
Astounding if true.
“As the media shows the horrible destruction and the dead over and over again, I happened to notice I don’t see any animals anywhere. Do they not have any animals?”
I’ve not seen any either, but as you said...they show the same thing over and over. I’ve stopped watching and have been reading. One very gruesome bit...one of the reporters on CNN said that he saw a dog feeding on a corpse on the street. How awful.
Like I said...lots of info on facebook.
I’m curious to know:
— The ratio of Haitian persons to U.S. church sponsorships prior to the quake. In other words, how many churches and relief agencies have an ongoing mission inside Haiti.
— Same statistic, after the quake.
— When is the American left going to take note that the U.S. military is on the ground in Haiti, having “invaded a sovereign country” and begun “killing innocent civilians” and doing all the other malicious things that they observe in our armed services?
— When is the American left going to find a Haliburton to villify? And who will that Haliburton be?
— On what legal basis is the U.S. military on the ground in Haiti anyway? Where is the Haitian government? (I haven’t seen this in news coverage.)
“MSNBC had a group of families crying this am that America is not doing enough to rescue their loved ones.”
They have been on the Today Show, Larry King, CNN, MSNBC etc., since day one. I can understand their desperation, but it has been reported that there are more search and rescue teams at Hotel Montana, where their girls are, than any other place in Haiti. The university even sent a private rescue team there on day one.
In all the chaos, there was a report sent that the students were found only to realize it was false. The university immediately said they wanted a full investigation regarding the mistake.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/university_want.html
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