A year ago, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when a hero pilot safely ditched his plane off Manhattan. Today we are looking for another miracle of even grander proportions.
High-profile movers and shakers are moving to help Haiti, the poorest nation in the hemisphere, recover from a devastating earthquake. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are leading our nation's efforts and trying to help mobilize international aid. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush and former Secretary of State Colin Powell are helping call for philanthropic support.
Mr. Powell notes the American Red Cross is the best positioned logistically to help, and the first place people should turn to in giving. But there are local efforts worthy of support, for example the local parishes where people are trying to help specific communities in Haiti because of personal ties. Over 80 percent of the population of Haiti is Catholic.
Our next Sully could be you!
Why newspapers matter
by Michelle Rea, Executive Director, New York Press Association
Garry Pierre-Pierre, publisher of the Haitian Times and vice president of the NYPA board of directors, called me Wednesday morning to tell me he was taking a group of reporters to Haiti to report back to Haitian readers in New York about the situation in Haiti following Tuesday night’s catastrophic earth quake.
Garry and his group flew into the Dominican Republic because air traffic into Haiti is restricted to rescue missions. They rented a van and then went shopping for sleeping bags, flashlights, batteries, food and water. They drove to Haiti (slightly more than one hour).
Garry reports that Haiti is one big homeless shelter that smells like a giant funeral home. Everybody – including journalists – is sleeping in the streets. There are no bathrooms. There is no food. There is no water.
Garry told me that people throw themselves in front of his van or jump out and pound on it to stop, begging for help, food and water. They won’t allow the van to pass until the journalists give them food and water. He also told me he is worried about the sanitation issues – rotting corpses, no bathrooms, etc.
Garry said there is no communication, cell service, Internet access or phone service in Haiti, so his group is commuting back and forth between Haiti and the Dominican Republic several times a day. They travel to Haiti, get their stories, drive back to the Dominican Republic to file them and to buy more food. They parcel out the food and water on their drive back to Haiti – and then return to the Dominican Republic. The working journalists have banded together to create a large Internet café in the Dominican Republic where they all go to file their stories.
He also reports that back home in Brooklyn the Haitian community is desperate for information about family members in Haiti. His staff at the newspaper has created a space on the newspaper’s Web site to upload names and picture of missing family members.
NYPA has established a fund to help Garry in Haiti. We can only send him money via Western Union and he doesn’t want to carry much money at one time, so our plan is to wire him money several times a day, so he can shop for food and water each time he returns to the Dominican Republic.
If you would like to contribute to this effort, you may call Laurel Jacon at NYPA – 518-464 6483 – and give her a credit card number and tell her the amount you want to contribute, or you can mail a check payable to NYPA – Haiti Relief Fund. Please mail your check to NYPA, 1681 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203.
Finally, Garry found his family; they’re alive and their house was not destroyed. He also found Darlie Gervais’ father (Darlie is Garry’s general manager in Brooklyn). His home was destroyed, but he was not injured. He is 80 and a diabetic – with no supplies – so Garry is trying to address that.
Thanks in advance for your support. This is one more example of why newspapers matter – connecting communities and telling people’s stories during the most desperate of times.