That Haiti is in desperate need of infrastructure—viable roads, airports, reliable transportation, hospitals—is seen in the very slow pace at which humanitarian assistance is making its way to those southern and western parts of the country affected by the Aug. 14 earthquake. The emergency program to build this vitally necessary infrastructure was outlined by Lyndon LaRouche in February of 2010, but never implemented. Now, the New York Times reported today, delivery of international aid, medical assistance, and basic supplies is “patchy and limited.” Almost nothing is getting to remote villages, because aid can only be directed to population centers close to airstrips where airplanes can land. The parts of the country most severely affected by the earthquake is home to about 1.5 million people—80 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince, to which overland transportation is a risky venture due to poor roads and security problems posed by armed gangs.
To date, the death toll stands at 2,189, with 12,000 injured and 687,000 in need of humanitarian assistance. Residents of remote villages express despair and frustration. One woman quoted by The Miami Herald put it this way: “We don’t exist.” Another told The New York Times, “We don’t expect any help.” In these remote areas, citizens are digging through the rubble searching for bodies, because no rescue teams have arrived to help. One man in the western outskirts of the port of Les Cayes, located at the tip of the southern peninsula, spoke of immense suffering and the impossibility of determining how many are dead, because so many people are buried beneath rubble. This morning, rain continued to fall, following a powerful aftershock. Many temporary shelters couldn’t withstand the rains from Tropical Storm Grace, which also blocked roads with mudslides and flooding.
