It is nearly two weeks since the massive earthquake in Haiti. Just today, it was announced that rescue efforts are largely over and recovery efforts will continue. The wisdom is that no one can survive ten or twelve days under the rubble of Port-au-Prince. However, we have witnessed some amazing rescues. The photograph above is of a little boy pulled from beneath tons of concrete after more than a week. He emerged smiling with his arms wide open. There are more remarkable stories of people pulled from beneath tons of debris-- singing! The human spirit is resilient and powerful. These hopeful stories should not, however, diminish the memories of the thousands who did not survive and who will never be identified or found. We hear staggering estimates of potentially 200,000 dead.

We have also witnessed medical personnel doing round-the-clock surgeries, inflatable hospitals rising up in soccer fields and many remarkable acts of human compassion and goodness.

We have heard laments of aid coming slowly, of coordination being non-existent and we’ve heard an incredible misuse of the term “looting.” I want to reflect on these three realities from the past week.

I presume that if people complain of aid arriving slowly we have to believe them. In other words, it means there are people and places who need more than they receive. This is undoubtedly true but still a sadness. It is hard to know why the international community cannot be more prepared than this. Why aren’t there storage locations around the world for disasters just such as this? So that in the case of a disaster, there are warehouses with food, water, various medical supplies, in that time zone? If it was economically profitable to be prepared, I bet we would be.

The accusation of a lack of coordination for relief efforts in Haiti  is sad and real. From my limited knowledge of Haiti, it seems the country lacked coordination before the earthquake. In other words, Haiti isn’t a place where many systems have worked. It’s not hard to imagine that now, in a disaster such as this, that government officials in Haiti did not know how to organize a fair and smart distribution for the tons of aid coming into the country.

However, it seems again that the international community, probably under the auspices of the United Nations, should be able to do this. I still do not understand why we are not prepared to go into a country, whose organizational structures are gone, and make things work. Yes, the local government would have to agree, but what would be the reason for them to oppose this? Ego? Perhaps. But for aid to sit at the airport because no one knew where to send it, or how to get it to different parts of the city -- this is a shameful situation in the 21st century.

Finally, I want to reflect on the use of the term “looting.” Imagine the situation: You and your family have not eaten for days. You have barely had any water. You hear that there is food or water in the rubble of a local warehouse that has been destroyed. Should you sit tight and refuse to seek that food and water because it is not “yours?” This is an attitude only someone with a tiny mind could have. The values of human survival and private property are not equal.

When life is in peril, bread belongs to everyone.

A further danger the word “looting” brings, is that it gives people a reason not to donate. Some people will hear reports of “looting” and will think the place is in total chaos so they cannot trust that their donation will be wisely used. This furthers the tragedy already in place. We need to be very careful about the use of this incendiary word.

The suffering of Haiti continues. I urge my readers and friends to continue to give as you can. Please consider a gift to Doctors Without Borders or one of the many other organizations helping in Haiti.

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