CNN - What to do if disaster hits your trip

From my archive of press clippings:

CNN

What to do if disaster hits your trip

By Jim Kavanagh, CNN

Hundreds of tourists were stranded for several days in January by flooding and mudslides near Machu Picchu in Peru.


(CNN) -- Earthquakes. Rogue waves. Tsunamis. Flooding. Landslides. From Machu Picchu, Peru, to Madeira, Portugal, travelers have been socked with one natural disaster after another in recent weeks.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The State Department also urges Americans to register their itineraries before leaving. This can be done for free at https://travelregistration.state.gov. It's also a good idea to write down local phone numbers and addresses for U.S. embassies and consulates in the places where you will be traveling."

&

"The U.S. State Department provides assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week to U.S. citizens in crisis abroad. Call 1-888-407-4747 if calling from the United States or Canada, or 00-1-202-501-4444 if calling from overseas."

S&S - Haitian immigrants' filings for protected status lag projections

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Haitian immigrants' filings for protected status lag projections

By Trenton Daniel and Alfonso Chardy, McClatchy Newspapers

Stars and Stripes online edition, Friday, April 9, 2010

MIAMI — When U.S. officials granted temporary protected status to Haitians in the United States days after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, they expected as many as 200,000 applications. But nearly three months later, federal officials say 42,942 Haitians have filed for TPS.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"On March 16, more than 500 Haitians, including several children, showed up at the Miami field office of USCIS to be fingerprinted and photographed — part of the processing of their applications for TPS.

TPS shields undocumented immigrants from detention and deportation. In the case of Haitian TPS, the protection from deportation will last 18 months, though the benefit is expected to be renewed as TPS has been renewed repeatedly for Central Americans.

Applicants can also request work permits, which immigration officials say they plan to start issuing soon. Immigration advocates say the work permits are critical because they allow Haitian nationals here to wire remittances to family members back in Haiti whose homes were wrecked in the quake."

"The total cost of a TPS application is $470, which includes $50 for the application itself, $340 for a work permit and $80 for "biometrics," the fingerprinting and photographing process."

&

"The main reasons for rejection include not enclosing the correct filing fee, not completing forms, failing to include biographical information and not signing forms."

JO - Please reconsider, PM

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Please reconsider, PM

Monday, March 08, 2010

Dear Editor,


This is an open letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding

Your public utterances on the matter of Dudus Coke vs the United States might be evoking congratulations from your close supporters, but trust me, Mr Prime Minister, the word on the street is that the reason you will not permit Dudus' extradition is because you fear him.

Read the whole letter here.

Snippet(s):

"But the problem is that the majority of Jamaicans are more afraid of what the United States may do to us than what Dudus might do to you, so we are respectfully asking you to reconsider your decision not to have him extradited. Because if you believe that Dudus is not guilty of the charges brought against him, why not let him go and face his accusers, and since he is so important to you and your government, provide him with the best lawyers you can pay for."

&

"Mr Golding, we have an economy in shambles, we have people murdering people like dogs every day. We might just have a devastating earthquake soon and the hurricane season is near. When all this happens, the first country we will ask for help is America."

_____

Ken Spencer
PO Box 537
Kingston 8

re: "Pissed!"

Digger at Life After Jerusalem ("The musings of a Two-Spirit American Indian, Public Diplomacy-coned Foreign Service Officer") was pissed. And so was I.

Money quote(s):

"(W)hile we value all American life, and indeed, all human life, we are talking about people who are in a place at the service of the Nation. It is the ultimate sacrifice of service, not an unfortunate tragedy befalling a tourist or a duel national. More Americans besides Victoria DeLong were killed in Haiti, but she died in the service of our country."

&

"What the hell is the New York Times thinking putting a picture of the two dead Americans online?!"

CSM - Why 27 Haiti orphans, adopted by US parents, are stuck in Haiti. The Haiti government, concerned about child trafficking, has stalled adoptions

From my archive of press clippings:

Christian Science Monitor

Why 27 Haiti orphans, adopted by US parents, are stuck in Haiti

The Haiti government, concerned about child trafficking, has stalled adoptions of orphans in the wake of the earthquake.

By Howard LaFranchi Staff writer / January 28, 2010

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

A group of 27 Haitian orphans – with documents in order and the blessings of the US government to travel to their adoptive American families – have been stopped from leaving by the Haitian government.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Marc Bellerive decided Jan. 22 that even children granted “humanitarian parole” by the US government in order to expedite their departure from Haiti’s post-earthquake disaster will have to complete an exit process with the prime minister’s office.

But the new process has yet to be defined. For now, the 27 adoptive families in the US who had thought they would be united with their children are still waiting."

"The Haitian government halted the adoptions even as it faces what is arguably Haiti’s biggest crisis in its history. The government’s decision to slow the adoption process is especially galling to adoption advocates in the US and in Haiti since it comes as millions of Haitian children face such adversities as deteriorating living conditions, exposure to disease, and lost schooling as a result of the quake.

At the same time, the Haitian government faces a chorus of warnings from some domestic and international child advocates who say the aftermath of such disasters is often a time of increased child-trafficking."

"In a statement issued Wednesday by the State Department in Haiti, the US government said it is “seeking to expedite the departure of children approved for humanitarian parole so they may be united with their U.S. adoptive parents.”

But the US was also careful not sound critical of the Haitian government’s decision, saying the US government recognizes that “in the aftermath of a crisis such as the Haiti earthquake, children are especially vulnerable,” and that there is “an increased potential for abuse of, and trafficking in, children.”"

&

"The US says it has approved 500 Haitian orphans for “humanitarian parole,” 200 of whom are already with the American families."

JG - The whole nine yards - Jamaican aid workers vow to go all the way

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

The whole nine yards - Jamaican aid workers vow to go all the way


Published: Sunday January 24, 2010


Daraine Luton (from Haiti)


ONE WEEK after arriving in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Jamaican aid workers have vowed to go the full nine yards to help in the rebuilding of that country.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Major Jaimie Stuart Ogilvie, who is heading the contingent of Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) personnel on the ground in Haiti, told The Sunday Gleaner that they were examining the structure of their delegation to "make sure that we have the right persons here for the long haul to continue the relief as long as we can".

The JDF has been at the centre of Jamaican involvement in the restoration of Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude quake. The Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Ministry of Health and the Jamaica Medical Doctor's Association have also been key contributors to the relief effort."

"The Jamaica Fire Brigade, which participated in search-and-rescue operations, helped in the recovery of seven persons buried under rubble.

Up to yesterday, the Jamaican contingent was delivering relief supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas while continuing to provide security and medical assistance.

The medical team has, even with limited resources, been leaving its mark on Haitian soil with its presence being welcome medicine for an ailing nation."

&

"The Jamaican medical team comprising orthopaedic surgeons, general surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, emergency medical technicians and public-health workers, now operates two of eight hospitals in Port-au-Prince. The JDF also runs a clinic that offers medical treatment."

"(W)hile the Jamaican team carries on its tour of duties, it is being hamstrung by the absence of its own vehicle fleet and a shortage of fuel in the country. Language difference is a hurdle, but there is an abundance of goodwill from volunteers eager to ensure their countrymen get aid."

_____

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com

ABC12 - Local man tries to get daughter out of Haiti

From my archive of press clippings:

ABC12

Local man tries to get daughter out of Haiti

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Autumn Perry

FLINT (WJRT) -- (01/24/10) -- A local sheriff's deputy whose daughter was injured in the earthquake says he's running out of time.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Prisnor Pascal found his little girl nearly a week ago, but, but can't get her out of the country.

Pascal is a U.S. citizen. His daughter isn't."

&

"(T)he number-one priority is evacuating U.S. citizens.

When the earthquake hit, 45,000 U.S. citizens were living in Haiti. American officials are still trying to get many of them out of the country.

The second priority for the State Department is Haitian orphans who were being adopted by U.S. Citizens."

JO - 'Jamaican couples want Haitian children too'

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

'Jamaican couples want Haitian children too'

BY INGRID BROWN Sunday Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, January 24, 2010


AMERICAN couples are apparently not the only ones lining up to adopt Haitian orphans, thousands of whom are without a home following the deadly January 12 earthquake which flattened sections of the country.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Wealthy Jamaicans, many of them unable to have their own children, also seem poised to join that race if a channel should open up to allow them a quick and smooth transition into parenthood."

"Dr William Aiken, consulting urologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, said he is aware of some Jamaican couples who are willing to adopt Haitian orphans if given the opportunity."

"While many will argue that Jamaica has its fair share of orphans to be adopted, Aiken insists that this is easier said than done. He told the Sunday Observer that there is a lot of bureaucracy and red tape which make it a long and tedious process for Jamaican children to be adopted."

&

"Tens of thousands of Haitian children are believed to have been orphaned by the earthquake, according to reports from aid groups on the ground in Haiti. But officials have not yet been able to provide a number. However, even before the deadly magnitude-7.0 earthquake, Haiti -- one of the world's poorest countries -- was awash in orphans, with 380,000 children living in orphanages or group homes, the United Nations Children's Fund reported on its website.
Some of the children, it said, lost their parents in previous disasters, including four tropical storms or hurricanes that killed about 800 people in 2008, deadly storms in 2005 and 2004, and massive floods almost every other year since 2000. Others were abandoned amid the Caribbean nation's long-running political strife, which has led thousands to seek asylum in the US -- without their children -- or by parents who were simply too poor to care for them."

S&S - Military working at max capacity to get injured to hospital ship

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Military working at max capacity to get injured to hospital ship

By Megan McCloskey, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Friday, January 22, 2010

Photos by Megan McCloskey

Spc. William Vargo tends to an earthquake victim bound for the USNS Comfort on Thursday. The military planned to evacuate at least 100 people Thursday from the main Port-au-Prince hospital. The effort was expected to last at least two days.

Sgt. 1st Class Michael Reyna holds the hand of an earthquake victim bound for the USNS Comfort before boarding a Navy helicopter at the presidential palace Thursday.

Soldiers unload an injured Haitian man from an Army ambulance Thursday to evacuate him to the USNS Comfort.

Soldiers carry an injured Haitian man from the main Port-au-Prince hospital to an Army ambulance, which was taking patients to the presidential palace for a helicopter transport to the USNS Comfort on Thursday.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Army hasn’t done an evacuation like this since Normandy. The USNS Comfort is operating at a level like never before.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"More than a thousand Haitians most seriously injured in last week’s earthquake are being flown by helicopter to the Navy’s hospital ship for surgery and other desperately needed treatments."

JO - Haiti, I'm really, really sorry!

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer


Haiti, I'm really, really sorry!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

The anthem by Trinidad's David Rudder -- Haiti, I'm sorry -- aptly sums up the feeling of the entire human race as befuddled Haiti yesterday experienced yet another major quake.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The embarrassment of losing Haiti to a slave revolt over 200 years ago has haunted the French and remained a dark cloud over that Caribbean country from that moment on. The sordid intervention of the United States in subsequent years ensured that Haiti could never rise but for a few brief moments."

"Importantly, the approach by the United States and France have clearly signalled their own willingness to start over with Haiti. US president, Mr Barack Obama took the lead in offering substantial aid to Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake last week Tuesday."

&

"France, we gather from news reports, has offered to forgive Haiti's debts. This is critical, because it is widely held that the French were the original architects of Haiti's grinding poverty, for demanding a high percentage of its annual budget as reparation for losses suffered during the slave takeover of French-ruled Haiti."

MH - Injured Haitian children win humanitarian visas to the U.S.

From my archive of press clippings:

Miami Herald

Posted on Thursday, 01.21.10


Injured Haitian children win humanitarian visas to the U.S.

Injured Haitian children win humanitarian visas to the U.S.

As many as 260 injured Haitian children will be eligible to travel to the United States for life-saving medical care, thanks to a Miami doctor and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

The youngest earthquake victims are being granted humanitarian visas so long as a doctor in Haiti deems that the child will die without advanced medical care. Immigration officials could follow the doctor's advice in issuing the exit visas.

By LUISA YANEZ
lyanez@MiamiHerald.com

Some 200 injured Haitian children -- the largest group to be given passage to the U.S. without adoptive parents -- will travel to Florida for life-saving medical care, thanks to a Miami doctor and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

Read the whole article here.

AP - 4.9 aftershock hits Italian quake region

AP

4.9 aftershock hits Italian quake region


By MARTA FALCONI – 15 hours ago

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) — A strong aftershock sent firefighters and rescuers scrambling Tuesday morning from a collapsed dormitory where they have been working frantically to find university students trapped by the powerful earthquake that devastated this central Italian city.

Read the whole article here.

USA-T - Adoption inquiries soar after China quake orphans children

From my archive of press clippings:

USA Today

Adoption inquiries soar after China quake orphans children

By Wendy Koch and Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

Adoption agencies are receiving a surge in phone calls from people who want to adopt children orphaned by the earthquake in China.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Last May, China tightened its eligibility rules, barring foreign applicants who are single, gay, obese, older than 50, low-income or have a history of mental illness.

China had been the No. 1 foreign country for adoptions by people in the USA since 2000. Now it is sending fewer orphans: 5,453 in 2007, down from 7,906 in 2005, according to the State Department."

AFP - American tourist joins pandas in 'surreal' earthquake ordeal

From my archive of press clippings:

AFP

American tourist joins pandas in 'surreal' earthquake ordeal

BEIJING (AFP) — An American tourist who survived China's deadly earthquake says he is not only lucky to be alive -- he had a "surreal" experience of sharing the moment with giant pandas.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Robert Litwak, 55, a member of the World Wildlife Fund, was stranded for nearly three days near the famous Wolong giant panda breeding ground in southwestern Sichuan province.

When the 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck early on Monday afternoon, Litwak and 11 other American tourists were in the enclosure with the pandas."

&

"Litwak and the other tourists were a mere six miles (10 kilometres) from the epicentre of the earthquake, which officials estimate has killed more than 50,000 people and left nearly five million homeless. Yet none of the tourists -- or the pandas -- were killed or even injured."