As I have previously mentioned the Haitian government designated its first organized tent city in March. Aid organizations complained because they only had a week to get the camp ready for its new settlers but they cooperated and got the job done. This camp is adorned with latrines, water spigots and showers--- it is even outfitted with a handicap accessible latrines. The problem is that fewer than 10,000 families live in this camp. NPR's Jason Beaubien filed a report on Morning Edition titled Contrasting Relief Camps Showcase Haiti's Challenges it is a frustrating story to listen to, I kept rolling my eyes while eating my Cheerios.
This "pristine" camp could easily hold several thousand more families but it doesn't. A security guard tells Beaubien that people cannot just show up they have to have proper orders to be relocated. So it begs the question, why aren't more families being moved???
Moreover, there is a camp next door that is bursting with 49,000 residents. This adjacent camp called Ancien Aeroport Militaire is unstructured, overpopulated, and pungent from the smell of human waste and fried plantains. But even though the living conditions in Ancien Aeroport Militaire are deplorable (like all the other camps), individuals and families cannot just pick up their belongs and move to the shiny new camp. It makes no sense and frankly is quite maddening to me.
And when Beaubien tried to get answers he got the run around. The International Organization of Migration said this was a Haitian government led project and therefore only they could move people in and out of camps. When he approached the government with questions he was told to speak to the Interior Ministry and they then pointed him to the Shelter commission who were not available for comment. Sadly, it sounds like the responsible lies with no one.
The whole thing is remarkable and perplexing. Hurricane season officially starts on June 1st. I hope NPR does a follow up story and that someone comes forward to say the buck stops here.
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