The Smell Of Death

The people of Haiti can smell it coming
and there is very little that they can do
about it. Relief to this small island nation
in the Caribbean is coming at a very slow pace.
Does this also remind you of another disaster
that involved many people of color in recent years?
Why is relief always so slow when it comes to
non-whites? We certainly want to here from you on
this.




Reporting from Leogane, Haiti - Only the goats risk the cool shade of the century-old colonnades left standing in this provincial capital.

The people have hauled themselves and their possessions into the middle of the dirt roads, away from the fallen storefront arches and tin roofs that now rest on piles of brick like crumpled hats. Leogane looks like an archaeological dig overrun by squatters who wait for food, medical attention and shelter from the sun and coming rain.

International aid is starting to pour into Port-au-Prince, two hours to the east. On Monday, four ships carrying 2,200 Marines anchored off the coast and began ferrying supplies and personnel ashore. There were scattered reports of looting and gunfire in the capital, but U.N. officials said the relief effort was gaining momentum. And international teams were still finding victims alive under the rubble.

In Leogane, hub of Haiti's sugar cane country, residents have seen just an Argentine medical team and the Spanish Red Cross, which is assessing sanitation and water needs here.

In a city of 130,000, only one well is pumping water -- no faster than the flow of a garden hose. And it's not drinkable.

Residents have given up expecting that any of those still trapped in the rubble will be rescued. After the initial grief and fear, there is a strange pause in the story of last Tuesday's earthquake.

People here can smell the inevitable.





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