An International 911
An International 911
The world needs a central command-and-control centre to respond to disasters quickly and orderly.
Five days after the massive earthquake hit Haiti, little aid was reaching the beleaguered people on the ground. Access to crucial medical care, food, and water was scant. Extractive efforts beyond what the people were doing with shovels and their bare hands were largely non-existent. Haitians, starving, dangerously dehydrated, and exposed to a withering sun, were dying by the thousands. This, despite the fact that large quantities of donated emergency supplies were sitting on the tarmac of the country’s main airport in Port-au-Prince.
An International 911
One Response to “An International 911”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
February 6th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Thanks Dr. Martin, for your great insight on the International 911 article, especially the lessons that can be learned & applied from our local communities. We may be living on borrowed time in beautiful Vancouver Island and I hope we can all take opportunities like this to increase our own awareness about what we can do for ourselves…
We are doing our part to do just that. Below is an article from my own Water Facts Guide blog you might enjoy.
Never be short of water—even when there is no emergency!
The earthquake damage in Haiti has been so devastating; it may take years—even decades–before the country is back on its feet.
Such disasters are a vivid reminder of how fragile life can be with no food or water. Survival experts call it ‘The Rule of Threes’: stay alive for 3 weeks without food– but only 3 days with no water.
For this reason, we have launched a water preparedness initiative for our Bear Mountain community that will:
• guarantee safe, clean drinking water for your family
• and support Haiti at the same time!
It’s always possible, of course, that a catastrophic earthquake may never hit the west coast of Vancouver Island in our lifetime; we may never experience dehydration or the debilitating or fatal illnesses caused by a contaminated water supply.
But how about a little peace of mind right now?
Isn’t it time to guarantee that all the drinking water in your home is always as safe and as clean as it can be–even if no emergency ever comes.
When it comes to water, no family should ever be caught short.
See how you can protect your drinking water and support Haiti, too: http://www.clean-safe-water.com/victoria
Be ready for life—whatever happens!
Gwen Richardson
No Limits Health
Bear Mountain, Victoria, BC
250-415-0785