Haiti: As Hurricanes Loom, UN Urges World to Give

Haiti needs continued generous support from the international community, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said during a visit to Port-au-Prince Sunday. Just over two months after an earthquake destroyed much of the capital and surrounding areas, only 49 per cent of the $1.4 billion dollar flash appeal for funds to help reconstruction efforts has been subscribed by international donors.

“For the foreseeable future, the government will need international assistance to simply cover its payroll— teachers, police, doctors and nurses.” said Ban. “The international community has been extraordinarily generous. Our challenge is to maintain this spirit of solidarity through the upcoming donors conference and beyond. ” added Ban, after meeting Haitian President Rene Preval to discuss the agenda for the international donors conference at UN headquarters on March 31st.

Finding shelter for those left without a home by the quake is still a top priority, the Secretary General said. He estimated UN agencies have provided tents and tarps to approximately 60 percent of the 1.3 million people believed homeless and that the remaining number would get temporary shelter by the end of April.

“We are planning on building more durable collective or community housing for the largest number of people possible before the start of hurricane season in June. If there is one thing Haiti does not need, it is another humanitarian catastrophe.” Weather forecasters are already predicting an active hurricane season in the Atlantic this year.

Monday Morning Conference Call with Rick Davis, McCain Campaign Manager

Senator John McCain (R - AZ) campaign manager Rick Davis held a conference call Monday morning to discuss the schedule for the week and fundraising. An information center has been established in the Xcel Energy Center for delegates and participants to monitor the weather in the southern states.

Campaign manager Rick Davis said Laura Bush will introduce a video and Cindy McCain will address the delegates following todays official events. The speech will be mostly non-political and will ask for hurricane relief.

The McCain campaign, in conjunction with Target and FedEx, is also creating 80,000 "comfort packages" that will go to the regions impacted by Hurricane Gustav. The packages will be assembled at the convention site beginning Wednesday morning. Volunteers interested in helping to pack the contents of the packages will be accepted then.

McCain's campaign has begun a fundraising effort together with five governors from the affected region. They will identify charitabble organizations able to assist those impacted by the hurricane. In addition to working with those at the convention to raise money, the campaign has also set up a phone bank at the Minneapolis Hilton manned by a team of volunteers. These efforts will concentrate on reaching out to McCain's previous donors.

Red Cross: Not ready for nature’s potential

At a congressional briefing, Red Cross Disaster Services Senior Vice President Joe Becker said that, in the event of the worst potential disaster, the Red Cross would not be fully prepared. He said that the Red Cross is completely prepared to handle the kind of disasters experts have predicted, even one that is worse than hurricane Katrina. He said that the Red Cross is currently dealing with at least 15 crises all over the country. He said the Red Cross has the potential to deliver up to four thousand volunteers per day depending on the severity of the disaster and the need for intervention.

Becker said that the hurricane season lasts from June to November and there is a 70 percent chance that at least a category three hurricane will hit the east coast sometime this year. He said that currently the Red Cross has the ability to serve one million meals per day for as many days as is necessary. Becker said that the red cross has over 49,000 buildings it can use as shelters during a disaster, and these buildings can hold up to 5.3 million people.

One of the major problems, Becker said, was a failing IT system used during hurricane Katrina. He said that the new IT system currently in place can hold up to ten million cases and there only 2.3 million in the database at this time. He also said that only eight to ten percent of Americans have taken the necessary precautions against severe weather.

Mynamar's reaction to the cyclone is "appalling"

The Committee on Foreign Affairs met today to discuss Myanmar in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis. Scot Marciel, deputy assistant secretary of state, criticized the Myanmar government’s handling of the disaster, saying it was “appalling.”

On May 2 a tropical cyclone hit Myanmar, which destroyed more than 95 percent of structures in some communities in the Irrawaddy Delta. The storm left 2.4 million in urgent need of assistance. The United Nations estimates cyclone-related deaths are between 78,000 and 125,000. The United States has offered assistance and the international community has responded and offered over $100 million in assistance to Myanmar. However as Marciel said, “the Myanmar regime’s response to this disaster has fallen far short of what was required. Frankly, it has been appalling.”

The Myanmar government put the priority on conducting a “deeply flawed referendum” on its draft constitution and has give very few international aid organizations visas into the country.

“The fact that the regime proceeded with the referendum in the midst of a humanitarian disaster speaks volumes to its indifference to the welfare of the Burmese people,” Marciel said.

The United States has engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts over the past two weeks in order to offer humanitarian assistance to those affected by the cyclone. As of May 19, reports indicate that supplies are going out slowly to the affected areas and only 20 percent of the 2.4 million people have received any aid. Only a quarter of the 2.4 million people had received food aid through the World Food Program and the World Health Organization has reported that an outbreak of malaria and dengue fever could occur within weeks if the people don’t get adequate aid soon.