Haiti Herald, Feb. 23, 2010

There was another earthquake in Haiti on Monday. It was reported to be 4.7 but was strong enough to panic the people. It has been reported that there have been 130 aftershocks since the major 6.1 earthquake of Jan. 12. (Le Nouvelliste) President Preval now estimates the number of victims to be as high as 300,000 once all the rubble has been removed and all bodies have been rescued.

Two minibuses loaded with aid that had been donated to the Haitian earthquake victims were stopped in Dajabon, DR. The goods were being brought into the DR to be sold here for profit. The buses contained clothing, mosquito nets, toothpaste, shoes and food with the labels from the international aid agencies still on them. Another vehicle completely full of canned food was also stopped and confiscated by police.

A UN convoy of food was attacked near Cap Haitian on Monday. The convoy had crossed the border in the northern part of the country and was headed to Port au Prince. A crowd of over 100 people blocked the road and threw rocks at the convoy, demanding aid for them and their families. Under pressure, the Chilean soldiers accompanying the convoy distributed the food to the protesters. (SF Gate)

Dominican police have also stopped several truckloads of illegals crossing the border. The Haitians said they paid $150-200US to be transported from Port au Prince to Cap Haitian. From there, Haitian traffickers got them across the border and then asked them for $3000-4000 Dominican pesos to take them to Santiago. The trucks were carrying 127 Haitians. (Listin Diario)

Haitian senators have asked President Preval to extend for another month the "state of national emergency" which has now ended. There is still $11 million US available to be distributed under the emergency plan that could be used to help people who are still in critical situations. The senators asked for these funds to be spent rapidly and without constraint. (Le Nouvelliste)

The Haitian ambassador to Spain said this week that it will take 25 years to rebuild Haiti. She is asking Spain to donate tents and prefabricated houses. An estimated 20,000 homes were destroyed in the quake. She is also asking Spain to donate large machinery to help in the demolition of damaged buildings and in the removal of rubble. (Listin Diario)

A serious concern in the tent cities is what to do with all the human waste. Cases of typhoid and diharrea are on the rise. There are no sewage system treatment plants in Haiti. Human waste is dumped in the city dump along with garbage and medical waste. There are some portable latrines but even these overflowed after the rains of the past week. Aid workers are looking for more portable latrines but that also means setting up a system and paying someone to regularly empty them. (SF Gate)

All of the country's embassies have been inundated with people asking for travel visas. Haitians stand in line from sunup to sundown, in the rain and in the sun, waiting for their number to be called. Many will even sleep on the sidewalk overnight so as not to lose their place in line. The most coveted visas are for Canada, USA, France, Mexico and Senegal. (Le Soleil)

Dr. Michel Chancey, Haitian Secretary of State, responsible for the distribution of food donations in Haiti warns that too much aid will only slow down Haiti's economic redevelopment. The constant flow of free food will make if difficult for farmers to market their products. The planting season begins next week, but many farmers are discouraged about planting since they fear no one will buy their products if they are able to receive them free in a handout line. The government is distributing 10,000 tons of rice every two weeks. Chancey said that before the earthquake Haiti produced 45% of it's own food, imports were 50% and 5% was international aid. Before the earthquake 500,000 were receiving food aid. That number is now 2 million. Chancey would like to see a gradual reduction of the food aid so the country can reestablish it's agriculture system and reduce the dependence on international food aid. (Le Soleil)