Winged Scalpel by Richard Villar

Author:Richard Villar
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783830923
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

I did not feel welcome at the UN base. The place was clearly struggling. Agencies from throughout the world had started to arrive but the establishment seemed unable to handle the increased numbers. Sadly, the UN itself had lost more than 100 of its staff in the earthquake, individuals who had known each other well during more peaceful times. The sense of sadness, at times inertia, was overwhelming, much of it created by this loss.

In the early days of a disaster relief programme there are no offices and desks to which new arrivals can report and ask for instructions. This is not a package holiday with a tour guide to greet you. The few individuals who may be tasked to provide information are as hampered as the rest by lack of communication, lack of information and lack of the basic essentials of life. By the time such things do appear, an aid programme has grown so large that it is bigger than any one office can control. It is every man for himself in the early days of disaster relief, an observation that applies both to survivors and those who seek to help them.

The UN base was at least secure and allowed a location from which to operate or to find alternative accommodation. Key to success in a disaster zone is how long you intend to stay. Major disasters are besieged by many hundreds of groups from all over the world, often hastily assembled, who hurtle to catastrophes with a truckload of water, or a few medical kits, perhaps some lifting apparatus, but who may only be on site for a few days. Any help is clearly valuable but continuity is all. To say to local people that you are there for the long haul is a major asset in almost all negotiations. How long I intended to stay was the first question I was asked by many Haitians throughout my time in the disaster zone.

Way down one end of the UN base we found a small, open, rocky yet grassy area. Normally home to an occasional scorpion, rat, or abandoned dog this, to us, was a perfect campsite. Or, at least it would have been had the tents been simple to erect. What should have been a smooth-running, professional performance by well-seasoned travellers and outdoor experts became a hysterical exercise in inefficiency. I was particularly ashamed as I should have known better. The combination of an earlier military life and frequent mountaineering has forced me to spend many, many nights under canvas. Erecting a tent should, for me, have been reflex. But it was not.

London had sent four tents for five people. Each tent was a different colour, size, shape and design, and each was erected differently. This was a recipe for disaster. We mixed up poles, pegs, flysheets and guy ropes. Fibreglass supports went in one tent sleeve and out the wrong way, pole elastics were unintentionally snapped, while flysheets were attached back to front. It was only

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.