tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post6918426650076861234..comments2023-10-06T14:30:48.719+02:00Comments on On the road to discovery: Roxanna Samii blog: The unique challenges of #Haiti’s emergency logisticsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933270079603837958noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-85986627289124919352010-10-20T04:06:14.275+02:002010-10-20T04:06:14.275+02:00Bravo, you were not mistaken :)Bravo, you were not mistaken :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-56200207463863573462010-02-23T01:30:25.124+01:002010-02-23T01:30:25.124+01:00Hi Roxanna,
If you have had a chance to read my bl...Hi Roxanna,<br />If you have had a chance to read my blog, would appreciate your comments please.<br />Many thanks/BobBob Smarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638148483091600057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-70398349324291087452010-02-22T11:52:32.417+01:002010-02-22T11:52:32.417+01:00Blog only posted today and thanks for reading it!
...Blog only posted today and thanks for reading it!<br />My question is - why isn't something like this in existence to respond to natural disasters?Bob Smarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638148483091600057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-64216986661407206752010-02-04T10:49:35.090+01:002010-02-04T10:49:35.090+01:00Dear Roxanna Samii,
A friend posted your link afew...Dear Roxanna Samii,<br />A friend posted your link afew days ago, which I've only just read and has given me a better insight into how humanitarian organizations/aid agencies and governments try and deal/cope with large scale natural disasters.<br />About a week after the Haitian earthquake,I was shocked and dismayed to learn from TV news that relief was only just getting through to the survivors..........Bob Smarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638148483091600057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-29226241167184273402010-02-02T17:43:08.419+01:002010-02-02T17:43:08.419+01:00Dear Roxanna
I'm a student from Catholic Univ...Dear Roxanna<br /><br />I'm a student from Catholic University of Leuven, doing her masters in production and logistics at this moment. This year I have to write a master thesis and the subject I've chosen is humanitarian logistics. The blog written by your sister was very learningful. Would it be possible for me to contact her personally in order to receive more information related to this matter?<br />With warm regards<br />LeiSofia L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12892181159136144066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-64511771518410314112010-01-22T09:28:47.588+01:002010-01-22T09:28:47.588+01:00Dear Lesley,
In response to your query, here is Ra...Dear Lesley,<br />In response to your query, here is Ramina's answer:<br /><br />Humanitarian organizations typcially provide relief assistance after a disaster at least for a period of three months. But the sooner they have an idea of the cash available, the better they can plan their response (e.g. do their procurement, field personnel, etc.). In terms of which organization, the well-known ones - Red Cross, UN organizations such as WFP, IMO, UNICEF, or NGOs such as Save the Children are probably a better bet. One should also bear in mind that a percentage of all donations will certainly end up in 'administration' as all organization depend on their back-office to operate.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933270079603837958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-79483166164703084312010-01-21T22:41:35.587+01:002010-01-21T22:41:35.587+01:00Dear Roxanna,
Thanks so much for posting this and...Dear Roxanna,<br /><br />Thanks so much for posting this and yes, please thank your sister and tell her that social media, a neutral form, can be amazingly effective in positive ways.<br /><br />I'm confused.<br />I was going to go to Paris for a holiday, but I've decided to send the money I was going to spend to Haiti to help in the relief effort. <br /><br />I'd like the money to be as effective as possible, ie; as much of it going to the people on the ground as possible, rather than to administration.<br /><br />Who would you suggest I send it to and when? <br /><br />In your or your sister's opinion, is there any use in waiting a month or so to send it when the immediate surge of contributions has diminished somewhat and the bandwagon isn't quite as full but the need is just as imminent?<br /><br />Thanks so much for the information.<br /><br />LesleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-11716252180091340962010-01-20T09:17:38.570+01:002010-01-20T09:17:38.570+01:00In response to traxus4420 follow up question, here...In response to traxus4420 follow up question, here is Ramina's response<br /><br /><i>i wasn't quite sure what you meant by this:<br /><br />"no local community (e.g. family members in other cities) to fall back on"<br /><br />does that mean haitians don't know other haitians in different cities? my impression was that in the absence of external aid haitians were helping each other, and those who didn't need high-tech surgery just needed supplies. </i><br /><br />Of course people have relatives in other Haitian cities but given that Haiti is a small country (compared to let us say India or Indonesia), that the earthquake has devastated a good part of the country (as we are slowly learning from the news), that most people generally live just above the poverty line, it is unlikely that a good number of survivors would find relief (water, shelter, food) by moving to the country side or other cities.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933270079603837958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-58405854814257246302010-01-19T18:27:38.564+01:002010-01-19T18:27:38.564+01:00thanks for your careful response --
i wasn't ...thanks for your careful response --<br /><br />i wasn't quite sure what you meant by this:<br /><br />"no local community (e.g. family members in other cities) to fall back on"<br /><br />does that mean haitians don't know other haitians in different cities? my impression was that in the absence of external aid haitians were helping each other, and those who didn't need high-tech surgery just needed supplies. <br /><br />this doctor's updates have been helpful:<br />http://standwithhaiti.org/haiti/news-entry/the-city-is-changed-forever-evan-lyon/traxus4420https://www.blogger.com/profile/05083641650092543902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-81836795988448712592010-01-19T16:47:20.265+01:002010-01-19T16:47:20.265+01:00Traxus4420 here is Ramina's answers to your qu...Traxus4420 here is Ramina's answers to your questions: <br /><br />Before responding to your questions, I would like to mention that I am a mere observer of the Haitian earthquake and in no way involved in the relief effort. <br /> <br />1) if "the speed and scale of the U.S. response" was "unprecedented," why were there so many media reports about how much more quickly other organizations responded? <br />One has to distinguish between rescue teams and relief. National rescue teams were on the ground rather quickly while humanitarian organizations with local presence using their existing stock managed to stage a timid initial relief response. My reference to the speed and scale of US response was more about the decision-making process to assist Haiti and its communication by President Obama. <br /><br />2) is the U.S. military's exclusive control of the airspace beneficial or necessary, or is it detrimental to an international aid response? what should they be doing differently? <br />In the absence of local capability, control of the airspace by one party is beneficial and necessary. However its 'exclusive' use by the party in control de facto excludes other actors to contribute to the effort.<br /><br />3) Why do you think the U.S. turned away some aid organizations (like medecins sans frontieres) and national delegations (like Caricom)? <br />Given the limited capability of the airport, I have the feeling that the US has given 'priority' to its aid operations and high-level visitors over other organizations. <br /><br />4) should it have been possible to supply basic necessities to earthquake survivors within 72 hours? is there a 'normal' or 'average' response time for disasters of this magnitude? <br />Usually survivors of natural disasters receive their first assistance from the local government and locally present humanitarian organziations - both of which affected by the earthquake. As mentioned in the post, humanitarian organizations (HOs) have to mobilize goods, transport them to the disaster site, store them and then distribute them. So that typically does takes up to 72 hrs. It is also important to mention that HOs typically assist the population for at least 3 months after the disaster. <br /> <br />Natural disasters do destroy or damage the infrastructure. But it is also true that rarely have they affected the capital city, the main and largest airports and ports of a country. In Haiti, humanitarian organizations could not readily rely on four important actors typically with their own resources and assets: Haitian government, Haitian military, local NGOs, and local suppliers to stage their response. This has crippled their relief effort significantly. What is so different between the 2004 Tsunami and Haiti, is the requirement for a rescue effort, the mind-boggling number of injured survivors requiring surgical medical intervention and care, the concentration of millions of survivors in a limited area (there is even news of people in the nearby cities and rural areas moving into the capital), no local community (e.g. family members in other cities) to fall back on, andthe fluid security environment. We only have reports on 'migration' to the Domincian Republic.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933270079603837958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-45784527417024488782010-01-18T21:00:35.074+01:002010-01-18T21:00:35.074+01:00Following the Haiti situation on many fronts, espe...Following the Haiti situation on many fronts, especially through web2 tools and reading the media coverage, and also having studied a bit of logistics while I was getting my MBA at Columbia, and last (but not least) working for the UN, I really appreciate this article. It is both informative and enlightening.<br /><br />Thanks Roxy for brining your guest blogger in! I notice that it's being passed around on Twitter as we type...Michael Riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05669764110474163606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866242447606383181.post-50201907423464865812010-01-18T19:49:59.898+01:002010-01-18T19:49:59.898+01:00Thanks for posting this!
I have four questions, w...Thanks for posting this!<br /><br />I have four questions, which revolve around my perception that the U.S. and not the U.N. has been obstructing aid to Haiti:<br /><br />1) if "the speed and scale of the U.S. response" was "unprecedented," why were there so many media reports about how much more quickly other organizations responded?<br /><br />2) is the U.S. military's exclusive control of the airspace beneficial or necessary, or is it detrimental to an international aid response? what should they be doing differently?<br /><br />3) Why do you think the U.S. turned away some aid organizations (like medecins sans frontieres) and national delegations (like Caricom)?<br /><br />4) should it have been possible to supply basic necessities to earthquake survivors within 72 hours? is there a 'normal' or 'average' response time for disasters of this magnitude?traxus4420https://www.blogger.com/profile/05083641650092543902noreply@blogger.com