
Two weeks after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, a Canadian military medical clinic in the town of Jacmel in Haiti was operating at almost full capacity. The clinic is used to treat wounded victims of the earth quake. Lt. Col. Bruce Ewing, commander of the Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) told the CBC that is currently treating 246 people as of Monday. Ewing stated that the clinic is designed to treat up to 250 people, but will try to keep treating people as long as they keep showing up. Canadians have started to produce potable water but is not ready to be handed out to the people. Ewing stated that they cannot distribute water until it reaches the appropriate standard. The water in Jacmel is very dirty, therefore Canadians had to obtain a large water purifier to treat the water. This was not an easy task as the roads in Jacmel were badly damaged, thus making it very hard to transport the water purifier. The United Nations estimated that up to one million people are homeless. The President of Haiti issued a demand for 200,000 tents as people are living in open areas. The government has designated temporary tent camps just outside of the city for homeless people to live. The government hope the the people can start making their way back to their homes if possible. To date, 21 Canadians are reported to be dead and 148 missing
I feel that the number of Haitians requiring medical assistance will increase. With more people requiring assistance the military medical clinic will at some point be unable to take any more patients. Lt. Col. Bruce Ewing stated that, "We will keep treating as long as they show up". I believe that at some point Ewing will have to go back on his word and stop accepting patients. The demand for these type of clinics in Haiti must be very high due to all of the injured people. Canada should start sending more doctors and create more medical clinics in Haiti to accommodate all of the injured people. The military should try and distribute the purified water as soon as possible because some people in Haiti have been without water for days. In Haiti the demand for water is so high that fights and arguments are starting to break out. This is why Canada should try and distribute the water as soon as possible. The Haitian government is doing the right thing by trying to move the people away from the streets and get them into the homes if possible. The issue of sanitation will play a big role in the many deaths within Haiti. Homeless people have been without proper sanitation now for up to two weeks. The potential of spreading bacteria around will ultimately cause death.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/26/haiti-dart-relief-aid.html