CRISES

LATEST UPDATE

2011-10-10T23:33:00.001-07:00

Note: Previous entries in this blog includes NGO field work in Haiti, On assignment with Doctors Without Borders in Papua New Guinea, The Growing War Within, detailing my work with USA SWAT and Police Force in San Francisco Bay Area; and coverage of the devastating floods in Queensland, Australia.

RECENT UPDATES

(i) Wildlife Safari and Conservation: Click here for Kenya Portfolio

(ii) Travel with Media Haus Productions in Papua New Guinea to document World Bank program in Port Moresby as well as a trip far far into the wild of what is one the most unexplored countries in the world: The following is an excerpt of the latter:

Latest trip to Papua New Guinea, was to film and photograph remote highland regions in the western province that could only be accessed by chopper. Purpose was to document the impact of telecommunication networks/ towers being built and how it will affect settlements and villages that have little if any contact with the outside world. The photo is one of the mountains we landed on, which was surrounded by jungle that blanketed everything for as far as the eye could see.( Cloud covering the peak prevented the chopper from landing the day before, despite several attempts). It was an incredible adventure into areas few outsiders have ever seen.

(iii) Hitched a ride on a dredge boat the size of a football field, to intercept the humpback whales that are visiting Moreton Bay. At sunrise there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Within hours a massive electrical thunderstorm hit the Bay and Brisbane, with winds hitting at 140 kph, and set to grow. Harbor base alerted all ships of nature's onslaught, and the drama on the high seas unfolded in spectacular form. Have yet to post the tale.... here's a photo taken after the storm passed.

*****

For complete viewing of ALL TRAVEL PORTFOLIOS

(iv) And last but not least, presently working on documentary detailing NGO / UN operations in war zones and natural disasters. Sure to be a cliff hanger!!! Check back later....

Have a great day and a better one each day thereafter. BjR

*****

USA: The Growing War Within

2011-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Note:: Previous entries in this blog includes NGO field work in Haiti, On assignment with Doctors Without Borders in Papua New Guinea, and coverage of the devastating floods in Queensland Australia. See archives.

Reading daily articles of cities going broke and the increase of crime across the USA, I took to the streets to see for myself what the people are facing as a consequence of the economic decline. Please note, there are two entries on this page.

PART ONE
: USA: The Growing War Within.
*

My present project is photographing the SWAT team and Vallejo/ Benicia Police Units in action. After joining them during training, I'm heading out on a night patrol in the bankrupt city of Vallejo, where the police force is now greatly diminished due to the city's near non-existent budget to pay them. Crime is dramatically increasing, the streets reminiscent of a war zone with the frequent sounds of gunfire and the heavy thumping of helicopters crisscrossing the neighborhoods in search of the bad guys.
Vallejo is a microcosm of the US as a whole. With skyrocketing unemployment, bankruptcies and foreclosures, it is crumbling from within. And as sure as the US has limited budgets and limited patrols manning its borders, so too does Vallejo have a similar problem, with gangs and criminals coming in from other areas to take full advantage of a situation where law enforcement is virtually removed from the equation. For the police officers who still have a job with the Vallejo Police Department, things are getting a lot more dangerous. They're outgunned and outnumbered. Seriously.

And things are only going to get worse, not only in Vallejo but across the country, as the US writhes helplessly in the quick sands of economic ruin, with more cities struggling to keep their heads above ground. Less cops equals an increase in crime. Its as simple as that, and this is only the end of the beginning. Renowned economists believe the US will not surface from this economic nightmare for at least a decade.

But there is one consolation worthy of mention. The budget for US defense and foreign policy will more than likely be reigned in over the coming years for the sake of a greater cause: the American people, and homeland security. The days of the US fighting wars offshore (the reasons for which are long forgotten, if ever they were understood at all) are numbered. A war is brewing within its borders, one bankrupt city at a time.

For more photos of this assignment, go to SWAT PORTFOLIO .

PART TWO: ON PATROL SEE BELOW

For travel assignments and inquiries.

Bradley Rae

Freelance Photographer/ Writer

San Francisco Tel: 208 695 8340

Email: FlashPointUnlimited@hotmail.com

PART TWO

ON PATROL
(no photos available)

It was an unusually cold night in the bankrupt city of Vallejo, with a slight drizzle of snow flakes that dissipated before hitting the ground. The streets were empty, and there was a quiet that was uncharacteristic of the times. Driving around in a police patrol car at 11pm, I was given a tour of a city that was experiencing an epidemic of crime and violence due to severe budget cuts and the subsequent reduction of law enforcement. 6 police in 3 squad cars patrol a low income area housing 120 000.

Neighborhoods are constantly woken by automatic gunfire late at night, and sirens arriving far too late on the scene leave the public wary, frightened and without protection. So begins the civil unrest and criticism of the (remaining) men and women in law enforcement who risk their lives daily to serve, under unfathomable stress, on incomes and benefits the city is vigorously negotiating to cut. Not that the pay is that high to begin with. And it’s not as if these police officers can be replaced by a monkey in a cop suit. This is a highly specialized team of individuals working collectively to protect and save lives, including their own. But without proper funding, training and support, they face the present situation that is in every way alarming, and in every way unacceptable. Whether it is through mismanagement of city budgets or causes that stretch to federal and global levels, the streets of Vallejo are deteriorating to the point of their becoming absurdly dangerous, with a dwindling police force that is simply unable to contain it. Carrying side arms and shotguns, they face doped up teenagers and gangs with automatic weapons that can shoot 20 rounds a second, which they are not afraid to use. And so the police adjust, joining forces with the SWAT team during training to sharpen their skills to accommodate the changes, while their union struggles with city officials to better their situation.

Driving in the patrol car listening to call-ins on the radio was like listening to a lottery of disaster and strife. As to which calls were taken first, comes down to priority, of the most critical and urgent situations that need to be addressed. If a caller mentions a gun, or some one is dying, the police are coming as soon as they can, which can still take hours if they’re already on the scene of another incident. Consequently, the public has adapted to this astonishing situation, by way of overstating things in the hope the police response time is more acceptable. Answering bogus calls slows the process down considerably when it comes to fewer police on the beat, and them coordinating their activities to better serve those really in need. I was surprised to hear that calls about prowlers or domestic violence or arguments are way down the list, if ever they get attended to at all within real time. And as for dogs barking and parties raging and people calling the police to complain, forget about it! They’re not coming.

Vallejo was the first city to declare bankruptcy during the great recession of 2008-9, and its deterioration has been closely monitored by other cities that face the same predicament of financial hardship and the need to hack budgets to stay afloat. The police and fire brigade inevitably get hit with lay offs, and the world becomes a much more dangerous and volatile place.

Heading into downtown Vallejo, the first indication of changes in these hard times was a line of shivering prostitutes and pimps on parade. The police rarely bother to stop anymore to disperse them. There are too many other pressing matters to attend to. Ten calls were listed on the police scanner, on a night slowed to a near standstill because of the cold. The calls included a car accident, drunkards on the roof of a building throwing bottles at people on the street, a prowler at the back of house, and a woman lying dead on a kitchen floor. As to which took priority... previous calls did, for all three cars were preoccupied.

Cruising the streets awhile, we came to gradual halt at an intersection to view a well groomed white box of a building with the name Hell’s Angels posted out front in professional calligraphy. I was astounded to hear that other large, renowned gangs like the Banditos and the Kings of Cali have also set up in the Vallejo area, blending into the community, where they allegedly engage in illegal activities ranging from drug and gun sales, to robbery and murder, to money laundering and prostitution. And in this present environment, business is apparently booming. The police are well aware of what’s goings on, but to tackle the problem takes constant surveillance, hence more police, and with each bust comes a change of criminal strategy, meaning surveillance must be on-going. If there is no police, there’s no surveillance, so organized crime goes unchecked. This adds to the burden on the street as more guns and drugs become available, providing an only option for the large numbers of unemployed and homeless who are desperately looking for ways to survive. And so they turn to crime.

Next stop was the drunkards on the rooftop in the heart of downtown. We walked through long corridors of a cheap residential building on our way to the roof, where three people were apprehended, searched and released with a warning. The tour continued on through the vast expanse of low income neighborhoods, where social problems of domestic abuse and drug addiction are rampant, and the constitutional right to bear arms devotedly practiced. The people aren’t friendly here. They’re desperate, troubled and poor. And angry when the police are slow to respond to any violent outbreaks, which are regular.

We arrived at the scene where a woman had died, her face covered with a towel as she lay on the kitchen floor. For four hours the corpse remained in this position as family members sat in adjoining rooms, awaiting the police, weeping all the while over their loss. Police conducted their interviews with great sensitivity and respect, so beginning the process to have the body removed. In this instance, there was no criminal act, but rather natural causes that brought about her death. If it was a case of murder, however, such lengthy delays in police response time could seriously jeopardize the evidence to be found at the crime scene. Witnesses vanish into the night, and the process becomes profoundly difficult in putting a solid case together in order to bring the perpetrator to justice.

At 2am, the final leg of my tour for the evening put me in the Vallejo police station, which was near abandoned despite there being long lines of police vehicles parked outside. Inside, three operators were taking calls, prioritizing them, then relaying them to the police on the street. They spoke proudly of their jobs and expertise, and laughed nervously at the possibility of layoffs. Elsewhere throughout the building, there were very few police on duty. I saw only three in the hour I was shown around a labyrinth of corridors, passing one empty office after another. Layoffs are one reason. Another is officers resigning, who, with families, are unable to manage on the decreasing salaries and benefits. They are forced to find work elsewhere, some going to such extremes as taking well paid, but highly dangerous security jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are greatly missed by those still on patrol, who’s morale understandably is at an all time low; for it is they who are left to bear the brunt of a social onslaught that presently has no foreseeable solution; except time itself. It heals everything, this is true, but it most certainly could do with a good push from government, at all levels, to turn this situation around. As to how? Ask an expert. I'm merely an observer...

Floods in Queensland, Australia.

2011-01-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

Flying out of San Francisco, I arrived in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, January 5th. 2011. Within days I would witness a natural disaster that stunned the nation and world alike, and then a clean up effort that simply made me proud to be Australian.

This is how one of the worst natural disasters in Australian history played out. Armageddon was the term used by survivors.

Northern Queensland had been experiencing heavy rains for weeks, with a cyclone coming to shore on Christmas day to add to the burden, and thereafter came more heavy rains and wide spread flooding that went from bad to worse to inconceivably devastating in the weeks to come. La Nina, a weather phenomenon where cold and warm currents in the Pacific Ocean blend together to play havoc with atmospheric pressures, was unleashing storm after storm that pounded central and eastern Australia without reprieve. By January 9th, 75% percent of Queensland was declared a disaster zone, being an area 2.5 times the size of the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined that had gone under. Supply routes in the north of the state had been cut off from relief and emergency rescue teams, leaving populated areas, in dire need of food and clean water supplies, to fend for themselves. Towns in the southeast prepared for the worst as the storms moved down the coast, with rivers and flood waters swelling to record levels.

Courtesy of SUNDAY MAIL, QLD

And then it happened; a culmination of events that were impossible to believe, let alone prepare for.

What would later be described as a-once-in-a-hundred-year super storm was spotted on radar January 10th, heading north east across Queensland toward the Lockyer Valley. Hitting the Great Dividing Mountain Range, which shadows the coastline, and rising upward, the storm ran into another storm that had been creating havoc on the other side of the range, becoming one, causing an extreme weather and flashflood event that dumped over 200 mm of rain in an hour.

The city of Toowoomba, perched on a plateau 700 meters above sea level and surrounded by escarpments and the mother of all storms overhead, was hit first, hard, real hard, with massive rapid-like torrents of runoff coursing down the mountains. Bursting the banks of two creeks positioned east and west of the city, floodwaters roared into the CBD without warning, picking up cars and trucks like they were toys, tossing them into houses and buildings with terrifying force. Rescuers fought bravely against the deluge, saving people who, going about their daily business, were caught totally unaware. Images of people on top of floating cars, in trees, on rooftops, were too surreal to fathom. Tragedy struck when a mother and son were swept away in the torrent after the force of the water snapped the rescue line they were hanging on to. But this was only beginning of what was to come. The death toll was soon to rise.

Courtesy of INQUIRER NEWSPAPER. QLD

Merciless in its unprecedented rage, the deluge quickly spread out across the elevated city as the storm’s temper worsened, and once flooded to the brim, the water, with nowhere else to go, thundered down the steep range, becoming a voluminous force of epic proportions that unleashed Hell on Earth across the lower planes.

A nation in shock watched the news coverage as horrifying reports came in from the Lochyer Valley, located at the base of the range and only 110 km from Brisbane. The towns of Murphy’s Creek, Withcott, Postmans Ridge, Helidon and Grantham had been annihilated by a massive wall of water 25 feet high. One town after the other had simply disappeared as the inland tsunami, laden with debri, picked up and tore apart everything in its path. Houses, cars, trucks, bridges, ferries, trees and screaming people all went for a ride, along with an airliner that was dragged one mile from the tarmac. Families trapped in their homes were either sucked out by the force to their deaths, or managed to scramble to the rooftops, one man punching a hole in the ceiling through which he passed his 15 year old sister to safety, while other family members vanished in the rising turbulence below. The force of the surge was so powerful by the time it hit Heildon, that Sheeps Creek, which skims the town and flows into Lochyer Creek, actually began to run backwards, its water unable to continue on its natural course as the torrent roared past. Grantham was the last to be wiped off the map before the momentum eased briefly, spreading out across the planes, only to regain strength when it met with record releases from the Wivenhoe Dam, the last line of defense that safeguarded the capital. After three years of drought in Queensland, the dam’s level had been at 17%. Now it was at a very dangerous level of 190% and rising quickly. The operators had no choice but to open the floodgates, adding to the devastation to come.

January 11th: the city of Ipswich was next in line to be hit, then Brisbane. Bridges closed, power grids systematically were cut off, emergency, rescue and military teams were out in force and on full alert in both cities. 45000 homes were expected to go under as the water forged its violent path toward the coast. Fortunately, there was time to prepare, if only a little. Possessions were hauled to higher ground as neighbors worked collectively with relief teams to secure the cities as best they could. In the face of adversity, the Australians would not go down without a fight. 90000 sandbags were distributed throughout in a quick, yet orderly fashion. Residence in flood prone areas were advised to evacuate; yet despite all the warnings, despite all the devastation already witnessed, some people chose to stay, their actions based on the fact that if they survived the historic floods of 1974, they could survive anything. They were sadly mistaken.

Unlike the towns upstream, Ipswich went under very slowly, eerily, unstoppably as the Bremer River breached its banks, the devastation exceedingly worse than ‘74 due to the increase in population throughout the region. Nearly a third of the city went under. In the capital, under siege as flooding in the outer regions began, the work continued to fortify its walls, and to prepare for mother nature’s next catastrophic blow that would come with the changing of the tide. A mass exodus of office workers in Brisbane’s CBD, numbering tens of thousands, had taken place at midday, with traffic jams and flooded roadways hindering people’s progress as they raced the clock to evacuate. The rain continued, the river swelled, and the streets emptied as the populace fled to higher ground to wait it out. Police and roadblocks around the CBD were ubiquitous. By nightfall, the city was deserted and strangely quiet as the Brisbane River flexed its might and took control

Brisbane’s D-Day (Deluge Day) would come at 3am, Wednesday, January 12th, at high tide, noting many homes and suburbs had already disappeared under the coffee colored waters that writhed its way toward the city’s heart. As the residents slept restlessly in a black-out city, the water crept through streets like an approaching nightmare, rising up stairs and entering one house after another, until swallowing entire neighborhoods completely. Some vanished within an hour, while others died a slow and painful death as the water gradually closed in from all directions.

Come first light, for ironically it was a perfect cloudless day, the first in many weeks, surveillance aircraft and news helicopters took to the sky to assess the damage. 67 suburbs had been affected, totaling 30 000 houses in all, with many lives and businesses destroyed, and countless jobs lost. But as people collapsed in despair at the sight of their homes being inundated, others were there to lift them up. Those from areas unaffected descended on those who needed help, and through the floodwaters many lines of people, up to their chest and shoulders, could be seen passing sandbags or personal possessions from one to the other, over their heads, doing anything and everything they could for those whose lives had been turned upside down. People with boats and dinghies joined in as the fight continued against the elements throughout the day, for more devastation was expected with the next high tide at 4pm. Once all had been done that could be done, the activity slowed as the people retreated to higher ground, to look down over the flood that was consuming the city.

Courtesy of SUNDY MAIL, QLD

Spectators in their hundreds, broke through police tapes and searched out vantage points along the flooding river, while others took to safer ground, atop cliffs, as a parade of debris, of things both great and small, rolled about in the powerful currents that overflowed into the streets of downtown, and into neighborhoods that lined its banks. A one mile long cement river walk-way that had broken its ties, was spotted headed down stream like a giant serpent caught in the wrath of the river. The potential danger was obvious, prompting a tug boat driver to take action, who braved the river and guided the walk-way out of harms way. Boats, torn from their mooring, either capsized and sank, or became high speed projectiles that smashed into bridges and luxury apartment complexes that had been swamped when the river breached its banks. A water-front restaurant, uplifted from its pillars with its pristine white tents still in place, drifted along with the surge until it hit a bridge, and was forced under. On and on the debris passed by, eventually becoming mundane for spectators, who upon departing were replaced by others, until night fell and the show was over, only to resume the next day as the river raged on. Then came talk over the news about the dam not holding, and that another cyclone was teasing the coastline, and all throughout the city people looked wide eyed at each other, knowing now that the impossible was indeed possible; that things really could get worse. A lot worse.

By Friday, January 14th, all threats had passed, and a calm fell over the city once more, followed by an astounding determination to get things cleaned up; to make things right again. Much like during the height of the crisis, the Australian spirit was far from broken. As the water retreated back to its normal course way over the coming days, leaving a thick blanket of mud and filth in its wake, the most extra-ordinary act of compassion and community, of what it is to be Australian, was witnessed by the world. On what was promoted as Salvation Saturday, January 15th, 20 000 volunteers showed up at pre-arranged facilities with their own mops and brooms, to help clean up the city, and on Sunday, “Muddy” Sunday, the number rose to 50000; with relief funds pouring in from around the country: a clear sign that all were in this together, and that as a country, the Australians stood as one.

Update: In the following days and weeks, the storms that caused so much devastation in Queensland crossed the border of two other states, where record flooding was also experienced. And then came two more cyclones, one hitting Queensland again, up north in Cairns, which was a category five, the other, a category 2 cyclone, that hit Darwin in the Northern Territory. And still more storms are expected before the season comes to a close.

Footnote: Flood waters aren’t the only worry that Australians have to contend with as they battle major flooding. Deadly snakes are very common in rural and suburban areas, and they take to water with ease, so warnings are constant about people being wary. When the water retreats, other displaced wildlife also start to appear where they normally wouldn’t be. In Queensland, for instance, a crocodile was marooned in a suburban swimming pool after the floods, and a bull shark, renown for its aggression, was left stranded in a supermarket isle.

Haiti. The Next Crisis On The Horizon.

2010-04-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

The following article is base on my field work in Haiti with two NGOs ( Global Grassroots and Amurtel ). I also covered the devastation from Port-Au-Prince to the epicenter of the earthquake 30 miles away. Our campsite was crammed in alongside the mountainous ruins of a five star hotel that had totally collapsed, killing 70 people. US soldiers guarded the site to prevent looting, as rescue teams burrowed deep into the rubble in search of those still missing...

The article below is about the UN, the relief effort and the disastrous impact the approaching rainy season could have on the overcrowded tent 'cities' of Port-Au-Prince. The potential spread of diseases has relief teams scrambling for a solution. ( For more photos go to HAITI PORTFOLIO )

Note: An update on the spread of Cholera is detailed at the end of this article.

Article: Haiti. The Next Crisis On The Horizon.

On January 12th, 2010, a mega earthquake rocked the core of Haiti, adding to the woes of a country already burdened by severe poverty, widespread crime and a self indulgent government.The capital, Port-Au-Prince, was devastated. Thousands upon thousands died within a matter of a minute. The world’s leading nations quickly rallied unlike ever before, pouring record quantities of aid and money into the tiny Caribbean country that now lay in total ruins. And in the aftermath, the unthinkable began to unfold.

Local government response to the disaster was non-existent (President Preval went into hiding for the first week and police were nowhere to be seen for days). Riots broke out everywhere over food and water shortages, armed gangs looted at will, and an unrivaled army of humanitarians gallantly marched into the midst of it all without any co-ordination or unity amongst themselves. Corpses littered the streets for over a week until they were transported to a mass grave site just outside the capital. All the while thousands of more corpses were left, and still remain, buried in the rubble, the smell of death blanketing all corners of the city that stands as a precarious skeleton compared to what it once was. US troops landed on the streets en force to establish order, and the UN, contending with the collapse of its headquarters in Port-Au-Prince and the death of 101 staff, gradually began to appear, after days of silence, spreading like a ubiquitous wave of hope across the land, filling in the gaps as the US forces began their withdrawal in the weeks that followed.

Now in the third month after the earthquake, and with approximately 10000 NGOs (non government organizations) active in the region, the relief effort has been a crucial and urgent inundation that has been seriously hampered by unfathomable conditions. Vital distribution of food, water and medical supplies are yet to reach the majority of people who remain utterly destitute, helpless, and totally disillusioned by the limited progress of the many who have come to save them. The reality of the destitution is ever present throughout the country, particularly from Port Au Prince to the epicenter of the quake 30 miles away. Anti UN graffiti is written on walls, as well are pleas for help to the outside world. And behind closed doors, tireless meetings continue in the UN and its subdivisions (ie World Food Program and World Health Organization) with NGOs and media packing the rooms in attendance.

Presently, there’s been little constructive organization of the masses beyond the endless tent cities or encampments that blotch the landscape. These encampments house anywhere from a 100 people up to 40000, and most are seriously lacking in sanitation. Efforts in moving them to more strategic locations are underway but the task is proving extraordinarily difficult with so many in desperate need of bare essentials and medical attention. Local and foreign medical teams are operating beyond their limit, as well are food and supply depots, with the destitute standing in lines stretching for blocks around the capital city.

These people are going nowhere, at least not anytime soon, which gives rise to a whole different layer of problems as the skies darken and the rainy season approaches; for with the rain, comes the possibility of diseases spreading throughout the camps. If this happens, if such diseases as cholera, typhoid or dysentery take hold across the demolished city, where large groups of people are crammed in together amongst the rubble, it could prove utterly devastating. Desperate work is in progress to clear the drainage systems of debris before the rains start, but it’s unlikely, if not futile, this undertaking. Floodwater laden with vast amounts of garbage will hit the city like a tsunami of pollution descending from the surrounding mountains, meandering through the streets of Port-Au-Prince with the heavy rains expected come May. The ex-Prime Minister of Haiti, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, spoke with noted dread, of the inevitability of such events in a recent interview with a US network. Add to this deluge the raw sewerage from the camps and the large number of decomposing bodies still beneath the ruins, and the situation becomes even more desperate and critical, if not unfathomable. As noted by Dr David Walton of Partners in Health, the rainy season and poor sanitary conditions will simply exacerbate the spread of disease... a 1000 fold. And with the hurricane season on its way, the tent cities are further burdened by the serious threat of but a single severe storm hitting the country head-on. This could leave hundreds and thousands of people without shelter, totally unprotected in the raging elements when they have no where else to go. Most buildings that are still standing in Port-Au-Prince and surrounding areas are marred with giant cracks and are perilously unstable, and that’s in dry conditions. Add incessant downpours and cyclonic winds to the mix, and many more buildings and houses are sure to tumble, taking any desperate enough to dare their interiors, with them. To walk the tent camps is to see quite obviously the problems that are certain to arise. And the time for preventative action is passing under the present system where the UN and NGOs are running the country, which is a huge problem in itself.

The UN and NGOs are faced with an unprecedented situation. They are not meant to run a country, to assume such responsibilities as rebuilding streets and sewerage canals and homes and schools and hospitals to near everything else in between. This is the role of government. President Preval argues in response to the broad criticism over his handling of the disaster, that his government was simply caught unaware, and with a fault line literally passing through the now fragmented presidential palace, one must concede to the impossibility of what his government is facing. The UN did much the same as Perval did when it closed its doors for the first week following the quake. It was simply overwhelmed, and unable to cope.

So it remains to be seen if the Haitian government can be comprehensively active in the hard months ahead. This will entail working collectively and creatively with foreign governments, the UN and the humanitarian army that have all rallied to overcome a seemingly impossible situation. To better the conditions of the Haitian population, and to manage the next crisis in the camps, requires meetings, expert testimony, countless details and procedures in rebuilding the infrastructure of a country virtually from scratch, and the implementation and modification of complex programs that can only spread through the efforts of the embedded foreign aid workers; some who, for the first time, are not only entering an impoverished foreign culture, but one that has been slammed by a natural disaster of epic proportions. Point being, the relief effort is going to take time, and time is something the Haitian people have little of. The next wave is about to hit.

More awareness. More aid. More volunteers. This is what is needed; which amounts to the continued support of the NGOs in the field. The rainy season is coming and much to their credit, they're not going anywhere either. I've seen the work these organizations do, and the severe conditions they confront for the sake of helping others. They are the best of what Humanity can be.

If one thing is certain, it is this. As the hardships mount, the humanitarian effort will courageously grow to counter them, and through a world united a new Haiti will inevitably be reborn. One day...

UPDATE ON THE SPREAD OF CHOLERA IN HAITI

In October 2010, Cholera hit Haiti. It is believed that the introduction of the disease was caused by a Nepali peace keeping force that had been brought in by the UN to oversee the situation. Apparently the soldiers were not quarantined and checked thoroughly before they entered the country. The first cases of cholera were reported just down stream from the UN camp, which was housing 500 soldiers; the raw sewerage from the camp being dumped into the local river in copious amounts. Sewerage and water are the main ingredients for the spread of the disease that causes severe dydration and can kill in a matter of hours. When the UN was confronted by a journalist about the first cases, the UN ignored the warning, declaring that the handful of cases reported at that stage was too meager to bother with, when compared to the 200 000 people displaced by the earthquake. (Keep in mind the UN is the most funded and experienced of all humanitarian organizations in the world, having worked in such disaster zones for over 60 years.) Three months and one hurricane later, the number of people who had contracted the disease had jumped from 10 to 360 000. Nearly 6000 people to date have died.

For travel assignments and inquiries.

Bradley Rae
Freelance Photographer/ Writer
San Francisco Tel: 208 695 8340

Presently in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Best way to reach me is via email: FlashPointUnlimited@hotmail.com

On Assignment With Doctors Without Borders

2009-12-10T01:46:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from Papua New Guinea (PNG) where I was on assignment with Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ). My job was to photograph the NGO's medical unit that has been set up in Lae to help with the cholera epidemic; as well as their Women and Children Support Clinic that specializes in the medical treatment and counseling of rape and assault victims. I was also scheduled to go to a remote village called Tari in the highlands, to photograph the MSF surgical trauma team in action. And between these assignments i planned to visit a coastal festival in the north, to experience some of the cultural traditions that flourish in what is one of the most beautiful and unexplored countries in the world. For excerpts of this trip, see article below. (For more photos go to PAPUA NEW GUINEA PORTFOLIO

Excerpts from the article: Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Papua New Guinea

In an in-house newsletter there is reference to a member of MSF’s global operations who died a year before in Afghanistan. The widow of the deceased wrote to MSF in memory of her husband. “ … continue in your struggle to do good, for everyone has their day.” These humanitarians are hard core, going into conflict zones like unseen heroes testing their bodies and spirits to a limit few can imagine, let alone endure. And their only reward is caring for those in need.

The compound for the MSF team has a modest colonial timber house with a guard post manned by two, plus a dog, a rottweiller, which is only brought out at night. It also has high gates and fences with spiraling barbed wire; a type of fortification that is ubiquitous around PNG...

Dropping my gear alongside a netted bed, I’m immediately driven to the medical facility to meet the team and to be briefed by the field coordinator on security protocol and areas of operation. The medical clinic is attached to an age beaten hospital that consists of barrack like wards alongside a large four story box building for the ER and outpatient clinics. It too has security gates and guards monitoring it 24/7, with a gated entrance that is permanently locked but for patients and staff passing in and out. The clinic has ten petite rooms for consultation and surgery, with three offices for administration and work stations for the medical crew. It was set up exclusively for the medical care and psychological counseling of women and children who have been abused, beaten and or raped, both inside and outside the home. It’s a man’s world here, and domestic and street violence against women is a major problem that the government is making great progress in effectively changing, so much its social programs and initiatives have become an example to other nations throughout the Sth Pacific.Advertisements opposing violence against women, as well as alcohol and drug abuse are regular features in all media, with the implementation of educational programs and the establishment of women support groups now widespread throughout the country. T.V shows such as the YLM Report is another example of the efforts underway to turn things around and to promote a better way of life for all. The support of NGOs such as MSF and their medical facilities, where victims seek help and guidance, is yet another avenue through which these government initiates are finding their mark.

The MSF team in Lae consists of one doctor from India and another from the US, a nurse from Belgium, two logisticians, one English, the other French, and a field coordinator from Holland. Upon meeting everyone, I’m escorted by the field coordinator around the hospital grounds. Moving down extremely long, outdoor walkways that criss cross throughout the fenced off compound, we come across the cholera facility built by MSF. It’s a mash unit, small scale. When cholera cases were being reported all over the country recently, MSF responded above all other NGOs,proving itself a crucial player through which government initiatives could be further circulated as MSF built medical facilities for the hundreds of incoming who had contracted the disease. Later, as I read newspapers dating back weeks, I came to learn of the panic that had swept the country. Because people bathe and wash their clothes in the rivers, the disease moved quickly throughout, entering one village after another. Through swift government and NGO intervention, the outbreak was quickly contained, at least in Lae and Port Moresby, although the regions remain on high alert as other outbreaks are reported from one province to the next. Team members from Lae were sent to the city of Madang at a moment's notice during my visit. Another outbreak was taking hold. I would hear eight days later that the number of dead had increased from 30 to over 300. The headlines had long since raised the alarm. The fact locals were virtually ignorant, however, as to the disease and how it spread, and few educational and health programs had been implemented successfully at this stage (illiteracy is near 80% in PNG, which is a major hurdle), its assumed that many more have died in the villages, never knowing what hit them.

Being new to PNG, MSF’s presence and mission is growing. They are becoming well known, or at least better known. They still have a long way to go, but the cholera epidemic has helped tremendously in getting recognition by the government and local communities alike. Subsequently every body has won because of their intervention.

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For photographs of this assignment, go to PAPUA NEW GUINEA PORTFOLIO