Shapiro ’03 with Update from Haiti
Conor Shapiro, Middlebury Class of 2003, is in Haiti at St. Boniface Hospital, 65 miles north of Port-Au-Prince. His organization is a non-profit, volunteer organization founded in 1983 in Quincy, Massachusetts. A letter from Shapiro last night says:
The scene in Port-Au-Prince is just inconceivable. Almost every building has major structural damage and most large buildings have collapsed. Bodies line the streets and millions of people are walking with nowhere to go. As of yesterday afternoon, there were no aid organizations that I could see and the suffering is just unbelievable. There needs to be a massive aid effort to restore order (I saw random incidents of mass hysteria), feed people, and get clean water to the population. Large refugee camps need to be set up throughout the city and it will be important to have security forces that can restore order, especially as time goes on. There also needs to be a huge effort to evacuate people who were injured by falling debris and concrete.
Shapiro also was on Fox News via phone call:
(via Tim Etchells/Public Affairs)
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It’s really frustrating to see how chaotic the scene there is. Hopefully they can set up a solid system for the relief effort ASAP. Does anyone have any thoughts as to how the outside world can direct their support towards more direct and immediate aid?
Would just like to mention to anyone reading that a group of people will be in both proctor and Ross dining halls all day today and most likely for the next few days collecting money for Partners in Health and encouraging texting donations to the Red Cross. Please swing by with cash etc. if you can.