Thirteen days after the killer earthquake, they were desperate to recover some of the thousands of Port-au-Prince’s lost dead - to close each tragic circle, to lay loved ones in the earth to rest in peace.
For the living - the homeless spread across empty lots, parks, and plazas in the hundreds of thousands - there was little rest as aid agencies struggled to fill their needs for food and water, and to get them tents to shelter their families against the burning tropical sun.
In front of the wrecked National Palace, people’s desperation boiled over. Uruguayan UN peacekeepers had to fire pepper spray into the air to try to disperse thousands jostling for food.
The overwhelmed soldiers finally retreated, and young men rushed forward to grab the bags of pinto beans and rice, emblazoned with the US flag, pushing aside others - including a pregnant woman who collapsed and was trampled. Thousands were left without food.
In the surrounding Champs de Mars plaza, a sea of homeless covered the open ground, many with nothing more than a plastic sheet to protect them from sun and rain.
“We live like dogs,’’ said Espiegle Amilcar, 34. “We’re sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom in the same place.’’
Officials estimated that 235,000 have taken advantage of the government offer of free transport to leave the city, and many others left on their own. That leaves about 700,000 other people living on the streets around Port-au-Prince under whatever they can salvage.
The global agency supplying tents said it already had 10,000 stored in Haiti and at least 30,000 more would be arriving. But, said the International Organization for Migration, “the supply is unlikely to address the extensive shelter needs.’’
The organization had estimated 100,000 family-sized tents were needed. But the UN says up to 1 million people require shelter, and President Rene Preval issued an urgent appeal yesterday for 200,000 tents and for the aircraft carrying them to be given urgent landing priority at Port-au-Prince airport.
