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The massive earthquake in Haiti is all over the news today. I have an interesting relationship to that island. I spent a month operating in sight of Haiti but never went ashore. It's also the only place I've been that you could smell five miles offshore.
Back in the 1990s, Haiti had yet another of its series of military coups. The US was displeased, and part of the way we expressed our displeasure was via a Naval blockade. Now, since the GNP of Haiti is roughly equivalent to the GDP of Naperville on a slow Tuesday, there was very little shipping to blockade. Since the flagship of the Haitian navy was an armed tugboat that had survived Pearl Harbor, the military threat was low as well.
I do remember quite clearly one instance when we were approaching Cap Haitien, a city of 200,000 on the north coast. We were 10 miles out to sea when I got a strong whiff of wood smoke. Strong enough, in fact, that I sent watchstanders to check and see if we had a fire in the rope locker. We didn't, and as we got closer to the coast, the wood smoke was "complemented" by the smell of shit. The city came into view, and unlike the strong white lights of most cities, it was mostly orange and flickering.
Cap Haitien had no sewer system, and no streetlights.
In short, Haiti is a miserable place to live even without an earthquake. If you have a few bucks to spare, the Red Cross is looking to help.
Back in the 1990s, Haiti had yet another of its series of military coups. The US was displeased, and part of the way we expressed our displeasure was via a Naval blockade. Now, since the GNP of Haiti is roughly equivalent to the GDP of Naperville on a slow Tuesday, there was very little shipping to blockade. Since the flagship of the Haitian navy was an armed tugboat that had survived Pearl Harbor, the military threat was low as well.
I do remember quite clearly one instance when we were approaching Cap Haitien, a city of 200,000 on the north coast. We were 10 miles out to sea when I got a strong whiff of wood smoke. Strong enough, in fact, that I sent watchstanders to check and see if we had a fire in the rope locker. We didn't, and as we got closer to the coast, the wood smoke was "complemented" by the smell of shit. The city came into view, and unlike the strong white lights of most cities, it was mostly orange and flickering.
Cap Haitien had no sewer system, and no streetlights.
In short, Haiti is a miserable place to live even without an earthquake. If you have a few bucks to spare, the Red Cross is looking to help.
