Miracles .... and yet (see next post)

In case you missed it - the miracle survivals that are keeping our hope alive.

As I posted on my blog the other day (see RePost - Commentary on CNN story)...some version of this question:

Is there anyone stronger than a Haitian?

Unbelievable! Courage, strength, reslience, faith, wisdom, generosity...
anpil evidence of all of this since Tuesday.

More "miracle survivors" of Haitian quake pulled from rubble English.news.cn 2010-01-21 22:54:04
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- More than eight days after the massive
earthquake in Haiti, rescue teams on Thursday are still searching
frantically after more survivors were pulled from the rubble.

On Wednesday, a five-year-old boy was freed by his uncle and taken to a
local hospital.

The uncle said he discovered the boy in a small void under the rubble of a
house, but the boy's father and mother were believed to have died.

The boy remained miraculously unharmed, but was severely dehydrated and
dysphoric.

Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl was dug out of ruins by her neighbors.

The girl was being treated at the Lambert clinic, where she lay on a bed in
the clinic's corridor, occasionally crying out with nightmares.

"It truly is a miracle, she came back to life bit by bit. She is blessed by
God," said surgeon Dominique Jean.

Also on Wednesday, the Nicaraguan Humanitarian Rescue Unit (UHR) rescued two
university students who had been trapped under tons of cement.

UHR chief General Mario Perezcassar said the two female students, 19 and 21
years old, were found in the basement of a university in Port-au-Prince.

"After almost eight days, it is almost a miracle. For us, it was a great
satisfaction because we thought that we would not find anybody else alive,"
Perezcassar said.

Hoteline Losana, 25, was found in the wreckage of a supermarket late
Tuesday. She was singing quietly when being carried out of the ruins by
French rescuers.

According to the rescuers, Losana remained "conscious and in good form."

A U.N. spokeswoman in Geneva said on Wednesday international teams had
rescued 121 people from the debris of collapsed buildings.

More than a week after the 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the island,
countries and international organizations are now seeking to ramp up relief
efforts in Haiti.

However, the situation in the Caribbean nation remains grim.

It is reported that food has reached only about 7.5 percent of those in
need.

Blocked roads, mountainous terrain, collapsed infrastructure and disrupted
telecommunication services have prevented aid from quickly reaching the
victims.

Moreover, aid work has also been frustrated by a lack of leadership due to
personnel losses among national and global authorities.

Haunted by the growing threat of looting and violence, governments and aid
organizations are expected to step up efforts to deliver aid to the most
needy with the least delay.

Haiti's Civil Defense Department Tuesday said the quake had killed 75,000
people, injured 250,000 others and left a million homeless.

According to Haitian officials, the final death toll may reach between
100,000 and 200,000. But relief workers warned the death toll could continue
to increase.

Medical clinics have 12-day patient backlogs, untreated injuries are
festering, and makeshift camps housing thousands of survivors could foster
disease, according to medical workers.

They said the next health risk could include outbreaks of diarrhea,
respiratory tract infections and other diseases among Haitian people who
live in overcrowded camps with poor sanitation.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in New York on Wednesday the death toll
of U.N. staffers in the earthquake had risen to 49, and more than 300 others
are still missing or unaccounted for.