Opinion

Tough decisions have to be made in Haiti

Friday, January 22, 2010

Rescue personnel in Haiti are now facing a tough decision as the days go on since the initial earthquake which has taken the lives of thousands of people on Jan. 12.

A recent report by National Public Radio said that 80,000 people have been buried in mass graves already and the Haiti government has estimated the death count to be 200,000 people.

CNN reported that since the 7.0 earthquake, more than 121 people have been pulled alive from the rubble left in the nation's capital city of Port-au-Prince.

In addition NPR also reported that 2 million individuals are left homeless and 250,000 individuals are left in need of urgent aid.

Now, with all the facts in place and the image of what these people have been facing since last Tuesday in your head, you can really focus on the next topic ... when do you stop looking for survivors?

This is a question that many of the rescue personnel are having to ask themselves and I can tell you that I have absolutely no idea. I have been thinking about this since I heard a mention of it on CNN Radio Wednesday night and I have yet to come up with an answer.

I have tried to mentally put myself in the shoes of both sides. If I were a survivor of the devastating earthquake and I did not know if my family had survived, I would want to know. Even if I expected they did not survive, I would always have that little bit of hope that they may still be somewhere under a pile of rubble crying for help. I would be able to sleep better at night knowing for sure that my loved ones had survived or not. I would want that closure.

Personally, if I were one of the brave individuals risking my own life to find the men, women, and children who have yet to be found, I would not want to quit searching until I knew that there were no more husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers left to be found.

Regardless, the searching has to stop at some point and the rebuilding must begin. Families have to face the fact that God has called their loved ones to His side.

When devastating acts of nature occur such as the earthquake, the tsunami in 2004, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many people ask the question "Where is God?" or "Why would God let this happen?" Perhaps people are looking at the situation in the wrong way.

Everybody knows that saying "God works in mysterious ways" and maybe that is what He is doing with the natural disasters. The devastation is certainly serious, but look at what has happened to the world's society since the earthquake. The news headlines are filled with how the United States has been putting efforts toward providing aid to those who are in need. Not as many people are talking about the war in Iraq, high gas prices, or even the Conan O'Brien-versus-NBC fiasco. If only for a few weeks the world seems to get along for a common cause, an incredible display of humanity is shown. Maybe, just maybe, God is trying to show the world that He has the power to bring the world together.

I know that as soon as the rebuilding begins in Haiti, everything will go back to the way it was. The headlines will be filled again with political scandals, war, and the occasional feel-good story, but for a short while, the world was working together. Those who have the money to give are giving it. Those who have the time to give are giving it. Those who have talents to give, are giving them.

Natural disasters are nothing to take lightly but there is no reason to blame God for the aftermath. There is always something to learn from every experience. Whether it be a good experience or a bad experience, there is always something positive to be found.