Sean Penn’s plea to his fellow celebs at a Cannes gala “Haiti is watching us tonight like you cannot believe.” Reuters reports that the event raised $2 million for aid to the poverty stricken nation still reeling from the massive earthquake of January 2010.

Lest we forget:

Our coverage of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath

U.S. Geological Survey – report of the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010

CNN – special report on the Haiti earthquake

USAID – American assistance provided to the Haitian people after the earthquake

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

An aerial view of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort, shows the devastation of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti Jan. 12, 2010. Approximately 230,000 Haitians are reported to have died as a result of the earthquake. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Chelsea Kennedy. Click for a larger image.

January 12, 2010: The United Nations reports

The earthquake that hit Haiti on 12 January 2010 affected almost 3.5 million people, including the entire population of 2.8 million people living in Port-au-Prince. The Government of Haiti estimates that the earthquake killed 222,570 and injured another 300,572 people. Displacement peaked at close to 2.3 million people, including 302,000 children. At least 188,383 houses were badly damaged and 105,000 were destroyed by the earthquake. Sixty per cent of Government and administrative buildings, 80 per cent of schools in Port-au-Prince and 60 per cent of schools in the South and West Departments were destroyed or damaged. Total earthquake-related loss is estimated at $7.8 billion, equivalent to more than 120 per cent of Haiti’s 2009 gross domestic product.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jay Wamsley holds a Haitian toddler during a humanitarian visit to one of many small villages outside Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 2, 2010. Wamsley, an environmental health and safety officer, is temporarily assigned to Port Security Unit 307. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Eggers.

In October 2010, cases of cholera began to appear in Haiti. The illness had not been seen for generations and it spread rapidly. As of December 26, 2011, the Haitian Ministry of Health reports 522,946 cases of cholera since then, and a total of at least 7,011 deaths.

The situation two years after the earthquake remains grim. Over 500,000 Haitians remain in nearly 1,000 refugee camps. The deaths and illnesses from cholera continue, though improvements in sanitation and availability of treatment have cut the death rate nearly in half.

The World Food Program states

Haiti is a food deficit country. It relies heavily on imported food – 50 percent of national requirements are imported. Food prices have been rising since the end of 2010. In a country where approximately half of the population lives with less than $1 a day and three quarters have less than $2 per day, this increase has led to an overall loss of purchasing power for the majority of Haitians. WFP is using its three main programmes – school meals, nutrition and cash and food for work- to alleviate the impact of rising food prices on the most vulnerable.

Still, for the first time in 25 years, the Haitian government has all three branches functioning. The Caracol Industrial Park will open in March and its first tenant, Korean textile firm Sae-A, has committed to creating 20,000 new jobs. About half of the rubble created by the earthquake has been removed with 30-40 percent having been recycled into new construction. Much of the remaining “rubble” consists of buildings that have been condemned but the owners believe they can be salvaged.

U.S. Southern Command has conveyed a supply of disaster response equipment to the Haitian government. The United States has donated 12 boats, four sport utility vehicles, and 11,000 hand-crank radios to Haiti’s Direction de la Protection Civile (DPC).

Maj. Greg Pieper, nurse practitioner for the medical readiness training exercise from the Army Reserve 256th Casualty Support Hospital, screens a young patient as her mother comforts her during a visit, June 14. Columbian, Canadian and American military medical and dental professionals treated more than 2,200 Haitian patients at Hospital Saint Pierre de Grande Desdunes, near La Hatte, Haiti, by the end of day two of a 10-day MEDRETE as part of New Horizons 2011.

Colombian, Canadian and American military medical and dental professionals treated more than 2,200 Haitian patients during a New Horizons medical and dental training exercise June 14 at Hospital Saint Pierre de Grande Desdunes, near La Hatte, Haiti.

Task Force Bon Voizen, New Horizons Haiti 2011, a U.S. Southern Command sponsored, U.S. Army South conducted, combined humanitarian exercise under the command of the Louisiana National Guard, provides an opportunity for real-world training while providing humanitarian assistance at the request of the government of Haiti.

As part of Task Force Bon Voizen, this group of 48 professionals melded together to create a team dynamic to not only meet their mission of conducting humanitarian relief missions and medical training exercises June 11-25, but to exceed expectations in care and services provided. June 13, day one of the 10-day medical readiness training exercise, set the tone for doing just that.

“We were able to treat 1,049 patients,” said 2nd Lt. Matthew Wright, the officer in charge of this exercise from the 369th Minimal Care Detachment in Sharonville, Ohio. “That number exceeded all Day 1 totals for 2011 Haiti MEDRETEs.”

As the fourth of four MEDRETES for this region, the momentum continued as day-two totals ended at 1,158 Haitian patients receiving medical and/or dental care. Proactive measures taken by the Government of Haiti’s Ministry of Health was a significant contributing factor for the volume of patients seen.

“The government of Haiti has been very accommodating with space and other requests,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mary Huffman, noncommissioned officer in charge of the exercise from the Ohio Army Reserve 369th MCD. “We were able to expand beyond the original rooms allocated and provide more areas for treatment and a dedicated obstetrician/women’s clinic with a sonogram.”

The ability to employ more of the medical and dental professionals than planned added to the efficient streaming of patients. The vetting process also helped improve the flow of incoming patients from staging, to preventative-measures classes, to triage and ultimately to appropriate medical services.

The commitment to care from the nine Colombians, five Canadians and 34 Americans seemed to energize their efforts as team members rolled up their sleeves and bore the 99 degree Fahrenheit heat and 60 percent humidity. The team members’ 10-hour day on site continued once they returned to task force headquarters as they prepared for the next day’s patients.

For some the compassion runs deeper than a commitment to service.

“Being here for this MEDRETE is the first time I have been back in Haiti since my family left,” said Canadian Capt. Whitney Dagrain, a dentist who has seen more than 50 patients in the two days since this exercise began. “My parents left when I was 16, and coming back, for part of me, is like coming home. I am glad I am able to be here and help.”

In addition to medical training exercises, Task Force Bon Voizen has deployed military engineers to build a technical school, two medical clinics and a latrine facility. These projects are also nearing completion as New Horizons 2011, which also includes projects and MEDRETEs in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Suriname, draws to a close.

Task Force Bon Voizen is a Commander, U.S. Southern Command sponsored, U.S. Army South conducted, joint foreign military interaction/humanitarian exercise under the command of the Louisiana National Guard. Task Force Bon Voizen is deploying U.S. military engineers and medical professionals to Haiti for training and to provide humanitarian services. Task Force Bon Voizen will build a school, two medical clinics and a latrine facility, as well as staff three medical clinics and one dental clinic between April 28 and June 25 in the Artibonite Department.

DVIDS

When the Jan. 12 earthquake struck, Ross and Lt. General Ken Keen, SOUTHCOM’s deputy commander, were at the home of the U.S. ambassador in Haiti.

“The entire earth seemed to come alive for what seemed like an eternity, but it was only 50 seconds,” Keen said. “We could see a cloud of dust rising up over the city like smoke, and we could hear the screams below.”

Ross “sprung into action,” Keen said, saying she was going to find the members of her group at the Hotel Montana, where they had been staying. “She’s a leader with a can-do attitude.”

There was no way to travel through the city by car.

Ross walked four miles to get to the five-story, 145-room hotel, which would become one of Port-au-Prince’s most gruesome sites of death and destruction. The hotel had completely collapsed.

She found a small passageway in the debris. She crawled inside, but her passage was blocked.

Magri was buried beneath the roof of the hotel, wedged in a space the size of a dinner table, he estimated.

“I was hyperventilating,” said Magri, who suffered fractured ribs and other injuries. “Then, I began to think `this is an obstacle course. I need to get to that light.’ ”

In the days leading up to the earthquake, Magri had an annoying cough. It was that cough that enabled Ross to locate him underneath the wreckage.

“It was amazing,” said Magri when he first heard Ross. “I heard a little tiny voice saying `Sergeant Magri?’ like a question. When I responded, she said `Oh my God! I can’t believe it.”

Five hours after the earthquake, Magri was freed.

Miami Herald

This story is a classic example of the way our military drops the ball on publicizing American heroes in uniform. The only story I can find of this woman’s heroism is in a civilian paper. The military issued a PDF press release before the award and nothing after. The PDF is defective and will not allow itself to be copied. The remainder of mentions for her award are at the bottom of all the stories about a similar award for a male officer later in the year.

Haitian children in Gonaives wait for medical clinic. U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Jessica M. Lopez

Task Force Kout Men moved into northern Haiti in mid June. Over 500 members of the United States military, the National Guard, Reserves and the regulars, will be working in and around the city of Gonaives. The base camp is in the village of Mandrin.

The task force is headed by the Louisiana National Guard who chose the Creole name, which means “Helping Hands”. The exercise is titled “New Horizons – Haiti 2010″ and the men and women rotating through during the June through September time frame will be working on four schools and providing a number of medical outreach services.

At any one time 500-550 Americans will be on the ground but units will be rotating in and out during the mission. It is headed by the Louisiana National Guard and many participants are from Guard and Reserve units in other states, such as Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, North and South Dakota, Texas and U.S. Virgin Islands. Troops from the Central American nation of Belize are also attached to the mission.

In a Bloggers’ Roundtable, we had the opportunity to speak with Army Col. Michael Borrel, the task force commander of the New Horizons-Haiti 2010 exercise, a member of the task force’s engineering team, Maj. Charles “Chuck” Hudson, Louisiana National Guard, as well as a member of the medical staff, U.S. Air Force Col. Thomas Steinbrunner.

Work on local schools is progressing. In addition to structural work, the American engineers are adding wells for drinking water and improved latrines. The SeaBees, Navy Construction Batt. 25, are doing much of this work, assisted by other units and the troops from Belize.

Asked about the earthquake and hurricane resistance of the new construction, Col. Borrel had this to say:

Yes, the system that was selected through the Army South engineers that we’re utilizing is the Royal Building Systems that’s — that has since been renamed the NuForm System. And it’s essentially a concrete-reinforced slab that’s 3,500-PSI concrete with reinforced rebar that is very — with a six-inch slope that’s very strong concrete slab. The walls use a smaller aggregate but at the same 3,500 PSI and the same six-inch slump (sic; slope). So it’s a reinforced concrete building.

And the roof structure facilitates a steel frame J-bolt system that’s bolted steel with the corrugated metal roof. You know, it’s much more better — much better technology, a much stronger system than any of the systems in — being utilized in Haiti. When we came on the ground, essentially, in Mandrin they were using United Nations tents, and they had a pole barn that they were using as a classroom.

So this will be a significant improvement and will enhance the learning capabilities of the children and the instructors as well.

At the facilities at the K. Georges and at the Diaquoi (sp), they were existing structures that were projects from the past that were constructed under the guise of USAID, and they are a similar concrete reinforced structure that have withstood the hurricanes and winds of the past. The grade at which we are placing these buildings is consistent with where the grade is of the existing structures and is intended to be above any type of flood area.

Staff Sgt Rebekah Chiarini, a medical provider with the 399th Combat Support Hospital, plays with children from the Vision For A Better Haiti Orphanage at the at the U.S. Army South New Horizons- Haiti 2010 Gonaives medical assistance site July 7. New Horizons, in partnership with the government of Haiti, is conducting various medical, dental engineering missions for the locals in Gonaives. New Horizons also provides valuable experience to learn in a real-world environment for our U.S. Forces. U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Jessica M. Lopez

This region of Haiti escaped the direct effects of the January 12, 2010, earthquake. Gonaives was partially destroyed by Hurricane Hannah in 2008 and suffers from regular flooding. I asked Co. Borrel about the choice of location for the exercise. He told us that up to 100,000 Haitians from the quake zone were believed, by the Haitian government, to have moved to the Gonaives area. The work on the schools provides for more capacity, to allow some of those refugee children to attend school.

Ten medical exercises are part of the overall mission plan. To date, the officers report that well over 20,000 Haitians have been seen at a variety of locations. Col. Steinbrunner described this outreach as primary care only. Serious problems would be referred to the local Haitian hospitals.

Along with medical exams, Haitians are being seen by dentists and other medical professionals. At the request of the Haitian government, there are no immunizations being provided. Steinbrunner described the conditions seen to date as a mix of many things, skin conditions, parasitic illnesses and sexually transmitted diseases being predominant.

The large numbers of American troops that surged into Haiti after the earthquake are gone. Yet, a small, hardworking group of Americans troops continue to make a difference as a part of Task Force Helping Hands.

You can follow these Americans through social media:

Facebook: New Horizons – Task Force Kout Men

Flickr: Task_Force_Kout_Men_New_ Horizons_Haiti_2010′s photostream

Twitter: @tfkoutmen