Too Much Too Soon

Many Haitians seem upset that foreign aid is coming too slowly or in too small amounts.
But this is common in any emergency situation.
Even with the best intentioned people - many create more harm than good.
The existing financial and social infrastructure in these situations cannot funnel the large amounts of aid to the required locations without resulting in bottlenecks.
Most cities are not prepared for this type of onslaught.
Think of the preparation required to feed and lodge the tourist and athletes attending past Olympic games in Los Angeles or Atlanta.
And these were fully functional cities - not disaster areas.

I've been through two hurricanes and evacuated for another.
Hurricanes usually occur with warning - earthquakes, not so much.
During the first hurricane (for which I sheltered in place) - the city was largely deserted.
Crews were able to come to town, make repairs and then leave.
The limited resources available were used by those who were actually doing the work.
But the second hurricane (for which I sheltered in place) - many residents decided to ride out the storm.
Resources were diverted from those doing work to those who could not fend for themselves.
The recovery took longer and the effects of the added stress caused many to act out.
What's the point?
That too many people doing nothing is much worse than a few people doing something.

How can officials make this recovery easier?
-By taking all nonessential residents to outlaying areas until the debris and contaminants are cleared away. (Everyone would get a computerized I.D. bracelet that would allow them to track relatives and to be tracked by the same. This is what happened for many evacuated by bus when we had our second large scale evacuation.)
-By setting up refugee centers where these people can set schedules for activities such as schooling, cooking, cleaning, etc. . (A structured community would enable people to interact with others and allow access to media and communication networks.)
-By hiring residents of these shelters to take part in the clean up effort. (This would allow others in the center to get daily news on progress and allow residents the chance to make some money and build new contacts.)
What needs to be rebuilt is a sense of community.

Many people will be outraged that progress seems to come too slowly.
(But it takes time to react - this job wont be done by magical genies.)
That the government is dragging it's feet.
(The government has to decide how to best allocate funds and resources.)
That money is being wasted.
(There are only a few places where money can be spent so local money is really of little importance.)
But the best way for these people to be helped is by getting most of them out of the way.