A recent Fox News video shows why Funeral Directors are still need in Haiti. It is extremely important for Haiti Earthquake Victims to know what happened to their loved ones. This is the only way proper grieving can occur. Mass Graves and Mass Burials are a disgrace to humanity.
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Estimates of the dead from Haiti being put into mass graves is approaching 200,000. The Red Cross officially has come out against mass graves,.85% of the government officials were killed in Haiti. So there was to be minimal direction in the handling survivors as well as those who died in the Earthquake.
The US National Funeral Directors Association(NFDA) failed to respond immediately to the needs of the disposal of the dead in Haiti.
Here is a a montage of the living an the dead.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is among those groups and organizations that object to the mass burials. They contend the dead should be treated with greater dignity. Red Cross spokesman Bernard Barrett. “What’s important is, whatever is done, must be done in a way that bodies will be eventually identified so that the families will know what happened to these people and they will not be left in uncertainty forever,” he said.
via www1.voanews.com
Funeral Industry, Funeral News, Funeral blog by Your funeral Guy
United Nations paying Haiti Residents $50.00 a day to collect corpses
Telegraph.co.uk is reporting that the Unite Nations is paying people in Haiti $50.00 to collect dead Bodies in the aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake. Corpses are then delivered for mass burials in mass graves.In a Country where the average pay is $2.00 a day, $50.00 a day amounts to a lot of money.
What is truly sad About this situation is that there are experienced Funeral Directors in The United States willing and wanting to assist ith the dead in Haiti.
In a recent statement the USA National Funeral Directors Association, NFDA claims they are being shut out by the Haitian Government.There initial hesitation to mobilize quickly along with statements by the United States State Department not to get involved with the disposition of dead, have made for the largest funeral single event since the US Civil War in the Northern Hemisphere where there is no assistance with funerals.
Deaths in the the US Civil War brought on the rise of the Funeral Directors as a profession.
Snippet on the Current Situation in Haiti.
The UN has been paying $50 a day to locals to collect corpses – a small fortune in the impoverished state.
Anne Gormally, 28, a Haiti-based British aid worker who survived the earthquake, described the danger of rotting bodies lying strewn in the streets.
“There are corpses everywhere and there is a terrible risk of disease spreading,” said the emergency preparedness coordinator for the charity Action Aid. “There are bodies with no heads or limbs. People are just stepping over them in the street. Or you see a hand or a foot sticking out from under a piece of cloth.”
Funeral IndustryFuneral News Blog by Your Funeral Guy funeral director, Illinois and Virginia.
Earthquake hurt is much worse in rural Haiti than in Port Au Prince. Lack of aid, Dead in the streets and Mass Graves and panic seem to much higher in the rural areas. This video is quite graphic. Again the need for proper burial and respect for the dead is widespread,
Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
Mass Grave In Haiti -Photo Credit Dominic Narr
Last Thursday a State Department Official told Fox News that their position was “no help for The Haiti Dead.” The National Funeral Directors Association Last week said “No we are Not Giving Immediate help with Haiti Dead”
THE US NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR REFUSING “GOOD SAMARITAN STATUS “FOR HAITI IN THE CARE FOR THEIR EARTHQUAKE DEAD
There is a long statement at ConnectingDirectors.com from the NFDA
The Haitian government has taken control of the mortuary response in Haiti and has not asked for or authorized assistance from any government or private organization. NFDA expressed outrage and concern to federal officials about media reports of how the Haitian government is handling the large number of casualties.
o The federal government and mass-fatality response community share NFDA’s concern and displeasure and are working to communicate this to Haitian officials.via ConnectingDirectors.com
In spite of early refusals to help with the HAITI EARTHQUKE dead from the NFDA and The US State Department, Mass Burials and the sad treatment of the dead are solely a Haitian Government Problem!
Now as the horror of mass graves and burials has been shown to the world, The government of Haiti is the problem.
If the Haitian Government was told no help for the dead by the US State Department and US Funeral Directors, Were they wrong in Picking up the dead with dump trucks and doing the best they can? They are the one’s doing the deed so they shoulder some responsibility.
But, if that is all the the resources they have, and they were told no help is on the way………..
As I have stated at this blog all three The Haitian Government, The US State Department (and USAID) as well as the US National Funeral Directors Association All share responsibility for the Horrible Mass Burials and Mass Graves in Haiti.
The NFDA and maybe the Federal Government are truly backpedaling, which is pretty normal for the named parties.
Here is the statement From Fox News that contradicts what The US National Funeral Directors Association Said above about the NFDA &Federal Government wanting to help
The U.S. Agency for International Development……… told FoxNews.com that the grisly task of body identification and burial rests in the hands of Haitian authorities.
“USAID traditionally has nothing to do with that,” spokeswoman Gina Jackson said in an interview Thursday, adding that the agency remains focused on rescue efforts — not recovery — as it digs through the rubble for survivors.
“If there are morgues in existence right now, they’re being constructed by the Haitians — not us,” she said. “That’s not traditionally our role.”
No community anywhere in the world is prepared for thousands and thousands of fatalities,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told FoxNews.com on Thursday-www.foxnews.com
Finger pointing is “Not Becoming of any Organization ” especially the National Funeral Directors Asssociation who is suppose to lead the way with respect for the dead. The blame game is quite common at the US State Department, located at foggy bottom in Washington DC.
United States Funeral Directors pride themselves on always being willing to help immediately when someome dies.But this was not the case when they received the FIRST CALL from Haiti!
Funeral Industry| Funeral News Blog by R.Brian Burkhardt, Your Funeral Guy, Funeral Director, Illinois an Virginia.
Now Batesville Casket Co could send their unsold caskets? Probably Not.
FYI: First Call is Funeral Industry Jargon-Funeral Directors reading this blog should be ashamed of the NFDA, National Funeral Directors Association
Haiti Earthquake Aftermath: Dump truck dumping dirt, human remains and debris in Mass Grave
Photo Credit Mass Grave From WSJ online.
NFDA logo via ConnectingDirectors.com
Haiti Earthquake Mass Grave dump truck image source Mass Grave-Photo source: JONATHAN TORGOVNIK/ FOR CNN via http://sostandout.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/haiti-earthquake-victims-placed-in-mass-graves/
Sadly, the horror continues, up to 70,000 Haitians may already be buried in Mass Graves. How it is happening is absolute horror. Haitian radio is telling the citizens to take the bodies into the streets.
Dump trucks are taking the Dead to landfills where they are counted(They gave up on Identifying the bodies) and buried covered in dirt in mass burials, mass graves.
This is unacceptable treatment of the Dead for any society no matter how poor, no matter what the situation.
Sixty government dump trucks and loaders with eight-man teams do the work, Celestin said.
“It’s a long process. Step one, is they put the body into the loader. The loader then puts the body into the truck.”
Celestin said his men are not professionals, just road builders doing their best.
Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
Haiti Earthquake Mass Grave dump truck image source Mass Grave-Photo source: JONATHAN TORGOVNIK/ FOR CNN via http://sostandout.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/haiti-earthquake-victims-placed-in-mass-graves/ THIS PHOTO REMOVED FLICKR IMAGE SOURCE CHANGED TO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
A Major Mistake in giving aid to Haiti is Not providing for the Care of EarthQuake Dead.
It appears that a major mistake has been made in giving millions in aid to Haiti The mistake is simply Not Caring for the dead or no Death care. This mistake has been made by three organizations. 1) The Government of Haiti 2). THE USAID -US Agency for International Development 3)THE NFDA- the US National Funeral Directors Association.
1)The Government of Haiti after the Earthquake can hardly be faulted for not being able to care for the dead in the disaster. They can be faulted for not asking for help in caring for their dead
2) The USAID is showing a lack of judgement in not dealing with Haitian Dead. They could have made plans to do this through the US National Funeral Directors Association. Or they could have forced the Haiti Government to get some basic assistance through the USA NFDA with some funeral boots on the ground.
3) The US National Funeral Directors Association could have insisted in bringing immediate funeral help to Haiti. They should have asserted themselves with the Haitian Government and the United States Government and sent Funeral Directors to Haiti anyway participating in the coordinated effort
US Funeral Directors helping bury the dead would go a long way towards dignity. Simple Digital pictures of some of the dead before disposal would provide some hope of identification.
Once Food Clothing Shelter and medical care are provided to Haitians the personal psychological disaster of where are my loved ones? (Father mother sister brother) will arrive.
Knowing their loved one had a dignified burial, along with the possibility(HOPE) of obtaining a photograph as identification would go a long way toward resolving grief.
An Intervention by President Obama or Former President Bush/Clinton( in Charge of aid )could restore caring for the dead in Haiti Use of Mass Graves|burials will only create more problems in the long run.
Funeral Industry |Funeral News | Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.
This snippet from Fox News may give insight into the politics of all this.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, which is leading the search and rescue operation after a 7.0 quake rocked the Caribbean nation Tuesday, told FoxNews.com that the grisly task of body identification and burial rests in the hands of Haitian authorities.
“USAID traditionally has nothing to do with that,” spokeswoman Gina Jackson said in an interview Thursday, adding that the agency remains focused on rescue efforts — not recovery — as it digs through the rubble for survivors.
“If there are morgues in existence right now, they’re being constructed by the Haitians — not us,” she said. “That’s not traditionally our role.”
via www.foxnews.com
Mass Burials are continuing in Haiti. The tragedy continues. The President of that poor nation has stated that at least 7,000 people have been buried in Mass Burials and Graves. The number is probably a lot higher.
Click Here to see a video on mass burials in Haiti
Click Hereto view a Desperate Funeral in Haiti
The race to bring food and water to the living may soon be overshadowed by the race to get the dead into the ground. This will prevent the spread of the most deadly diseases.
Poor neighborhood in Haiti from Flickr.com
The National Funeral Directors Association and the United States Government could have come together and provided assistance in burying the dead. Sadly the United States Funeral Directors through the The National Funeral Directors Association refused a much needed immediate response.
Mass burials continued in Haiti for a second straight day today as the devastation continues, three days after a 7.0 earthquake.
Yesterday, the Haitian president Rene Preval reported that 7,000 people had been buried in mass graves.
From all indication that figure has gone up significantly, but no precise numbers have been provided.
It’s a situation that is expected to continue in Haiti over the next few days as rescue workers rush against time to prevent widespread infections from the bodies still on the streets.
Dumper trucks and front-end loaders are being used to help with the mass burials.
via go-jamaica.com
Sadly the second decade of the 21st century has begun with a terrible Haitian Earthquake that involves mass burials.
Funeral Industry|Funeral News |Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
The National Funeral Directors Association NFDA, the primary funeral directors association, is offering no immediate help to the Haitian Earthquake Dead! Their reasoning, it is not safe, communication is out.
They are stating they need time to set up a response. Meanwhile Haiti needed help burying their dead yesterday! It is safe enough for the major news organizations, Fox News, CBS, etc. What is needed only a few things, passports, satellite phones and Funeral Directors on a plane to Port-Au-Prince.
The NFDA also knows(as any Funeral director does) that the Decomposing dead bodies are a real disease threat to the survivors of the Haiti Earthquake! THE TIME FOR COORDINATED EFFORT IS NOW!
Haiti Earthquqke Damage From Flickr.com
Here is the NFDA’s sad statement.
“Numerous members of NFDA have expressed interest in traveling to Haiti to assist with DMORT operations and to help local funeral directors preserve the dignity of those who died. At this time, NFDA staff is working with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Haitian Consulate to determine the type of assistance needed from the funeral service community and when it might be safe to travel to Haiti. Unfortunately, all communication with Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital and hardest hit by the earthquake, has been cut off. In addition, NFDA has been unable to reach an NFDA-member firm located near the capital.” via nfda
Funeral Industry| Funeral News Blog by YourFuneralGuy.
The horror continues in The Haiti Earthquake. Roads are being blocked by corpses for lack of aid. The Port- Au-Prince morgue has 1500 bodies piled up outside. The AP has released photos showing bodies piled in the street and people trying to cope with the stench of death.
The Haiti Eathquake Horror grows worse.
Logistical difficulties are hampering international Haitian relief efforts relief efforts as planes arrive at the Port-Au-Prince airport faster than they could be unloaded.
Desperate Haitians blocked streets with corpses in one part of Port-au-Prince to demand quicker relief efforts following Tuesday’s catastrophic quake, which flattened buildings and killed tens of thousands, leaving countless others homeless.
Bodies lay all around the hilly city, and people covered their noses with cloth to block the stench of death.
Corpses were piled on pickup trucks and delivered to the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, where hospital director Guy LaRoche estimated the bodies piled outside the morgue numbered 1,500.
Armed Gangs with machetes are running throughout Port Au Prince, there is a lack of running water and a shortage of safe drinking water. A fear of disease is spreading which which could make the death toll worse.
Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy.
Photo from flickr under the creative commons license from
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