Hunger and homelessness blight Haiti town

By Adam Mynott
BBC News, Leogane

Nearly a fortnight after the earthquake, people living in Leogane in Haiti are still in a state of shock.
The coastal town about 50km (30 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince was at the epicentre of the quake. In 45 seconds of shaking and rumbling, it was torn apart.

The town's large Catholic church was reduced to rubble
Fewer than 20% of buildings remain standing in the town; power and telephone lines are strewn across the street, burst water mains have flooded parts of the town, and, at the centre, the large Catholic church has crashed down in ruins.
The bell which hung in the tower is lying half buried in bricks, and broken church pews and hymn books are scattered everywhere.
The mayor, Alexis Santos, says he feels powerless to help his people.
"My hands are tied, the people are hungry," he says. "There is food, but many are not getting any."
He cannot understand why food arrives on US Navy helicopters from the international donor operation, but little of it appears to have been given to people in the town.
Disorganised aid
Leogane has a population of 200,000; few if any are sleeping under solid roofs.
Thousands of people grabbed what possessions they could and moved to the largest open space in the town, the school football field.
Here they have erected shelters.

Ted Valcout had grabbed some house bricks and a dozen pieces of timber and was trying to reinforce the structure that he has built for the nine members of his family.
"We have some food, but we have to share it with these people," he said, gesturing to his neighbours in the makeshift camp. There had been one food distribution at the football ground since it became a camp for the displaced, he said.
He is not sure where the food came from, and not everyone was able to get their hands on some, he said.
"People near the gate were OK, but those right at the back of the pitch did not get lined up in time and they missed out," he said.
There is no apparent organisation in the camp; at one point a few days ago, registration forms were circulated and signed, but there has been no follow-up.
Street shelters
Every open area in the town now has homeless people living on it, and families have put up shelters in the middle of many streets.
Mr Santos says, even though it is very congested, people are better off in the stadium because they are more likely to get food and water.

It is the only way we can exist, we have to borrow and rely on other people. We have nothing at all - nothing
Francoise Casseus, refugee
This is borne out by the experience of Francoise Casseus. She and her extended family have decided to shelter under a tree and a few sheets of cloth and plastic right next to their destroyed home.
She does not want to move because the body of one of her daughters is still inside the building, and she fears that if they abandon the house, looters will come and take what they can from the rubble.
Francoise and her relatives have got no food. They are surviving through the generosity of others and by spending what little money they had saved.
"It is the only way we can exist, we have to borrow and rely on other people. We have nothing at all - nothing."

For More Information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8479167.stm