Q: How do you fly to Haiti?
A: First, you buy a ticket... then with any luck, your plane won't be diverted back again above the Haitian airport...

My guess is that they bought tickets the ordinary way at a commercial air plane... whose cargo is probably stuffed with emergency supplies...

At the Haitian airport I guess everything is pretty chaotic and that those at the airport have better things to do than screen out potential naive non-professionals that the plane brought in.

It is nothing new that idealistic non-professionals arrive at catastrophe sites, but the situation is accentuated by the absolute screaming lack of food, water and (I'm guessing) bedding. It is true that a pair of willing hands can always be put to some use, but that is only beneficial if the overloaded professional isn't distracted by the need to supervise or babysit the unskilled. I'm also guessing that Haiti has an ample supply of unskilled hands already...


It is hard to criticize efforts of charity given with a pure heart, but sometimes I do wonder about the limits of human stupidity. Of course, stupidity coupled with the option to get rid of surplus stuff is a powerful combination... I've heard plenty of those stories about relief shipment with bowler hats and peculiar ladies underwear before.