Haiti’s President Rene Preval, in his first live interview with CNN, following the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, said that he doesn’t know where he is going to sleep, as both the presidential palace and his home have been destroyed.
But Preval is not too concerned about this, because as he put it, “I have a lot of time to find a bed. I am working on rescuing the people,” Preval said.
According to the President, the scene is incredible and has to be seen to be believed. Homes, hospitals, schools have collapsed, Preval said. “A lot of people are dead in the street.”
There are reports that, block after block in Port-au-Prince, bodies are being stacked up in the streets.
Preval said he is still trying to understand the magnitude of the event and how to best manage the situation. “We don’t have the capacity to bring all the injured to hospital,” Preval said.
In terms of priorities, the president said that the streets have to be cleared, so rescue workers could work, as there are a lot of cars and cement, blocking the roads.
There is also need for doctors, medicine and medical help in general, Preval said. “Some hospitals have collapsed, some are full and some have people outside.”
Preval expressed his concern for the significant risks that still exist in relation to the collapsing of homes, particularly in light of the series of aftershocks. He was concerned too, about risks arising from epidemics.
Asked whether he was concerned about violence erupting, Preval said that he was not. “The people understand the situation,” he said.
President declined to put a figure on the number of casualties. He said he had heard figures of up to 50,000 and 30,000.
But Preval cautioned, “Let’s say it’s too early to give a number”.
