Special Series

More than a month after the Haitian earthquake communities outside of Port Au Prince are only now receiving aid. And with heavy rains this week, shelter is more urgent than ever. One of those communities is in the Boutilier Mountain, south of Port Au Prince. The first delivery since the earthquake arrived today, and witnesses said an estimated 2,000 people gathered.

One month ago, the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti in the late afternoon on January 12. The death toll is still unconfirmed, but this week government officials in Haiti said it could be as high as 230,000 and rebuilding the country may take over a decade. But for the survivors that endured such a brutal experience, the horrifying memories could stay with them for a lifetime. Dolores M. Bernal reports.

Four weeks after the earthquake in Haiti, some communities outside Port Au Prince are still struggling with little or no aid. One area is Croix des Bouquets, about ten miles east of the capital. There, local residents are organizing their own informal relief effort. One of the leaders is Haitian artist Carl Telemaque, who divides his time between New York and Haiti. He was in Haiti during the earthquake and, after official relief efforts were slow to reach the community, he stayed on to help organize a grassroots response.

Earlier today, we reached Carl Telemaque in Croix des Bouquets. He began by describing the local situation, where the number of people in need of food, shelter and medical attention, is growing every day.

For more information on Carl Telemaque’s efforts through the organization Sodecca in Brooklyn: http://www.caribbeanbluebook.com/SODECCA-Inc..html

Or contact New York coordinator for relief efforts, Bernardo Rubie: 646.261.5334

Today marks the four-week anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. And food aid still remains a challenge.  The World Food Program is currently operating 16 food and water distribution points throughout Port Au Prince. American troops are in charge of the distribution of that aid with cooperation from UN forces on the ground. But as FSRN'S Dolores M. Bernal reports, many Haitians are having to resort to selling some of the food they are receiving to supplement their diet.

The rainy season is looming in the earthquake-torn country of Haiti. A light shower fell throughout Port-au-Prince last night. For thousands that were left homeless and living in makeshift tents across the country, the need for adequate shelter is urgent. FSRN's Dolores M. Bernal has more.

In yesterday's newscast, we looked at the issue of transnational human trafficking in Houston, Texas. Human trafficking is a term that encompasses both modern-day slavery and sexual exploitation by force, fraud or coercion. Media coverage often focuses on the effects of human trafficking on immigrants, while the issue of domestic trafficking remains largely ignored or misunderstood. Shannon Young brings us the second part of a special FSRN series on human trafficking by focusing on the domestic side of the world's second most profitable illicit business.

(TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE)

The modern-day slave trade - known as human trafficking - rivals weapons smuggling as the most lucrative illegal business after drug trafficking. One of the largest hubs for modern-day slavery in the United States is Houston, Texas. The southern city is home to a large seaport, a sprawling international airport, and is a major destination along Interstate 10 - identified by the Department of Justice as one of the main human trafficking routes in the United States. In the first of a two-part series on human trafficking, FSRN's Shannon Young files this report on transnational slavery in Houston.

(TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE)