Journalist: Anger, But No Violence Seen in Haiti

We caught up again Friday with freelance journalist Ansel Herz, a radio reporter who has been living in Haiti for the last four months. He addressed various reports of violence increasing in the streets of Haiti.

“I’ve seen no weapons on the streets, period. I’ve seen no guns, no knives being wielded by ordinary Haitians,” Herz told us, “I’ve not seen any kind of violence or unrest.”

Herz said he talked to several aid workers and other Haitians traveling through Port-au-Prince and that they also had not seen violence or looting.

Watch our full conversation:

“There was definitely some physical tussling,” Herz said about a visit to the overstressed Port-au-Prince airport, “but by-and-large, people are remarkably dignified and calm.”

Herz also described the difficulties aid workers are having reaching people who need help.

“I heard from aid workers that there was just a vacuum of leadership at the top of the U.N. humanitarian effort because so many U.N. personal perished when their main office building just collapsed entirely,” he said.

Like days past, Haitians are still struggling to meet their basic food, water, medical and shelter needs.

“Everybody in the streets is hungry and looking for some kind of help, and receiving really none of it.”

Earlier this week, we spoke with Herz about the search for survivors beneath the rubble and how Haitians are banding together to overcome this crisis.