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Photos: Haiti From A Navy Helicopter

By R.Gregg, The Raleigh Telegram

Thursday, February 4, 2010

PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI - During our week long trip to Haiti to view relief efforts, while riding on a Navy SeaHawk helicopter from the USS Carl Vinson as it delivered food to various bases, we were able to view Haiti from the air.

The tropical country is vastly beautiful and while it is indeed an island, it has many geographical features that you might not expect.

Many people who were in the country for the first time said they were surprised that Haiti was so mountainous. After our helicopter was flying on the same level of several mountains and skirting the deep canyons, I too found myself marveling at the high ranges.

The countryside has a diverse set of geography as we crossed some areas that looked like a jungle and other areas that seemed to be hardscrabble desert with few trees or vegetation.

In some areas, we could see plenty of signs of terrace-style farming with different levels cut into the sides of mountains.

In some areas, we could see small fishing boats going out into the green and turquoise waters and we also flew over the port, where the giant crane seen so much in TV shots was still cockeyed from the earthquake.

Although many US Army soldiers we spoke with wanted to visit the beach, they were told not to go into the water as it could be contaminated from pollution after the earthquake.

Still, our trips across the country in the helicopters showed that despite the destruction wrought by the earthquake, Haiti is very beautiful, at least from the air.

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