I think there should be immediate plans to get stuff not to the epicenter but at a distance from it. These terribly poor places, like Haiti, can use stuff even before a disaster. In fact, it would be good to cache supplies in places ahead of disasters. We dispose of so much stuff, or hang on to it in our basements, which could be saving lives. How many old tarps and tents for Haiti could a bunch of Boy Scouts (or Girl) collected? How much misery could have been avoided. How much sickness. How many shovels could have dug how many latrines? Our instincts to help in a disaster are being constantly dampened by the people who keep shouting just send money..but there should be agencies who can get goods to at least the easy places that are nearby. It doesn't mean people should not donate money right away, but at the same time start gathering goods and take to collection points. THere are of course epidemiological problems..perhaps new germs or insects etc. are lurking in our old stuff...and I don't know how to address that except that killer germs are going to emerge anyway in disasters. l mg