False looting reports may hinder aid to Haiti, BYU professor says

Reports of looting and violence in post-earthquake Haiti are likely exaggerated and may hinder relief efforts, according to a Brigham Young University law professor.

Sociological evidence gathered after past disasters such as Hurricane Katrina indicates survivors are more likely to behave in an altruistic way than to strike out in violence, said Lisa Grow Sun, who studies disaster law.

The criminal behavior that does occur, Sun said, is often overemphasized.

"Most people aren't saved by professional rescuers — who often get there too late — they're saved by their neighbors," she said. "People don't curl up in the fetal position, panic or flee. They rationally assess what's going on around them and act in their best interest."

Most people who looted after Hurricane Katrina were scavenging for food, not looking for a new big-screen TV, Sun said. Although she concedes that Haiti, which is a Third World country that suffered from widespread street violence before the earthquake hit, is not directly comparable to the United States, she guesses the situation in Haiti is similar.

"The problem is, in disasters, communication systems suffer so much that getting information is almost like playing telephone tag," she said. "When you're getting fourth-, fifth-, sixth-hand stories, (negative) things get played up over time."

After disasters, aid organizations, frightened by sensationalized media and government reports, pour valuable resources into security, Sun said.

"If we overemphasize security, it tends to delay getting aid in," she said. "If you're waiting for a security detail, you aren't digging people out of the rubble."

As an example, she pointed out U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' announcement last week that the military would not use airdrops to distribute food and water in Haiti to avoid triggering riots. While military officials have since changed their minds, Sun argued that delaying passing out resources only increases the likelihood of mobbing.

"Most violence that happens in the aftermath of a disaster is really driven by desperation, not people just behaving like animals," she said. "The longer people wait, the hungrier and more desperate they get."

e-mail: estuart@desnews.com