We’re not going to claim any expert opinions about Haiti relief efforts from Montclair’s coffee drinkers, but there’s a naturally-heightened interest among Hayward Fault residents like us.

The neighborly conversations were pretty lively earlier today.  With videos showing attempted and real rescues, dead bodies, and injured or bereft survivors, the aftermath seems so much more vivid than previous long-distance disasters.

Here’s a recap of the concepts examined by coffee klatschers.  We’re sure that locals have been influenced by whatever media they consumed, but these kinds of questions always came up:

• Communications – Can you believe we see it all now, and probably know more than Haitians on the streets?  Did you see Anderson Cooper at the rescue scene?
• Casualties – So is it really 150,000 dead or more now?  How many more won’t get counted?
• Recovery – What will it truly take for Haitians to recover?  Are there achievable goals?  Is it better for Haitians to move and relocate across the island?
• Government – Does government or centralized control matter there?  Who is in control there?  How are the Haitians reacting to Americans on the ground?
• Fund-raising – What’s the best place to give now, the Red Cross?  How can we get George Clooney to help us raise money all the time?

The Haiti earthquake calamity is still raw news, yet there’s some battle fatigue.  Although most of the local chatting was about Haiti, the unstated “what happens when our Hayward quake hits” was right below the surface.