While the USS Carl Vinson has arrived and the guys from Special Ops are pushing through four-times the normal traffic at the Port au Prince airport, Danger Room reports U.S. Diverts Spy Drone from Afghanistan to Haiti

As part of the Haiti relief effort, the U.S. military is sharing imagery from one of its high-end, high-flying spy drones, the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

This image, shot yesterday by a Global Hawk, shows damage to the National Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. U.S. Southern Command is sharing the images so that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and relief groups can get a better picture of the situation on the ground.

They are not getting the highest resolution photos the system is capable of, but they are damn good, and allow people to gauge the areas of destruction in and around Port au Prince, something that usually tied up helicopter time and resources.

With so many roads blocked with debris, NGOs can now map routes to different areas and have a feel for what they will find. This is a capability that NGOs just don’t have, but the military does, and it will speed up the delivery of relief.

The Local Puppy Trainer let me know that AT&T launches local 3G network. Wow, you now have some form of 3G connectivity along the coast from Panama City to NOLA. Of course, there is none inland, and forget the coast between Panama City East to Tampa, but you can now use the iPhone on the beach in Northwest Florida, just like Wichita Falls, Texas.

The Charity Navigator has a list of organizations to Help Survivors of the Earthquake in Haiti. They are a rating service that looks at charities and ranks them on their effectiveness. The charities they list for Haiti are groups with a track record in providing aid, and spend the money they collect on their stated goals.

They have brief descriptions of what the various charities do, i.e. medical assistance, or food, or housing, etc.

They note that after a wave of public pressure, Credit Card Companies Waiving Fees. These are not blanket waivers, and there may be restrictions, so check with your credit card issuer before using it.

Washing Up

Rasp, rasp, rasp, rasp…

[Editor: Lucrezia grooming in anticipation of dinner.]

Friday Ark