22 January 2010

This Week from Washington, January 22

Podcast on U.S. government relief efforts in Haiti

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This is an America.gov podcast.

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This week, America.gov reviews U.S. government efforts to aid the survivors of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti.

The U.S. Navy’s hospital ship Comfort arrived in Haiti January 20th and began receiving patients even before it dropped anchor in Port-au-Prince harbor. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the arrival of the Comfort is “a big help,” as international medical personnel on the ground continue to cope with casualties. The Comfort has brought more than 600 American medical personnel, has a total capacity of 1,000 beds, and includes wards for light as well as intensive care. It also has 12 operating rooms.

Creole speakers have joined the ship to facilitate communication between the medical personnel and their patients. Jim Garamone of the Defense Department’s American Forces Press Service reported that the crew of the Comfort is continuing to make more space available aboard the vessel, not only to accommodate a larger number of patients, but also to make room for an additional 350 medical specialists who will be joining the crew.

Clinton emphasized that U.S. military and civilian personnel are closely consulting with Haitian President René Préval and his government on “every facet” of the ongoing relief effort, which she said is one of the largest in history.

Tons of food, water and medical supplies are reaching the survivors of last week’s earthquake in Haiti, and U.S. military personnel are on the ground to speed the distribution of aid and maintain security. Emergency workers are succeeding in overcoming many of the challenges that kept millions of frustrated Haitians waiting for relief to arrive.

The Obama administration began mobilizing resources almost immediately after the earthquake struck, deploying military personnel and U.S. Agency for International Development workers to the Caribbean island nation. But even as aid began flowing this past weekend, Haiti remained in the grips of desperation as tens of thousands of dead were mourned and survivors waited for provisions.

A major step forward came on January 15th, when the Haitian government gave the United States temporary control of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. After restoring power and taking over the control tower, the U.S. Air Force said the airport was operating around the clock at a pace of 90 aircraft per day, which increased to 100 per day. The critical seaport remains closed. But according to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, with the airport operational, relief workers are looking for other routes to get commodities into Haiti and to develop better distribution networks within the country.

Efforts to repair the seaport at Port-au-Prince are already under way. The U.S. Navy’s salvage-and-rescue ship USNS Grasp is in Haiti to take part in the repairs to the vital transport facility as the international community continues to aid the population in Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake January 12th.

The Grasp is equipped with heavy-lift cranes and includes an Army engineer diving team; they are seeking ways to remove debris and rubble that has jammed the small Port-au-Prince harbor and the Cap-Haitien port. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, currently on a mission to India, told reporters January 20th that the ship should have the port open for cargo and container ships within a week or two. An initial assessment of the port facilities indicated that it could be 60 to 90 days before they could be fully operational. Gates said ferrying relief supplies throughout the country by helicopter is critical to get initial supplies where they are most needed, but over the long term they will not be adequate to meet the needs of 2 million people.

The U.S. Coast Guard found that the ports are jammed with submerged cranes and shipping containers along with collapsed piers, which effectively prevent cargo ships from docking and offloading supplies and equipment. The 544th Engineer Dive Team will conduct an underwater survey to identify obstacles that are blocking the channels and confirm possible areas for unloading cargo. In addition to clearing the ports, the roads leading into the ports are also being cleared so trucks can quickly arrive and load cargo.

The U.S. Maritime Administration said it is sending five auxiliary ships to assemble a floating port. Two more crane ships, a special causeway-and-barge-handling ship, an oil-delivery ship and a high-speed ferry will also be sent to join the Navy and Coast Guard ships now there.

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