TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION REPORT

UNCLAS STATE 018355 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO MARR PREL PINR AMGT HA SUBJECT: TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION REPORT NO. 81 VIP TRAVEL -------------- ¶1. (U) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen met with Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive February 26. Admiral Mullen travelled to visit American troops and assess conditions in Port-au-Prince. (AP) AMERICAN CITIZEN ISSUES -------------- ¶2. (U) Judge Bernard Saint-Vil said the two American missionaries who remain incarcerated, Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter, will be jailed through February 28 and possibly longer, as he awaits more testimony. The judge requested two real estate agents and a pastor from the Dominican Republic to testify in Port-au-Prince about property the missionaries rented to set up an orphanage. The additional testimony is expected March 1. Saint-Vil plans to issue his ruling the week of March 1. (AP) HUMANITARIAN/SECURITY/INFRASTRUCTURE -------------- ¶3. (SBU) USAID determined approximately 45 percent of homes in Port-au-Prince are safe for habitation. Approximately 130,000 households have received basic shelter assistance. (NOC Update Report No.87) ¶4. (SBU) The Government of Haiti is considering a plan to offer amnesty to approximately 4,500 escaped inmates. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the Haitian National Police have apprehended 140 escaped criminals and will continue to pursue the remaining 356. (NOC Update Report No.87) ¶5. (SBU) The USNS COMFORT will begin to distribute more than 200 pallets of medical commodities to the Haitian medical community, targeting health facilities in affected areas outside of Port-au-Prince. (NOC Update Report No.87) ¶6. (SBU) The World Food Program is moving into the second phase of its operations. It aims to assist 300,000 families in the Port-au-Prince area with a full food basket of corn-soy blend, oil, salt, beans, and rice. (OCHA Sitrep No.24) ¶7. (SBU) 86,403 Haitians are now engaged in cash-for-work activities. The work includes clearing small debris, the drainage and irrigation of canals, and solid waste management. (OCHA Sitrep No.24) ¶8. (U) The U.S. military expects to fully transfer management of the airport and ports back to the Haitian government by March 1. USAID/DART anticipates an increase in congestion following the transfer due to a lack of heavy equipment and the government's limited capacity to offload aircraft and ships. (USAID Factsheet No.40) ¶9. (U) Additional updates are available through our Intellipedia portal on the unclassified system at: http://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_Ha iti_Earthquake. ¶10. (U) Minimize considered. CLINTON