TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 003642 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. 4 STATE 00003642 001.2 OF 002 EMBASSY STATUS, CASUALTIES, RESPONSE -------------- -------------- ¶1. (SBU) SOUTHCOM personnel will arrive at 2100 EST to set up air traffic control services and airport security and hope to establish 24-hour airport operations within two hours. ¶2. (SBU) Embassy Port-au-Prince places a high priority on locating two missing American Citizen embassy employees and is coordinating with the arriving Search and Rescue (S&R) teams. S&R efforts will also seek to facilitate rescues of MINUSTAH employees and Haitian citizens. ¶3. (SBU) Post is preparing for ordered departure of non- emergency staff. Two U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) C-130s have arrived to evacuate embassy personnel to Santo Domingo for onward travel to CONUS. Estimated wheels up times are 1900 and 1930 EST. Reported capacity is 140 people of which 50-60 will be official Americans. ¶4. (SBU) USCG is planning three additional evacuations to Santo Domingo January 14. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) UN UPDATE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Post presumes UN Mission Chief Annabi and his deputy are dead but are waiting for official confirmation from UN officials in Haiti or New York. ¶6. (SBU) A delegation of UN officials is en route to Haiti to conduct an assessment of the situation and to stand up UN relief efforts. SOUTHCOM is working to facilitate their arrival. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) AMERICAN CITIZEN WELFARE/WHEREABOUTS -------------- ¶7. (U) Injured Amcits being assisted in Embassy cafeteria have all been evacuated. Post reports a need for more supplies to handle new arrivals. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Seven members of the OFDA Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) arrived along with 73 members of Fairfax County Search and Rescue. Airport officials turned away four other DART members who were en route to Port-au-Prince. The reason was not specified. Miami and Los Angeles S&Rs are not expected to arrive until January ¶14. (TF1/OFDA telcon, TF1/SOUTHCOM telcon) ¶9. (U) Additional updates are available through our Intellipedia portal on the classified system at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Cris is_Haiti. CLINTON