TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 004204 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO MARR PREL PINR AMGTHA SUBJECT: TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION REPORT NO. 7 STATE 00004204 001.2 OF 002 AMERICAN CITIZEN WELFARE/WHEREABOUTS/EVACUATIONS -------------- -------------- - ¶1. (SBU) Two airlifts are scheduled for January 14. Requests for evacuations are low and therefore no further airlifts are anticipated on January 14. One unidentified person was pulled from rubble alive. Looting was reported, but incidents remain small and contained. One U.S. citizen was accosted for money, but no injury was reported. An increase in looting and other security issues is anticipated. One officer from the U.S. Embassy was found in her house and is confirmed dead. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) SEARCH AND RESCUE: TEAM UPDATES -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The main priority January 14 is to get search and rescue (SAR) teams on the ground and operational. The Los Angeles SAR team is on the ground, and an additional team is coming from Miami January 14. SOUTHCOM is working on prioritizing landings at the airport so that SAR teams, medical teams and other essential help can land quickly. Three aircraft landed January 14 with search and rescue teams. Five additional planes are scheduled to land in the evening, with further rescue teams, dogs, medical supplies and pallets. Members of the Fairfax team are staffing the airport to facilitate arrival of international search teams. One UN security guard has been pulled out of the rubble of UN headquarters alive. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) COMMODITY FLOW: WATER, WATER, WATER -------------- ¶3. (SBU) USAID, NGOs and the Red Cross are coordinating a distribution plan for health supplies and water, with the priority on water. Hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and water bladders are also en route. The main goal is to keep commodities flowing out to critical areas and to track where they are going. A large food shipment is arriving January 16. An assessment of housing needs has been requested. Embassy Santo Domingo offered to move goods over land to Haiti. Three U.S. military helicopters are arriving January 14 from the Dominican Republic loaded with water, medical supplies, hardware and personnel. They are prepared to return to the Dominican Republic with injured. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call, TF1 e-mail) MEDICAL UPDATE -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Spanish Ambassador to Haiti is being treated in Guantanamo and will be medevacked to Miami by SOUTHCOM the evening of January 14. There is no STATE 00004204 002.2 OF 002 further report on the Ambassador's condition. An HHS team departs Atlanta the evening of January 14 for Port au Prince. On board are two DMAT Teams, a command control team, a DMORT Assessment Team, and a logistics team. Equipment is also arriving from West Virginia via DOD and is expected to arrive January 15. Landings have been prioritized and cleared through SOUTHCOM. Three U.S. ships offering hospital services and medical support are scheduled to arrive in Haiti on January 15, 18, and 22. Two additional craft, with helicopter and small boat support, are also planned. (TF1/SOUTHCOM telcon, TF1/HHS Ops telcon, DOD Joint Staff briefing) INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION: A MAJOR FOCUS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) A public health strategy is being assembled based on best practices from past hurricane relief efforts. Public health challenges are being anticipated, and the new medical units arriving will be involved in the logistical operations. A UN DAC team is en route now, part of the organization's effort to build capacity in Haiti. Over 20 countries are offering help in sending goods to Haiti. UN task forces are up and running in New York and Geneva and are coordinating all UN bodies. USUN reports A/SYG Mulet is delayed in Miami awaiting flight clearance to land in Haiti. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call, USUN e-mail) HUMANITARIAN/SECURITY/INFRASTRUCTURE -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Coast Guard is reporting that the main port is unusable and only small vessels can enter. The main pier has collapsed, as well as the quay wall; the crane is in the water. Others will have to use nearby ports and then move equipment over land into Port au Prince. A temporary structure will be erected to move equipment from deeper waters into the port, but that could take up to two weeks. There are competing reports on the usability of the port. There is a massive communications effort being put into place January 14, to expand over the weekend. It will include a timeline for provisions and resources needed and for infrastructure needs. It is critical to provide an honest picture of what is happening to instill as much confidence as possible for the people in Haiti. Formal communication sources inside Haiti are severely limited, with radio as the prime source at this time. Some stations may begin broadcasting again within 24 hours. Persons coming into Haiti should be aware that there are no accommodations available -- no rooms, no hotels, and no tents. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) ¶7. (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