TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 009667 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. 47 STATE 00009667 001.2 OF 003 VIP TRAVEL -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Ecuadoran President Correa arrived in Port-au- Prince January 29. (AFP) SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR) -------------- ¶2. (SBU) As of January 29, USAID will re-deploy to Haiti a small rapid-response SAR team comprised of staff from the Los Angeles and Fairfax County SAR units. (USAID SitRep #32) COMMODITY FLOW -------------- ¶3. (SBU) WFP has indentified 15 food distribution sites in and around Port-au-Prince. Some were in operation as of January 30, with the full 15 expected to open February 1. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) ¶4. (SBU) The UN has indicated its willingness to provide a security escort for the transfer of $20 million cash held by HSBC to the Central Bank of Haiti. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) EVACUATIONS/AMERICAN CITIZEN AND LE STAFF WHEREABOUTS -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) As of 1400 EST January 29, 128 American evacuees and family members departed Port-au-Prince; a total of 13,525 have been evacuated to date. There are 350 Americans and family members inside the Embassy and 50 individuals, mostly local nationals, outside the Embassy. A total of 21,400 potential evacuees have been accounted for. (TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince e-mail) ¶6. (SBU) There are 74 confirmed American fatalities and another 20 reported. (TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince e-mail) ¶7. (SBU) There are no updates on LE Staff whereabouts. (TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince e-mail) ¶8. (SBU) On January 29, Prime Minister Bellerive signed the authorization letters for 121 orphans to travel to the United States. Included in this group were authorization letters for orphans whose cases were being closely followed by the office of Sen. Hatch (R-UT). (TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince telcon) ¶9. (SBU) American citizens will no longer be evacuated to Homestead AFB; they will be routed to Orlando. (TF1/SOUTHCOM e- mail) MEDICAL RESPONSE -------------- ¶10. (U) No updates at this time. INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION/REQUESTS -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The Colombian Red Cross has raised $1.25 million for the relief effort. (TF1/WHA e-mail) DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSETS -------------- ¶12. (SBU) No updates at this time. HUMANITARIAN/SECURITY/INFRASTRUCTURE -------------- ¶13. (SBU) At 1309 EST, a U.S. soldier fired a one-round warning shot to disperse looters attacking a fellow soldier. UN and Haitian police arrived and arrested the looters. There were no casualties as a result of the soldier's actions. (TF1/SOUTHCOM e-mail) ¶14. (SBU) SOUTHCOM and Embassy Port-au-Prince will tour northern Haiti January 29 to view the coastline and assess any migratory activity. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) ¶15. (SBU) Ministry of Justice officials told Embassy Port-au- Prince their priority is getting prisons operational, so they can proceed with arresting escaped prisoners whose locations are known. A DOS-led assessment team is currently evaluating five major prisons. (TF1/Interagency Conference Call) ¶16. (SBU) Canadian Embassy contacts in Port-au-Prince report verbal orders were allegedly given by police leadership to shoot escaped prisoners on sight. UN Civilian Police officers close to prison authorities also heard unconfirmed reports of extra- judicial killings by police. (Port-au-Prince 102) ¶17. (SBU) According to the World Bank, human capacity within the GOH has suffered, particularly at the mid- and senior- managerial levels, due to deaths and absences since the earthquake. Manpower shortages have been especially debilitating in the financial sector, where banks are in not operating at capacity. (Port-au-Prince 102) ¶18. (SBU) The City and State of New York will open a service center in Brooklyn to assist victims of the Haiti earthquake February 1. Representatives from multiple USG agencies will be on-hand to assist. (TF1/CA e-mail) POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS -------------- ¶19. (SBU) President Preval publicly announced he will not seek to extend his presidency beyond the end of his term in February ¶2011. He did not specify when parliamentary and presidential elections would be held. The public announcement was his first on local radio since the quake. (Port-au-Prince 102) ¶20. (SBU) The Embassy reports small demonstrations against Preval and in support of the U.S. presence in Haiti, including motorcycle taxis carrying U.S. flags. (Port-au-Prince 102) ¶21. (U) At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, UNESCO called for a ban on the trade of Haitian artifacts to prevent the pillaging of cultural treasures. (AP) ¶22. Additional updates are available through our classified Intellipedia portal at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Cris is_HAITI. ¶23. (U) Minimize considered. CLINTON