Haiti – Earthquake
Disaster Response Report 2
January 13, 2010
Background
On January 12, at 5:22pm local time, a series of earthquakes ranging from magnitude 6.5 to 7.3 struck Haiti in the highly populated area of Department Ouest, 10 miles southeast of Port-au-Prince. Aftershocks are continuing to occur.
Key Developments
· Initial reports indicate a high number of casualties with widespread damage and collapsed buildings, creating an urgent need for search and rescue activities. As many as three million people may be affected.
· The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation), as well as UN agencies and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are deploying teams to coordinate humanitarian assistance and provide search and rescue services.
· The American Red Cross is releasing US $1 million for immediate response needs. It is also deploying a Relief Emergency Response Unit team and has an additional specialist en route.
· The International Federation has deployed additional Emergency Response Unit teams for Relief, Telecommunications, Logistics, Health/Mobile Hospital and Logistics, as well as a Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT).
Current Situation
· Damage - The capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, has been severely affected including critical city infrastructure such as electricity, water and phone services. Initial reports indicate a large number of casualties and widespread damage. According to preliminary reports, many Red Cross, UN and government buildings have collapsed or have been damaged. Populations may also be affected in Carrefour and Jacmel.
· Access - The Port-au-Prince International Airport is closed to commercial traffic, but remains open for official use. Thousands of earthquake survivors are clogging roadways, hindering the ability of rescue workers to reach those trapped beneath rubble. Transportation disruptions are expected to deteriorate.
· Power - There is a near-total blackout in Port-au-Prince; the power grid has been significantly damaged, and sporadic blackouts have begun to spread across the island. Those with generators could run out of fuel before nightfall, further limiting electricity availability.
· Communications – Due to limited electricity, communications are difficult with phone lines and cellular infrastructure down.
Map of Haiti
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Response
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is actively responding to this disaster, and will be working with Red Cross partners in Haiti and with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. At this time, the American Red Cross had pledged the following:
The American Red Cross has released US $1 million for immediate response activities.
At the International FederationÂ’s request, the American Red Cross is deploying a five-member Relief Emergency Response Unit (ERU) to manage the distribution of relief items to earthquake survivors. In addition, it has a disaster specialist en route to Haiti to support disaster assessments conducted by the International FederationÂ’s FACT team.
The American Red Cross has made available all relief supplies stored at its warehouse in Panama. These include blankets, kitchen sets, and water containers to meet the immediate needs of up to 5,000 families.
The American Red Cross has staff on the ground in Haiti and is working to obtain detailed information on current humanitarian needs. In addition, experienced disaster specialists are standing by to be deployed upon request.
The American Red Cross will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with the Haitian Red Cross and International Federation for future immediate action.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation)
The International Federation has deployed a number of Emergency Response Units for Relief, Telecommunications, Logistics, Health/Mobile Hospital and Logistics, as well as a Field Assessment and Coordination Team.
The International Federation has activated its Pan American Disaster Unit in Panama to provide supplies from its warehouse as needs and response options are identified.
It is coordinating the global Red Cross network response with UN and other agencies.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
The ICRC is coordinating family tracing activities and will be focusing on helping people affected by the disaster in Haiti communicate with family members.
Additionally, it will help manage the remains of the dead as well as provide medical care and assistance in places of detention.
United Nations and Government Response
United Nations
o The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is mobilizing a United Nations Disaster and Assessment Team (UNDAC) as well as mobilizing staff from its regional office in Panama.
o The World Food program has dispatched two planes with food relief.
US Government
o USAIDÂ’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is the lead U.S. Government office responsible for providing humanitarian assistance. To date, USAID/OFDA has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), as well as two U.S.-based urban search and rescue teams.
The information in this report is compiled from a number of sources including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development and involved national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies. The American Red Cross strives to provide the most accurate and timely information possible; however, all information should be considered conditional until a final report has been issued.
