Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The United States' efforts in Haiti

Shortly before 5:00 pm on Tuesday, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leaving behind a major humanitarian emergency on the small island nation.

As images and first-hand accounts from Haiti make it into the news today, the incredible level of destruction and immense loss of human life left by this natural disaster is still difficult to grasp, though the need for immediate emergency response and humanitarian assistance is obvious.

Throughout the day, the Obama Administration has been outlining the steps that are being taken by the U.S. government to launch a multiagency effort to provide disaster relief to the Haitian government and people and the 45,000 U.S. citizens who live in Haiti.

Here are some links to relevant news stories, links to how to help, and official U.S. government documents or statements on the USG's response.

  • The U.S. Department of State held a special briefing on the situation in Haiti, at which administration officials outlined the steps being taken by various government agencies, including USAID and U.S. Southern Command. These steps include the deployment of two 72-person search-and-rescue units to help drill through the debris in order to try to identify individuals that can be saved, and the deployment of U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to Haiti.
  • U.S. Southern Command issued a press release listing some immediate response activities, which include the deployment of:
    • U.S. Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing to the Port-au-Prince airport to provide air traffic control capability and airfield operations;
    • A U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft from the Forward Operating Location at Comalapa, El Salvador to conduct an aerial reconnaissance of the area affected by the earthquake;
    • A team of 30 people, including U.S. military engineers, operational planners, and a command and control group and communication specialists, who will arrive on two C-130 Hercules aircraft; and
    • U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, in addition to other U.S. Navy ships.
  • U.S. Southern Command also issued a fact sheet on the details of its mission to Haiti, which, in addition to the deployments cited above, notes that hospital ship USNS Comfort has been ordered to support Haiti relief operations.
  • Southcom's Commander, General Douglas Fraser, held a news briefing at the Pentagon, in addition to the one at the State Department. The transcript can be found here.
  • Some relevant news stories and links to videos and images of the current situation in Haiti can be found on here.
  • The Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC), put together a list of sources for news and reports from Haiti, and links to relief organizations with operations in Haiti.
  • The U.S. Navy created a list on Twitter to compile all official U.S. Government twitter accounts following Haiti relief, which can be read @NavyNews/haiti-relief
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