A U.S. Navy poster designed to illustrate the U.S. Navy's support for Operation Unified Response. The U.S. Department of Defense is participating in a national and international relief effort led by the U.S. Agency for International Development. (Photo illustration by: Petty Officer 1st Class Mario Hair) Click for a larger image

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HAITI EARTHQUAKE: CDEMA SIT REP #12

The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive indicated that there were more than 200,000 people dead, 300,000 injuries treated, 250,000 destroyed houses, and 30,000 disrupted businesses as of February 3. [snip]

According to the government more than 482,000 persons have migrated out of the capital increasing the demands on infrastructure and healthcare facilities outside the city. The provision of shelter also remains a high priority area given the upcoming start of the rainy season.

The Haitian government has also established settlement sites to house the displaced. Reports indicate that these new settlements have increased demands for public environmental healthcare, water supply and sanitation.

There has also been an increase in the price of basic commodities as migration continues to the rural areas. Schools have also reopened in unaffected areas.

More than 1000 persons daily are reportedly crossing the Jimani border into the Dominican Republic and unaccompanied children are prevalent particularly at the border increasing the risk of them being taken out of the country.

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HAITI – Earthquake Fact Sheet #26, USAID

- Since the earthquake, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) and partners have provided emergency food assistance to approximately 1.7 million people in total, including approximately 950,000 people through a 16-site distribution system.

- On February 5, members of the U.S. urban search and rescue (USAR) rapid-response team delivered three large tents, tent lighting systems, more than 1,400 bottles of water, a generator, and 40 air mattresses to two orphanages in the Port-au-Prince area. The USAR team’s structural engineer also conducted building assessments at both sites and provided orphanage management with information concerning the structural integrity of the buildings. In addition, the USAR team rebuilt one orphanage’s perimeter wall, which had collapsed as a result of the earthquake.

- On February 7, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) estimated cost for the Haiti earthquake relief effort increased to $224 million, bringing the total USAID and DoD humanitarian assistance to Haiti for the earthquake to nearly $523 million to date.

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Map of Haiti earthquake damage and population displacement information. USAID. As of 1/28/2010. click for a larger map.

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Canadian helicopters await missions at Toussaint L'Ouverture Airport in Port Au Prince Feb. 6. The aircraft and crews are part of a larger Canadian contingent in Haiti to support the relief effort. Photo by Maj. Paul Hayes

International Merchant Vessel Nicholas is moored at Haiti's main port here. Portions of the port's main pier were destroyed during the recent earthquake but 500 feet remain operational. The port is currently under Haitian control and is building capacity to down load and process cargo daily. Photo by Maj. Paul Hayes

A merchant vessel downloads cargo at Haiti's main port Feb. 6. To date, a partnership between the Navy, Army, and USAID has resulted in the off-loading of 838 containers at the port despite significant damage from a Jan. 12 earthquake. (Photo by: Master Sgt. Adam McKinney)

Haitian trucks loaded with rice from the World Food Program depart Haiti's main port facility en route to Logistics Support Area Sustainer Feb. 4. A partnership effort between the Haitian Government, USAID, and U.S. Military will distribute the food to Haitians in need of relief as a result of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Photo by Maj. Paul Hayes

BEFORE

AFTER

U.S. Army photos by Capt. James Reid, Combined Task Force Castle

Members of the Australian Reconstruction Task Force and Task Force Castle’s 420th Engineer Brigade completed the emplacement of two Mabey Johnson bridges near Andar and Moqur in eastern Afghanistan.

Insurgent attacks during the summer left the bridges impassible, forcing Afghans and coalition forces to use single-lane bypasses.

Work progressed quickly once the Australian and American combat engineers arrived. The first bridge in Andar was erected in just over two days, and forces then moved on to Moqur, where they emplaced the second bridge.

Both bridges are on Highway 1, which connects Kandahar in southern Afghanistan to the Afghan capital of Kabul. Highway 1 is a paved route originally built in the 1960s. The 300-mile stretch that includes the bridges was refurbished in 2002 and 2003 as part of President Bush’s Afghanistan Road Initiative. The U.S. Agency for International Development credits the work with reducing the transit time between Kandahar and Kabul by half.

In recent months, Highway 1 has become a focal point for insurgent activity, as Taliban fighters and common bandits target supply convoys and merchant traffic. The bridge attacks were the latest in the Taliban’s efforts to impede Afghanistan’s reconstruction and stability, officials said.

The bridge attacks are a serious concern, but not a serious engineering problem to solve.

“Each section of the bridge is called a bay and is about 10 feet long,” said Army Capt. James Reid, Task Force Castle’s assistant operations officer. “We were able to do a 10-bay bridge in two days.”

Reid, an Arkansas native, has seen a great deal in his 20 years of military service, with multiple tours in Iraq and now building bridges in Afghanistan.

“I’m excited to be involved in this,” he said. “It’s helping everybody — it’s helping Afghanistan, it’s helping the coalition forces, and it’s just a win-win for everyone.”

DoD
By Army 1st Lt. Tomas Rofkahr
Special to American Forces Press Service