Aftershock Hits Port-au-Prince Area

A 6.1 magnitude aftershock struck the Port-au-Prince area at approximately 0603 local time on 20 January 2010. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake occurred at a depth of 13 mi/22 km and was centered approximately 35 mi/56 km northwest of Port-au-Prince. The tremor was the largest since the initial quake struck on 12 January. Although there were no reports of additional significant damage, buildings that were compromised by the initial 12 January quake may have collapsed further in the aftershock. Meanwhile, international relief efforts are continuing in Port-au-Prince and throughout the impacted area. So far, approximately 120 people have been rescued from the rubble. The USNS Comfort hospital ship is also expected to arrive in Haiti at midmorning on 20 January. The ship has 550 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel on board; it also has six operating rooms and can house up to 1,000 patients. U.S. military helicopters have already begun ferrying patients from the mainland to the ship to receive treatment. Aid also continues to arrive at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport (MTPP/PAP). However, there have been some reports of cargo aircraft being turned away from the facility due to ongoing congestion. U.S. military spokespersons have announced that they will begin diverting aircraft to an airstrip in Jacmel, which is located in southern Haiti, and to the airport in San Isidro, Dominican Republic, in order to relieve pressure on the Port-au-Prince facility. Although workers have begun to successfully clear some roads in the city, which has helped aid distribution, the U.N. has estimated that at least 3 million survivors are still in need of food, water and medical supplies and shelter. Frustrated over the slow delivery of relief supplies, many survivors are continuing to leave Port-au-Prince in search of aid in the countryside and in the neighboring Dominican Republic. Reports indicate that traffic is extremely heavy at border crossing points in both directions on the Dominican border. A U.N. situation report has also stated that it is taking as long as 18 hours to drive from Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital, to Port-au-Prince. The security situation in Port-au-Prince remains tenuous. Reports of violence continue to emerge, although authorities continue to insist that the overall environment remains calm. The potential for deterioration of the security environment remains, as survivors grow increasingly desperate for aid.