Government End Search & Rescue Phase of Relief Effort

On 22 January 2010 the Haitian government announced that the search and rescue phase of the earthquake relief effort has officially ended and the search and recovery effort is now in effect. As many as 67 search and rescue teams with 1,918 civilian and military personnel operated throughout Port-au-Prince and other towns in the impacted area in southern Haiti. The government stated that teams rescued 132 people since the quake struck on 12 January. The priority during the search and recovery mission is to remove bodies and clean up affected areas in order to avoid health hazards and limit the spread of disease. The United Nations will also start bringing in heavier equipment to allow teams to move larger amounts of debris from collapsed buildings. Meanwhile, approximately 140 flights a day are operating from Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport (MTPP/PAP). In order to relieve congestion at the facility, humanitarian cargo is being moved to a forward dispatch area at the end of the runway. Relief efforts are also being routed through an airstrip in Jacmel in southern Haiti and through the Dominican Republic. Las Americas International Airport (MDSD/SDQ) in Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital, is also reporting congestion as the number of flights at the facility has significantly increased since the quake. Limited aid shipments have also begun arriving via Port-au-Prince’s main seaport. Larger vessels are still unable to dock at the facility, and it is unclear when the port will fully reopen. The security situation in the impacted area remains largely unchanged. There continue to be widespread reports of looting in the capital. Cases of looting are expected to increase during the search and recovery phase as workers remove rubble, revealing valuable items. Although incidents of violent crime have not yet increased significantly, police officers have doubled night patrols in the Cite Soleil slum, which is located next to the airport, in an effort to prevent an increase in crime. Before the earthquake, the Cite Soleil slum was home to many gang leaders and criminals, and authorities believe that prisoners who escaped from the collapsed National Penitentiary may return to this area. Additional damage remains possible as aftershocks continue to take place in Haiti. On 24 January a 4.7 magnitude aftershock struck approximately 20 mi/30 km west of Port-au-Prince, prompting at least one hotel to evacuate its guests. So far, Haitian authorities have estimated approximately 150,000 deaths from the 12 January earthquake, although the final death toll could be much higher.