Caribbean Search & Rescue Community

Our Mission:
"To reduce maritime risk within the Caribbean Community."
Our Methodology:
Bring together the appropriate government agencies and the currently twenty-six volunteer Search and Rescue organizations within the Caribbean Community to establish vigorous programs directed to the: PREVENTION of maritime accidents and terrorist events and to the RESPONSE to maritime emergencies resulting from maritime accidents, terrorist events, or natural disasters.

Special Notice!



Special Interest Reports of World Wide Response to Haitian Earthquake

  • 26 Jan 2010 - 14:31 EST — U.S. Coast Guard Issues Port Security Advisory

    Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Port Security Advisory (1-10) for Haiti.

  • 19 Jan 2010 - 16:00 EST — Activation of USCG Reserve for Haiti Support

    Washington, D.C. — This Department of Homeland Security Press Release announces the DHS ayuthorization to activate up to 900 U.S. Coast Guard Reservists to bolster the U.S. Government's on-site support of the Haiti Relief efforts.

  • — LOCAL AUXILIARY MEMBERS ASSIST IN COAST GUARD RESPONSE TO HAITI EARTHQUAKE
          by George Navarini, N-IA-CC / SO-PA, Div 6 Dist 7

    MIAMI — As part of the U S Coast Guard response to the earthquake in Haiti, many crew-members of the Seventh District Public Affairs staff have been deployed to Port-au-Prince and to several of the Coast Guard Cutters deployed in support operations in the area.  This public affairs office, one of the busiest in the nation, did not miss a beat, as local members of Division Six of the U S Coast Guard Auxiliary quickly stepped up to assist with standing-up and running the Coast Guard's Joint Information Center (JIC), based in Miami.

    Schedules were quickly crafted and jobs assigned.  Soon these volunteer Auxiliarists were busy answering phone calls from the national and international media, setting up transportation for members of active duty staff, and translating information. "The Coast Guard's Auxiliary force has been a tremendous asset in the Haitian Relief response," said LT Suzanne Kerver, Coast Guard JIC Manager for Operation Haiti Relief.  "Members from Division Six stepped in quickly and, using their skills and background, assisted with getting the JIC up and running smoothly," the Lieutenant added.

    Some, like Auxiliarists Chris Todd of Miami Beach and George Navarini of Pembroke Pines, are experienced public affairs officers with years of experience both in the Auxiliary and other emergency management agencies.  Others are volunteers, new to public affairs, but eager to serve and quick to learn. 

    Among these volunteers is Judith Hudson of Coral Gables, who just took office as Division Commander earlier this month.  "When the Coast Guard Public Affairs (PA) office requested assistance from us, there was no problem in recruiting Auxiliarists for these temporary assignments to work through the weekend, and for as long as they need us," Ms Hudson remarked.  "We have interpreters, computer experts, and administrative professionals currently supporting the Coast Guard PA regular staff through 12-hour days.  We all want to help in any way we can."

    The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard created by an Act of Congress in 1939. The Auxiliary, America's Volunteer Guardians, supports the Coast Guard in nearly all of the service's missions.

  • 16 Jan 2010 - 20:00 EST — SARFA Leadership, Aruban, and Dutch Military Respond

    Naval Air Station Hato, Curaçao, Netherland Antilles — The Royal Dutch Navy support vessel HNLMS Pelikaan (A804) departed Curaçao Thursday evening bound for Haiti with Aruban and Dutch rescue personnel.  This response team includes Mr. Ruben Croes, President of SARFA as well as a team of four surgeons and an Aruban militia contingent of soldiers, police, and civilians, as part of the help from the Dutch/Aruban government to Haiti, going to relieve medical teams who are in Haiti from day one.

    The Pelikaan is normally is equipped with vehicles, small boats, supplies, and tools to support Dutch naval operations in the Caribbean.  These provisions have been augmented with the Dutch first aid supplies, and generators, as well as sniffer dogs and their equipment, all airlifted from Eindhoven on Thursday.  Also airlifted from Holland and now on board the Pelikaan are elements of the Dutch Marine 43rd Mechanized Brigade and their equipment.

    Search & Rescue Federation Aruba (SARFA - Aruba) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that has among its objectives to support and cooperate with the Royal Netherlands Antilles and Aruban Coast Guard in effecting search and rescue (SAR) missions at sea and the local police with SAR missions on land.  The ship expected to arrive in Haiti on Monday.

  • 16 Jan 2010 06:10 EST — Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Set to Leave for Haiti
          By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service

    BALTIMORE — Early last spring, Navy Capt. James Ware was preparing his crew aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort for a humanitarian assistance mission in Haiti, the first stop during a four-month swing through the region. Today, Ware is overseeing final preparations to return to Haiti for a more pressing mission: providing life-saving medical care to victims of a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands and left untold thousands more injured.

    Comfort will leave its home port here early tomorrow and is expected to arrive in Haiti by Jan. 21, delivering a full spectrum of medical and surgical services aboard one of the country's largest trauma facilities.

    "This is a moment when we feel we can have a huge impact, along with other military medical providers already on the ground, as well as those from nongovernmental organizations and the international community," Ware said. "Our hope is to work with those individuals, side by side, to truly help the people of Haiti."

    USNS Comfort will deliver immense capability to the mission. The hulking hospital ship -- three football fields long and one wide - has 2550 hospital beds and a 550-person medical team that includes trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, eye surgeons and obstetricians and gynecologists.  The team also will include medical professionals from the Navy, Army, Air Force and U.S. Public Health Service, as well as nongovernmental organizations.

    Ware said he expects his staff to initially see about 500 patients a day when it arrives in Haiti, working up to 750 or more, and to conduct 20 to 25 surgical procedures a day.  But his big focus today was on getting the ship manned, equipped and provisioned for the mission ahead. A massive logistical effort was under way to load the food, water and medical supplies the crew -- most from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., but also from its sister hospitals in Portsmouth, Va., and San Diego, Calif. -- will need.

    Two cranes worked simultaneously, hoisting palletized loads of bottled water, packaged meals and other supplies to Comfort's upper decks. Meanwhile, a long line of tractor trailers that began arriving last night idled nearby, waiting to offload their supplies. Engine roars mingled with the ever-present "beep-beep-beep" of forklifts scurrying in almost every direction alongside the vessel.

    Navy Petty Officer 1st Lamar McDavis, based at the National Naval Medical Center, kept his checklist handy to keep track of the loading process. "It's going to be a long day here," he said, noting that he expects to load as many as 800 pallets by the day's end, compressing into just one day what typically would take about three.

    "We're doing this fast, but it can't be fast enough," McDavis said. "People are suffering, and the quicker we get help to them, the better off they will be."

    USNS Comfort initially will carry enough food and water to sustain its crew - 550 medical specialists and 250 mariners and staff to providee security, communications and other shipboard support - and the patients who will fill its 250 hospital beds for up to 60 days, according to Ware.  In addition, the ship has enough medical supplies aboard to support a 60-day combat casualty care mission, he said.

    Ware said he's confident he'll have everything he needs on board to proceed directly to Haiti without having to stop anywhere else en route to pick up additional crew or supplies.  "We have pushed forward on this end to make sure we have the right personnel," he said. "We have looked all the way down to the very lowest seaman on board to determine whether they have the exact skills sets we need - from an operating technician to a surgeonn to a blood-bank specialist.   "And we have identified 99 percent of those individuals," he continued. "So [the] plan is to leave tomorrow, and we will be moving as quickly as possible to get to Port-au-Prince Harbor."

    As much as 70 percent of the crew already has experience aboard Comfort, or its sister ship USNS Mercy in San Diego, Ware said.  In addition to onboard training sessions conducted every 12 weeks, many participated in Continuing Promise 2009, Comfort's most recent humanitarian assistance mission through Latin America and the Caribbean.  During that mission, USNS Comfort treated almost 100,000 patients, including tens of thousands in Haiti alone.

    The visit provided important lessons to the Comfort crew it will apply during its disaster response mission, he said, but also fostered relationships that will help in its upcoming mission.  "They are waiting for us to come," Ware said, citing numerous phone calls and e-mails he has received from people he"s already worked with in Haiti.  "And I think those [relationships] will really pay off - not for us, but for the people of Haiti."

    Navy Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Olivero, department head for Comfort's operating room, is preparing for a mission he expects to be heavy in head injuries, crushing injuries, amputations, and other trauma cases.  His crew will exercise various trauma scenarios once it's all onboard and under way, to be sure it's ready to hit the ground running when it arrives.

    Olivero remembers the gratification of Continuing Promise 2009, when "a busy day for us was a good day, because we were helping many people."  He expects to be even busier during this mission, too, but acknowledged the circumstances will be a lot tougher to deal with.  "It is going to be good to help people, but the reason you are busy is not what you want it to be," he said.

    Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Lesley Prasad, one of just 50 permanently assigned crewmembers aboard Comfort, said it feels great seeing the hospital ship provide such a desperately needed service to relieve suffering in Haiti.  It's kept him and his fellow crewmembers buzzing nonstop for the past four days "on full steam" to prepare so they're ready to hit the ground running.

    "I feel really good about this," he said, pausing as he ordered last-minute medical supplies for the mission.  "We are the best qualified crew medically, [and we're] ready to help these people in Haiti," he said.  "To be able to have such a vital role in the effort, it's awesome."

  • 16 Jan 2010 - 03:56 EST — Photos of Haitian Earthquake Damage

    PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — Graphic images of the devastation of the main cargo terminals at the Port-au-Prince seaport (photograph by Juan Carlos Porcella, AND - Dominican Republic)

  • 15 Jan 2010 - 20:36 EST — Update on U.S. Military Relief Efforts in Haiti
          by U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs

    MIAMI — In the last 48 hours, U.S. Southern Command has established Joint Task Force Haiti to oversee U.S. military relief efforts in Haiti and has appointed U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen to command the task force.

    Approximately 4,200 U.S. military personnel are currently supporting task force operations, within Haiti and from U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels off shore.   An additional 6,300 military personnel are scheduled to arrive by Monday.

    Current U.S. military efforts are focused on working with the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), international relief organizations and local responders to provide search and rescue, distribute aid and assess damage to key infrastructure.

    With approval from the government of Haiti, U.S. Air Force air traffic control and airfield management personnel are managing air operations into the international airport at Port au Prince. The airfield is currently open for 24-hour operations and has a 90-aircraft-per-day capability

    The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) are presently operating off the Haitian coast in support of the task force. USS Carl Vinson has 19 embarked helicopters flying airlift missions in support of relief efforts. The carrier is also delivering more than 30 pallets of relief supplies for distribution to affected areas.   Overall, there are 24 helicopters providing relief to the people of Haiti now.

    A Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked aboard the amphibious ship USS Bataan and comprised of more than 2,200 Marines is scheduled to arrive in Haiti Jan. 18 with heavy lift and earth-moving equipment, and additional medical support capabilities.  Other ships currently en route to Haiti include the amphibious ships USS Bataan (LHD 5), USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), USS Underwood (FFG 36) and USS Normandy (CG 60).

    The hospital ship USNS Comfort will depart Baltimore, Md. tomorrow en route to Haiti with approximately 600 medical personnel and is projected to arrive in Haitian waters on Jan. 21. Comfort's capabilities include fully-equipped operating rooms, a 500 bed hospital facility, digital radiological services, a medical laboratory, a pharmacy, an optometry lab, a CAT-scan, and two oxygen producing plants.  Each ship is equipped with a helicopter deck capable of landing large military helicopters.

    An initial company of more than 100 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Haiti Jan. 14 and 600 additional paratroopers are scheduled to arrive over the next few days to augment U.N. security and assist with search and rescue missions.

    Since 2005, U.S. Southern Command has led U.S. military support to 14 major relief missions, including assistance to Haiti in September 2008.  During that mission, U.S. military forces from USS Kearsarge and other units airlifted 3.3 million pounds of aid to communities that were devastated by a succession of major storms.

    All military efforts are in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is orchestrating U.S. government contributions to the relief mission.

  • 15 Jan 2010 - 15:17 EST — Coast Guard continues Haiti response efforts

    MIAMI — The Coast Guard is continuing to provide support to the U.S. Government's humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts in Haiti Friday. The Coast Guard has evacuated nearly 250 U.S. citizens from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

    The crew of the Coast Guard Cutters Mohawk and Tahoma successfully completed an offload of relief supplies and sent support personnel ashore to provide humanitarian assistance.

    The Coast Guard Cutter Oak is en route to Coast Guard Sector Miami to load medical supplies capable of restocking ground units in Haiti.

    An MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew, from Air Station Clearwater, Fla., transported a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team to Port-au-Prince to assist in search and rescue operations.

    Two Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crews from Air Station Clearwater are standing by for possible medical evacuations.

    Responding to the area are:
    • Three MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.
    • The crew of the HC-144A Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala.
    • Four HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.
    • Two HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C.
    • The Crew of an HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif.
    • Two MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews from Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron based in Jacksonville, Fla., and Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, Mich.
    • The crew of an HU-25 Falcon jet from Coast Guard Air Station Miami.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant, a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Miami.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Fla.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, N.H.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Forward, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Va.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Oak, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Charleston, S.C.


  • 15 Jan 2010 - 14:25 EST — Air Force Intelligence Agency Officials Support Haitian Relief Efforts

    LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) — High-altitude damage assessment imagery as well as linguistic support are being provided for disaster relief and recovery efforts in Haiti by members of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency headquartered here.

    The imagery from the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft based at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., is being used by Department of Defense officials to provide disaster assessments for the consortium of agencies working on relief efforts with U.S. Southern Command officials in Miami.

    Analysts from the 548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group at Beale AFB are providing assessments of the imagery to assist in all aspects of recovery and relief.

    "The Global Hawk can shoot images fast enough so that it is close to video quality. Yesterday it took 400 to 700 images and today it will take 1,000 images over the country," said Col. Bradley Butz, the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing vice commander. "We are providing unclassified images to U.S. Southern Command for its use and SOUTHCOM, in turn, provides these images to the agencies supporting the relief efforts in Haiti."

    "We are committed to working with our sister services, partners, and allies to ensure our global enterprise can direct the talents of our team wherever needed," said Col. Daniel Johnson, the 480th ISR Wing commander. "Today that need is in Haiti, and it is our privilege to support this effort and hopefully help save lives."

    Members of the agency's 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla., are supporting Air Force Special Operations Command's efforts to stabilize the airport in Port-au-Prince as well as other security issues.

    "Airmen from the 361st (ISRG), and others from the 70th (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Wing, quickly mobilized to provide linguistic support for commanders in Port-au-Prince," said Col. James Rix, the 361st ISRG commander. "The objective is to ensure U.S. forces are able to work closely and seamlessly with local officials to assist Haitian rescue efforts, and facilitate U.S. and international community response to this disaster."

    Unclassified photographs of the destruction in Haiti shot from a Global Hawk can be found at www.southcom.mil/appssc/photogallery.php.

  • 15 Jan 2010 - 12:00 EST — Daily Noon Briefing from the United Nations

    UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK — John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told reporters today: "We still don't have any reliable figures for dead or injured, although, of course, we recognize that those numbers are likely to be extremely high.  On the search-and-rescue side, that effort is going on with all possible speed.  Some people are still being recovered alive, relatively fewer, as you would expect, but that is still happening." For a full text of the briefing, go to: www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2010/db100115.doc.htm.

  • 15 Jan 2010 - 10:30 EST — U.S. Coast Guard Pilot Led First Aerial Mission to Haiti
        By Ed O'Keefe - The Washington Post

    WASHINGTON DC — Some of the first Americans dispatched to Haiti left Florida at 3 a.m. Wednesday with a simple mission: Tell the world how bad it was there.

    Coast Guard Lt. Comm. Elizabeth Fielder piloted a C-130 and her seven-member crew three hours south. While another C-130 crew headed to northern Haiti to assess the situation there, her crew went south, toward Port-au-Prince, to radio back their observations to Coast Guard operations in Miami.

    The first thing she remembers is the presidential palace, pancaked by the force of the quake.

    "That's a huge area," Fielder said in an interview Thursday night. "The palace was all caved in. And all the homes nearby were demolished."

    "Basically we were the only ones there," she recalled. "We saw the United Nations. They had one aircraft that landed while we were there and two helicopters that were spun up but never took off. Air traffic control at the time was down. It was pretty quiet, actually.

    "We could see a whole hillside of houses that were leveled. And an oil spill in the harbor. Not huge, but about a half mile long," she said.

    Fielder and her crew have flown several missions off the coast of Haiti, but Wednesday morning she flew directly over the country for the first time, often just 500 feet off the ground.

    "We were just looking at these people's faces and they're waiting for us to land and bring them supplies," Fielder said. That help would have to come later.

    Fielder, 36, has piloted C-130s for most of her 13 years with the Coast Guard. She flew similar assessment missions over New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, helping coordinate the helicopter recoveries that earned the Coast Guard international acclaim. Despite the risk and long hours, Fielder's family seems more proud than scared of her service, she said.

    "I think they get as excited as I do. They text me, 'Are you going to Haiti? What are you doing?' " Fielder said. Her father, a Navy veteran who flew P-3s, gets especially nostalgic when she tells him stories.

    Fielder and her husband are two of the thousands of Coasties stationed at Air Station Clearwater. She keeps a backpack ready at all hours, knowing deployments can come at anytime. The couple has no children, but often needs to find someone to watch their dog.

    "You have to have backup day care and backup everything," she said.

    "It's one of those things where you're waiting for hours on call and then everything happens really, really fast," Fielder said. "I saw that the earthquake hit on Tuesday and I'm sure that we're going somewhere. Sure enough, in the middle of the night -- it's always in the middle of the night -- we got the call."

  • 15 Jan 2010 - 10:00 EST — Readout of the U.S. President's Call with President Preval of Haiti

    Washington DC — U.S. President Obama spoke for roughly thirty minutes with President Preval of Haiti this morning.

    President Obama said that the world has been devastated by the loss and suffering in Haiti, and pledged the full support of the American people for the government and people of Haiti as it relates to both the immediate recovery effort, and the long-term rebuilding effort.

    President Preval said that he has been touched by the friendship of the American people, and expressed his condolences for the loss of American citizens in Haiti. He said that the needs are great, that relief is now flowing in to the people of Haiti, and noted the support that has come from both America and many other countries from the region and around the world.

    The two Presidents underscored the need to closely coordinate assistance efforts among the various parties, including the Haitian government, the United Nations, the United States and the many international partners and aid organizations on the ground. President Obama underscored his commitment to supporting the government and people of Haiti through his team on the ground.

    President Preval closed by passing a message to the American people, "From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the Haitian people, thank you, thank you, thank you."

  • 14 Jan 2010 - 20:45 EST — U.S. Coast Guard Delivers First Responders, Equipment to Port-au-Prince, Haiti

    MIAMI — Coast Guard personnel and the urban search and rescue teams from the FEMA South Florida Task Force 2 departed from the Homestead Air Reserve Base, in Homestead, Fla., for Port-au-Prince, Haiti, aboard three Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft, to provide assistance to the people of Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake Tuesday. Click for Video (U.S. Coast Guard Video By Petty Officer 1st Class Bobby Nash).

  • 14 JAN 2010 - 15:00 EST — Secretary-General, Briefing General Assembly on Haiti Disaster, Announces Release of $10 Million in Emergency Funds to Kick-Start Response

    UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK — Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's briefing to the General Assembly on the emergency in Haiti, in New York today, 13 January:

    Our hearts and minds today are with the people of Haiti.

    We are still struggling to learn the full extent of the devastation from yesterday's earthquake, but you have all seen the images on television -- collapsed hospitals and schools, public buildings in ruins, including the Parliament, presidential palace, cathedral, the Ministry of Justice and many Government offices.

    Tens of thousands of people are in the streets, without shelter. Uncounted numbers remain trapped in the rubble. Casualties cannot yet be estimated but they are certain to be heavy. Of Haiti's 9 million people, initial reports suggest roughly a third may be affected by the disaster.

    Large portions of the capital, Port-au-Prince, have been badly damaged. Basic services such as water and electricity have collapsed almost entirely. Some major transportation routes have been severely disrupted by surface cracks or blocked by rocks, fallen trees or collapsed buildings.

    Medical facilities are besieged; many are simply not functioning. The main port has been heavily damaged. The control tower at the Port-au-Prince airport has been destroyed; however, the airport continues to function.

    The United Nations counts among the victims. Peacekeepers and civilian staff from many Member States are in Haiti and remain unaccounted for. As you know, the United Nations Headquarters building in the Christopher Hotel has collapsed. We estimate that approximately 100 staff were still at work when the earthquake struck. Many continue to be trapped inside, including Special Representative HAcdi Annabi and his deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa.

    To take control of the situation and direct our immediate emergency response efforts, I am dispatching Assistant Secretary General Edmond Mulet, our former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti(MINUSTAH), to Haiti this evening. He will be on the ground tomorrow morning to assume full command of the United Nations Mission at this juncture. He will begin his work by seeking a meeting with the top leadership of the country.

    Other United Nations offices have also been damaged, and 10 people are missing from a building adjacent to the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) compound that houses the United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS(UNAIDS), United Nations Development Fund for Women(UNIFEM),World Food Programme(WFP), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) and the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP).

    At least 11 Brazilian peacekeepers were killed, and another seven are missing. MINUSTAH troops worked through the night to reach those under the debris. So far, several badly injured people have been retrieved and transported to the MINUSTAH logistics base, which remains largely operational. However, in several places along the base perimeter, desperate Haitians are seeking access in search of medical help, shelter or food.

    Clearly this crisis rivals, if not exceeds, the disaster of 2008 when a series of hurricanes devastated the island, and already the international community is mobilizing. MINUSTAH has approximately 3,000 troops and police in and around Port-au-Prince to help maintain order and assist in relief efforts. MINUSTAH engineers have also begun clearing some of the main roads in Port-au-Prince, which will allow assistance and rescuers to reach those in need.

    Staff from the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and from MINUSTAH's offices at the Christopher Hotel have regrouped at the Mission's logistics base near the airport, where they will begin the critical task of coordinating the incoming international relief effort.

    The most urgent need is emergency search and rescue. A Chinese team has arrived in Port-au-Prince; at least two United States teams will arrive by this evening, and two more tomorrow morning. Additional search-and-rescue teams are reported to be arriving from Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic, and still others are on their way from many countries that have sprung into action.

    Let me say that I am very grateful, on behalf of the United Nations and on Haiti's behalf, for these urgent efforts. Clearly, a major relief effort will be required. In any emergency like this, the early hours and days are critical. That is why I have directed the United Nations humanitarian agencies to mobilize swiftly and in close coordination with the international community.

    In the next few days, we will issue a flash appeal for Haiti. I expect my humanitarian coordinators to perform the necessary assessment of needs and funding as quickly as possible and report back to me at once. It is already clear that there will be major needs in the areas of medical care, food, clean water and shelter.

    In the meantime, I have ordered $10 million to be released from the Central Emergency Response Fund, or CERF, to kick-start our response. Throughout the evening and this morning, I have been in touch with key world leaders to make sure that our response will be well-coordinated, effective and, above all, immediate.

    Just before meeting with you this afternoon, I spoke with President Barack Obama of the United States. He assured me that the United States Government will ensure all possible assistance as soon as possible to help overcome this crisis.

    I am also in close touch with my Special Envoy for Haiti, President Bill Clinton, who is here with me. We will work closely with the United States Administration and other international partners on ways to provide immediate relief as well as assistance on longer term reconstruction and rehabilitation.

    The challenges are complex, the needs are great. To the people of Haiti, I say this: we are with you. We are working quickly -- as fast as humanly possible.

    But if the days ahead are difficult, we can advance in hope, guided by the clear knowledge that, in this dark hour, the community of nations will unite in its resolve and help Haiti to overcome this latest trauma and begin the work of social and economic reconstruction that will carry this proud nation forward.

  • 14 Jan 2010 - 12:00 EST — Daily Noon Briefing from the United Nations

    UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK — Deputy Special Representative Kim Bolduc briefed reporters on humanitarian relief efforts that have been taking place, the situation of the UN Stabilization Mission, and the ongoing effort to assess damages and casualties.  See full text of the briefing.

  • 14 Jan 2010 - 08:28 EST — U.S. Coast Guard Conducts Damage Assessment Flight over Haiti

    CLEARWATER, Fla. — Crewmembers from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater conducted an overflight to assess damage in Haiti Jan. 13, 2010, following an earthquake Jan. 12, 2010.  Click for Video (U.S. Coast Guard Video By Petty Officer 2nd Class Sondra-Kay Kneen).

  • 13 Jan 2010 - 20:47 EST — Dominican Naval Auxiliary Executive Director Appointed to UN Post for Haitian Relief

    SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Juan Carlos Porcella, Executive Director of the newly created Auxiliares Navales Dominicanos (Dominican Naval Auxiliary) was appointed by the United Nations as the air-bridge coordinator to dispatch humanitarian aid to Haiti.

    Stationed at Dr. Joaquín Balaguer International Airport in Santo Domingo, Porcella will be coordinating the flow of aid arriving by air and destined for Haiti.

    Both the airport and seaport of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince were destroyed completely by the devastating 7.0 earthquake that struck this Caribbean nation Tuesday evening.

    The mission of the Auxiliares Navales Dominicanos (AND) includes assisting the Dominican Navy in maritime search and rescue efforts, protecting the marine environment, and providing safety education for recreational boat operators and fishermen.

  • 13 Jan 2010 - 12:00 EST — Daily Noon Briefing from the United Nations

    UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK — John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told reporters that "We're extremely concerned about the human and humanitarian impact of what has obviously been a devastating earthquake in Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas." The earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter scale and struck at approximately 16.53 hours local time yesterday, some 17 kilometres from the capital.  See full text of the briefing.

  • 12 Jan 2010 - 22:21 EST — U.S. Coast Guard Ready to Respond to Haiti in Wake of Massive Earthquake

    MIAMI — U.S. Coast Guard officials in Miami have mobilized cutters and aircraft to positions in close proximity to Haiti to render humanitarian assistance as needed.  Deployed to the area are:
    • The crew of a C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant, a 210-foot reliance class cutter homeported in Miami.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutters Forward, a 270-foot medium endurance cutters homeported in Portsmouth, Va.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, N.H.
    • The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Fla.
    Additional U.S. Coast Guard assets patrolling the area have been alerted of the situation and stand by to render assistance as needed.


Photogallery