U.S.: Haiti aid bottleneck is easing up

[TomCADem]

Source: NBC

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Amid sporadic looting and pleas from local police for backup, the U.S. military said Monday that the bottleneck slowing aid distribution in Haiti's capital is easing, with more flights moving through the city's airport and the seaport expected to reopen later this week.

About 100 flights a day are now landing, up from 60 last week, said the U.S. military spokesman in Haiti, Cmdr. Chris Lounderman. "The ramp was designed for 16 large aircraft," he said. "At times there were up to 40. That's why there was gridlock."

In addition, the U.S. military on Monday staged the first drop of supplies from a fixed aircraft. Flying nonstop from a base in North Carolina, a C-17 delivered 14,500 meals ready to eat and 15,000 liters of water to a drop zone five miles northeast of the Port-au-Prince airport, the military said.

Helicopters have been delivering supplies but their loads are significantly smaller. Thirty three are now in the field, and will be joined by 15 more by Tuesday, the U.S. military said.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34915151/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

[Cha]

1. Thanks Tom!

[tabatha]

2. listening to wolf, one would not even know.

[elleng]

3. U.S. And U.N. Boost Haiti Aid Security as Food Drops In.

Source: nyt/reuters

U.S. troops protected aid handouts and the United Nations sought extra peacekeepers in earthquake-shattered Haiti on Monday as marauding looters emptied wrecked shops and desperate survivors began to receive medical care and air-dropped food.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/01/18/world/international-us-quake-haiti.html?_r=1

[Turborama]

4. US begins airdrops of food and water into Haiti

Source: BBC

The US military has begun airdropping food and water supplies into earthquake-hit Haiti.

Some 14,000 ready-to-eat meals and 15,000 litres of water were dropped north-east of the capital Port-au-Prince, the US said.

It had earlier said airdrops were too risky but congestion at the airport has hampered aid distribution. The US is now considering airdrops across Haiti.

More than 2,000 US marines are set to join 1,000 US troops in Haiti.

They are equipped with heavy lifting and earth-moving equipment, a dozen helicopters and medical support facilities.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8466973.stm

[Skittles]

5. NICE

:thumbsup:

[bermudat]

6. About GD time.

[theHandpuppet]

14. You got that right

Should have started doing that days ago.

[snagglepuss]

17. Exactly. Its unbelievable that all of the sudden it is doable. I appreciate

the fact that people on the ground have experience in aid work and I respect that experience however it has been mind-boggling why under these conditions drops weren't done sooner because the risks of not having food, water and medicine seems to clearly outdo the risks associated with drops.

[Jamastiene]

7. Good.

Maybe now more people can be helped.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. Actually they have been doing it for a few days now

[Turborama]

10. If you mean the helicopters that were dropping off food and water, it's a bit different to this...

In the BBC article...

"The US Air Force C-17 dropped the relief supplies on Monday into a secured area five miles (8km) north-east of Port-au-Prince,
US Army spokeswoman Maj Tanya Bradsher was quoted as saying by the Associated Press."

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. I was considering the helo drops as well

VertRep is one of the things they do well.

[EFerrari]

11. Really? Do you have a source for that?

All I can find says that this is new.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. It was here on DU earlier. Have to see if I can find it again.

[EFerrari]

22. That's all right. Happens to me too when I read too much too fast. n/t

[BluDemocratGirl]

9. Yes! About f**king time!

[demoleft]

15. good news. n/t

[Paper Roses]

16. Swift minds, did it just occur to the military that this was a good idea?

Sometimes I wonder who is running the asylum.

[Robb]

18. Air drops are the goddamn chicken threads of 2010. nt

[bdamomma]

19. they need rescue teams too, I heard that whoever is in charge

told some rescue teams to stand down on the news last nite, really idiotic.

[Turborama]

20. US begins airdrops of food and water into Haiti

This thread has been combined with another thread.

Click here to read this message in its new location.

[Waiting For Everyman]

21. Gee, it took a week to figure out that the airport would be a problem?

This could've/should've been done from the gitgo.

Glad to see the military isn't allowing itself any longer to be bottlenecked by the bureaucrat-beancounters!

[hayu_lol]

23. Lots of folks posting don't seem to know much about ...

immediate relief efforts.

IT TAKES TIME to get planning started, emergency gear packed and stowed in order of immediate need, find the right planes/helicopters/and figure out how best to handle a mad circus situation with a small airport that is clearly not suitable to the job.

Takes time to get fuel on site, find crews to send, find supplies and pack them.

Time...it cannot be done overnight.

Some of you need to do some reading on the setting up of the Berlin Airlift. Didn't happen overnight and there were several well-constructed airports to use.

In the case of Haiti, they needed help the day before the damage was done...so all relief efforts were already behind when they began to plan.