It worked with its partners within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, particularly the Haitian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders; MSF) reported that the hospitals that had not been destroyed were overwhelmed by large numbers of seriously injured people. The hospitals had to perform many amputations. Running short of medical supplies, some teams had to work with any available resources, constructing splints out of cardboard and reusing latex gloves. Other rescue units had to withdraw as night fell, amid security fears. Over 3,000 people had been treated by Médecins Sans Frontières as of 18 January.
Rescue and relief efforts
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake | Rescue and relief efforts
International Committee of the Red Cross International Committee of the Red Cross, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Argentine military field hospital, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the  Médecins Sans Frontières . Doctors, police officers, military personnel and firefighters from various countries and the International Committee of the Red Cross
what happened after the earthquake in haiti 2010
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By 24 January 2010, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake.
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what was the richter scale of it?
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catastrophic magnitude 7.0 M on the Moment magnitude scale
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how many casualties were there because of it?
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3 million people affected with a possible death toll of more than 316,000
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who were involved in rescue efforts?
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Rescue efforts began in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, with able-bodied survivors extricating the living and the dead from the rubble of the many buildings that had collapsed. Treatment of the injured was hampered by the lack of hospital and morgue facilities: the Argentine military field hospital, which had been serving MINUSTAH, was the only one available until 13 January. Rescue work intensified only slightly with the arrival of doctors, police officers, military personnel and firefighters from various countries two days after the earthquake. From 12 January, the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been working in Haiti since 1994, focused on bringing emergency assistance to victims of the catastrophe.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Rescue and relief efforts
A rescue team sent by the Israel Defense Forces' Home Front Command established a field hospital near the United Nations building in Port-au-Prince with specialised facilities to treat children, the elderly, and women in labor. It was set up in eight hours and began operations on the evening of 16 January. A Korean International Disaster Relief Team with 40 rescuers, medical doctors, nurses and 2 k-9s was deployed to epicenters to assist mitigation efforts of Haitian Government.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Early response
A rescue team sent by the Israel Defense Forces' Home Front Command established a field hospital which included specialised facilities to perform surgery, treat children, the elderly, and women in labour near the United Nations building in Port-au-Prince. It was set up in eight hours and began operations on the evening of 16 January. French Navy vessel "Francis Garnier" left Martinique on 15 January 2010 carrying 60 Army personnel, land vehicles, and excavators. She stopped over at Guadeloupe to load further resources, and departed for Haiti on 16 January 2010. French cooperation minister Alain Joyandet had to liaise with the US embassador in Paris after a French airplane carrying a field hospital was prevented from landing at Port-au-Prince airport.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 16 January 2010
Haitian Rescuers searched collapsed buildings for victims. The wounded were taken to hospital in ambulances, police pickup trucks, wheelbarrows, and improvised stretchers. Many hospitals collapsed: on 13 January 2010, the Argentine military field hospital remained open in Port-au-Prince, and it was struggling to attend to the huge numbers of injured. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reported that at least two hospitals were still in good shape, and their doctors would begin treating about 500 people who needed emergency surgery. Bodies of the victims were piled on the streets. Heavy equipment was needed to dig through the ruins; many people were still trapped in collapsed buildings.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 13 January 2010
Ophelia Dahl, director of Partners in Health, reported, "there are hundreds of thousands of injured people. I have heard the estimate that as many as 20,000 people will die each day that would have been saved by surgery."
2010 Haiti earthquake | Rescue and relief efforts
A reported 9,000 corpses were cleared off the street by Haitian government crews, and buried in mass graves, with thousands more awaiting burial in the streets and outside the morgue. Search and rescue teams from eight nations were employed to attempt to find survivors still trapped in buildings. Transportation into the affected areas remained problematic, as a bottleneck blocked aid arriving from the Port-au-Prince airport. Some organizations landed in Santo Domingo and drove into Haiti on rugged dirt roads. Pilots were told that any flights coming into Port-au-Prince should expect to circle the airport for at least an hour, and that no jet fuel was available.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 15 January 2010
It worked with its partners within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, particularly the Haitian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders; MSF) reported that the hospitals that had not been destroyed were overwhelmed by large numbers of seriously injured people. The hospitals had to perform many amputations. Running short of medical supplies, some teams had to work with any available resources, constructing splints out of cardboard and reusing latex gloves. Other rescue units had to withdraw as night fell, amid security fears. Over 3,000 people had been treated by Médecins Sans Frontières as of 18 January.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Rescue and relief efforts
A 22-day-old baby girl was found in the ruins of the Jacmel hospital's maternity ward, by Colombian rescuers. Her parents were unable to get news about her since the earthquake struck. The girl was found many days beyond the usual survival period of three days without water.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 19 January 2010
16:53 local time (21:53 UTC): the earthquake happened. People dug through rubble, rescuing survivors and recovering bodies. The bodies were laid out in the streets, some in piles. During the night, many people digging through the rubble used flashlights or torches. The Argentine Air Force Mobile Field Hospital, already deployed at Port-au-Prince, was the only medical facility still open. Argentine helicopters from the United Nations force were helping evacuate the gravely injured people to Santo Domingo.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Tuesday 12 January 2010
A man is rescued from the rubble in central Port-au-Prince two weeks after the earthquake, although, he claimed to have been trapped in a later aftershock. Brazilian troops distributed food at the tent city next to the Palais National had to use tear gas and pepper spray because of unruly crowds. France has offered to rebuild the Presidential Palace, as it was.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 26 January 2010
Jamaica sent a team of 168 military and medical personnel to Port-au-Prince. Staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross already in the country distributed medical items to hospitals and two ICRC-chartered aircraft carrying specialized staff and 40 tonnes of relief supplies – mainly medical items – left Geneva for the island. At the same time, the organization made its forensic expertise available to organizations attempting to recover and identify the dead. Communication and infrastructure problems were worsened by the destruction. Streets were clogged with debris and rubble, making it nearly impossible to distribute food, water, temporary shelter, and medical supplies that had been delivered throughout the day by international charities and governments to the airport.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 14 January 2010
The Haitian government declares an end to rescue efforts. In a TV interview made by C5N channel, the Commander of the Argentine force in MINUSTAH declared that the different countries of the world had already transported to Haiti 14 million field rations.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 23 January 2010
The Chinese search and rescue team recovered the bodies of the ten individuals on 16 January 2010. Jens Kristensen, senior humanitarian officer for the UN was rescued by a team from the state of Virginia after five days trapped in the rubble.
United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti | 2010 earthquake
Ships were also unable to render aid because the port facilities had been too damaged. The Port-au-Prince morgue became overwhelmed with thousands of dead bodies that were laid outside on the streets and sidewalks. Aid workers began to concentrate on identification and disposal of corpses. Concerns were also raised by a representative from Oxfam that aid workers may be overwhelmed with rampant crime from gangs who had taken over the country, which prompted the UN to intervene to restore some order.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 14 January 2010
The timeline of rescue efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 involves the sequence of events in the days following a highly destructive 7.0 Mw earthquake with an epicenter west of the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. With at least 70% of the city's buildings destroyed, the earthquake also caused damage and loss of life in other parts of the country. The Haitian government experienced a near-collapse and affected people were left mostly to their own resources until foreign aid arrived in the following days. Initial death toll estimates ranged between 50,000 and 200,000.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Introduction
Canadian Forces mounted Operation Hestia, led by Brigadier General Guy Laroche with a mandate to deliver a wide range of services in support of security and reconstruction Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was sent to Haiti, along with the frigate and the destroyer . CC-177 Globemaster and CC-130 Hercules III transports delivered personnel and equipment, including six G-Wagen armored cars and six CH-146 Griffon search and rescue helicopters. The CH-124 Sea King from "Athabaskan" also participated in the operation including search and rescue and evacuation.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | North America
Although more aid is reaching the Haitian people, the relief efforts are still falling short of the need. Uruguayan UN Peacekeepers had to fire rubber bullets to try to control unruly crowds, while distributing rice. The European Union has decided to ship 300–350 police officers to Haiti, as part of the relief effort. France will contribute around 140, Spain 100, the Netherlands 60, and the rest will come from other EU members.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 25 January 2010
Several earlier convoys were unable to complete delivery, or reach distribution points before delivery. Some had been targeted by bandits. With banditry striking right after distribution, stealing from the recipients of food aid, all UN food distribution sorties are escorted by UN Peacekeepers now, utilizing over 50% of available Peacekeepers.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 27 January 2010
Peruvian companies were providing food donations and other basic aid. However, the scale of rescue and relief efforts was yet to meet the need. Because of difficulties reaching some affected areas, some rescue teams tried to enter Haiti through the Dominican Republic. The United States Coast Guard deployed helicopters and several aircraft and cutters to the region to aid in relief work and perform reconnaissance flights over Haiti, which aided in assessing the worst damaged areas. The Coast Guard Cutter "Forward" arrived in the waters off Port-au-Prince at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday, and together with a Maritime Intelligence Support Team was able to assess some of the damage caused to the port.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 13 January 2010
Many non-governmental organizations, including international, religious and regionally-based NGOs, immediately pledged support in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. NGOs contributed significantly to both on-the-ground rescue efforts and external solicitation of aid for those rescue efforts.
Humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Response by non-governmental organizations
A 16-year-old girl was pulled alive and dehydrated from the rubble 15 days after the earthquake. It was discovered that the south pier of the Port international de Port-au-Prince was more damaged that initially appeared, and cannot be used safely. It had previously been used by one ship at a time, unloading one container at a time, gingerly. The port continues to be used by military landing craft of the type used in amphibious warfare to force a beachhead from a seaborne invasion. In Pétion-Ville, Nepalese UN Peacekeepers had to wield batons to try to control unruly crowds. The World Food Program convoy delivering food was one of the few to make it to the point of distribution and distribute all of the aid.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 27 January 2010
The Coast Guard Cutter "Mohawk" also arrived in the coastal waters of Haiti on Wednesday afternoon. The International Committee of the Red Cross set up a special website to facilitate family contacts, which allowed people in Haiti and abroad to register the names of relatives whom they wanted to contact. It incorporated responses to those queries as they became available. Catholic Relief Services, which has worked in Haiti for 50 years, prepared food and other aid to help those affected, committing US $5 million to help survivors.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 13 January 2010
The mission comprises 120 military engineers, 22 medics and a 1,200 tonne-freighter filled with supplies and equipment.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 8 February 2010
A combination of Canadian and United States medical staff used Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School as its headquarters and some of its Haitian staff were able to use the site as a makeshift clinic. The 18 team members came with donated medical supplies, including more than 2,000 packages of antibiotics and other medicine. The team consisted of one professional nurse, two pediatricians, two orthopedic surgeons, four obstetrician/gynecologists, an intensive care specialist, a hospital doctor, a respiratory therapists, and a fourth-year medical student. They all took commercial flights to the Dominican Republic and then traveled by bus to Haiti, and were able to stay for a week (leaving around Feb 5th.) The team traveled to other localities, including hospitals, orphanages, and temporary medical stations set up in nearby villages.
Humanitarian response by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | North America
Soon after the quake struck appeals for international aid were issued by Haitian government officials, including Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States. Neighboring Dominican Republic was one of the first countries to give aid to Haiti. And the non-governmental organization Giving Children Hope distributed much-needed medicines and supplies. International organization also began large-scale fund raising campaigns for aid to Haiti, including campaigns by the International Red Cross and relief charities in Britain. On 25 January Handicap International published a statement that an estimated 1,000 amputations had taken place due to injuries. In response to the quake the organization dispatched 30 rehabilitation and health staff to Haiti and announced that they would eventually increase staff numbers to 100 and provide hundreds of prostheses.
Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Response and treatment of casualties
It will also donate emergency relief materials for as much as ¥30 million (). The Japanese Ministry of Defense deployed a disaster relief team (JDRT). The Japanese government sent a C-130 Hercules from Arizona with a 26 member-JDRT team and emergency relief goods stocked in Florida to Haiti. The medical team arrived at Léogâne, 30 km west of Port-au-Prince, and started its operation on 18 January 2010. The International Disaster Relief Medical Support Unit relieved JDRT of their activities in Léogâne. South Korea: South Korean National Emergency Management Agency immediately dispatched team of 35 rescue workers. They set up a clinic in Port-au-Prince.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | East Asia
Medical aid for the Haiti earthquake became a military-style operation. At least 20 countries provided manpower, supplies or financial aid to Haiti, while the most immediate foreign assistance was being provided by military and humanitarian contingents from neighboring Dominican Republic. Dominican president Leonel Fernández visited Haiti to set up an emergency plan for assistance with president René Préval, to include reestablishing communications, rescuing the victims, burying the dead, clearing the rubble, reestablishing the supplies for electricity and water and coordinating the Dominican army with the United Nations Stabilization Mission for the relief operations. Colombia's military also contributed to the relief effort by sending relief flights.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 14 January 2010
A triage center was set up in a parking lot, but the wounded were forced to lie in medical tents to await treatment, due to the many patients, and water was scarce. In Pétion-Ville, people used sledgehammers and their hands to dig through a collapsed commercial center. The first international team to arrive in Port-au-Prince was ICE-SAR from Iceland, landing within 24 hours of the earthquake. Some rescue teams, such as the ones from Cuba, arrived in Haiti and started their mission. The Peruvian government sent rescue teams, dogs and 50 tons of food transported by two Peruvian Air Force airplanes.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 13 January 2010
It has been revealed that an earlier attempt by New Life Children's Refuge (Laura Silsby's group), three days before their final abortive attempt, was tried. Up to forty children were removed from a bus by a Haitian police officer at a tent city, who informed the group that it was illegal to remove Haitian children. Choice Hotels reiterated its commitment to Jacmel, and the post-quake recovery of the city. It will go ahead with its two planned hotels in the city. The US 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is rotating out of Haiti, having been replaced by the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, in their position on USS "Bataan" and Carrefour, Léogâne, Grand-Goâve, Petit-Goâve.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 9 February 2010
The response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included national governments, charitable and for-profit organizations from around the world which began coordinating humanitarian aid designed to help the Haitian people. Some countries arranged to send relief and rescue workers and humanitarian supplies directly to the earthquake damage zones, while others sought to organize national fund raising to provide monetary support for the nonprofit groups working directly in Haiti. OCHA coordinates and tracks this on a daily basis. The information is disseminated through the UN news and information portal, ReliefWeb. As of September 5, 2013, ReliefWeb have reported a total relief funding of $3.5 billion given (and a further $1 billion pledged but not given).
Humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Introduction
The Quebec Federation of School Boards (Fédération des commissions scolaires du Québec – FCSQ) has announced its intention to participate in the rebuilding of the school system. A survivor was found underneath the rubble of the Croix Bossal market in Port-au-Prince, where he was a rice seller. It appears that he was trapped for the entire four weeks since the earthquake. He says that at some point, someone passed him some water during his entrapment. He was extremely emaciated and dehydrated. The first 30 of 240 Korean peacekeepers have been scheduled to leave on 10 February 2010 for Léogâne, with a freighter.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 8 February 2010
Kosovo: The Government of Kosovo, which is not universally recognized by foreign governments, donated €50,000. Palestinian territories: Humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip resulted in money, food and clothes collected and donated to the local Red Cross for relief efforts. Taiwan: (Republic of China): A team of 23 rescue workers and two specially trained dogs were sent. The Taiwanese government also promised and 200 metric tons of rice for relief efforts. A second team of rescuers departed on 16 January 2010, and carried with them more than 3,000 kg of equipment and supplies. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is due to be in Latin America to attend the inauguration of Honduran president-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa, and is planning a brief stopover in Haiti to express his concern and convey the sympathy of Taiwanese people, as well as deliver more aid and provide long-term support for humanitarian reason.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Other entities
An effort to transport displaced children from Haiti to the Dominican Republic has been stopped by Haitian authorities. The children did not have exit visas, and were claimed to be all orphans. The New Life Children's Refuge group of 10 US Baptist missionaries from Idaho were arrested on kidnapping charges. At least 10 of the 33 children have been found to not be orphans, as claimed by the missionaries, but have parents, as revealed at the SOS Children's Village orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is employing over 12,000 Haitians in rubble clearance, as part of the relief effort, to provide jobs to the needy.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 1 February 2010
The delivery of aid to those suffering in Haiti remains problematic. Haitian burial workers continued to fill mass graves. Earth-moving equipment was used to dig the graves, and up to 10,000 bodies were buried in a single day. Downhillers for Haiti was set up, and the bibs of alpine skiers for the Saturday event at Kitzbühel were to be auctioned off on the internet. They would be signed by the skiers.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 21 January 2010
The humanitarian responses by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included many organisations, such as international, religious, and regionally based NGOs, which immediately pledged support in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Besides a large multi-contingency contribution by national governments, NGOs contributed significantly to both on-the-ground rescue efforts and external solicitation of aid for the rescue efforts. Lusaka top ten businessman Isse Gester who his origin is Somalia also sends 10 million aid to Haitian government for relief.
Humanitarian response by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Introduction
Various Dutch organizations raised money for the Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties (Giro 555), a cooperative effort of aid organizations:
Humanitarian response by for-profit organisations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Netherlands
A team of 17 medics set up a new camp at Léogâne being the first to arrive to the scene four days after the earthquake. A third aircraft was dispatched on 24 January 2010. The airplane made a stop on Paraguay to pick up aid donated by that country. Bolivia: The Government of Bolivia announced it would contribute food and blood donations to the relief efforts.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | South America
As the extent of the catastrophe unfolded, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commented: "There is no doubt that we are facing a major humanitarian emergency and that a major relief effort will be required". The U.N. mobilized an emergency response team to help coordinate humanitarian relief efforts.
Humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | United Nations
Nearly three weeks after the earthquake, the UN is preparing to start a major food distribution program with the goal of reaching two million people in two weeks. Only women will be allowed to directly receive the supplies. The program, run by the World Food Programme (WPF) working with its partners in the relief effort, began Sunday in Port-au-Prince with the US military keeping order to avoid chaos. The Canadian military have started to patrol Jacmel-area orphanages to try to protect against orphan-trafficking. A food aide convoy transporting aide delivered to Jérémie Airport through Jérémie, encountered a hijacking attempt by 20 men.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 30 January 2010
Appeals for humanitarian aid were issued by many aid organizations, the United Nations and president René Préval. Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, and his nephew, singer Wyclef Jean, who was called upon by Préval to become a "roving ambassador" for Haiti, also pleaded for aid and donations. Images and testimonials circulating after the earthquake across the internet and through social media helped to intensify the reaction of global engagement. Many countries responded to the appeals and launched fund-raising efforts, as well as sending search and rescue teams. The neighbouring Dominican Republic was the first country to give aid to Haiti, sending water, food and heavy-lifting machinery.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Early response
It has been revealed that all the "orphans" of the group "rescued" by Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter's New Life Children's Refuge were not orphans at all. 13 of the children originated in the Citron slum, while others came from the mountain village of Callabas. Silsby and Coulter had engaged two Americans residing in the Dominican Republic to be official signers for their plan for an orphanage there, in the village of Gaspar Hernandez, consisting of an orphanage, a clinic and two schools. After the quake, they engaged the local Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Plata to rent them a 45-room building at $7400/month.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 20 February 2010
Robert Fox, executive director of Oxfam Canada, said: "The dysfunction has been aided unabated by the way the international community has organized itself, where pledges have been made and they haven't followed through [and] where they come to the table with their own agendas and own priorities. Most donors provided funds for transitional housing but very little money for clearing rubble or repairing houses". Fox said that in many instances rubble removal "means it was [moved] off someone's property onto the road in front of the property". According to a UNICEF report, "Still today more than one million people remain displaced, living in crowded camps where livelihoods, shelter and services are still hardly sufficient for children to stay healthy".
2010 Haiti earthquake | 2011
The Topos de Tlatelolco volunteer search and rescue group participated in relief efforts. They specialized in finding victims under rubble and giving first aid. The first group of six left on 14 January for the country from Cancún. This group was called the advance team, or the beachhead, as their job was to make initial assessments of the situation for the teams to follow. The canine unit was also going to be sent. A total of 18 to 24 groups were expected to go, with transportation being provided by the Mexican navy. The group planned to be there until 28 January.
Humanitarian response by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Mexico
The country also suffered from shortages of fuel and potable water even before the disaster. President Préval and government ministers used police headquarters near the Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport as their new base of operations, although their effectiveness was extremely limited; several parliamentarians were still trapped in the Presidential Palace, and offices and records had been destroyed. Some high-ranking government workers lost family members, or had to tend to wounded relatives. Although the president and his remaining cabinet met with UN planners each day, there remained confusion as to who was in charge and no single group had organized relief efforts as of 16 January.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Conditions in the aftermath
Many nations sent rescue teams to help in the search for earthquake survivors. International teams of relief workers went to the spot and became involved in rescuing people still trapped under rubble. International relief agencies engaged in supplies like shelter, food and water to the people who became homeless due to the quake. Sniffer dogs sent to Algeria to find survivors trapped under rubble. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement co-ordinated the relief efforts. Medical and rescue teams were dispatched from European countries. The Red Cross of the People's Republic of China donated $50,000. Trucks were called into service to remove dead bodies from Algiers and surrounding towns and villages.
2003 Boumerdès earthquake | Relief efforts
Laura Silsby's New Life Children's Refuge group of Southern Baptists has been charged with kidnapping and conspiracy. The kidnapping charges could result in 15 years in prison, while the criminal association charges could result in 9 years. They could additionally face life imprisonment for child trafficking. Japanese troops will be deploying to Gressier and the surrounding region, in February. The 350 personnel will be mostly engineers, to help with demolition and reconstruction, with some earthquake building experts to examine structures. "Downhillers for Haiti" raised approximately $250,000 for Haiti relief, through the auction of their racing bibs. The proceeds were to be given to the International Red Cross.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 5 February 2010
Flights had been suspended in the middle of the week, due to concerns of lack of hospital capacity in Florida, lack of funds from Florida's state government. Medivac flights were to resume Monday afternoon. A Canadian military medical team sortied out from Léogâne, and performed aid operations in the village of Tom Gato.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 31 January 2010
The vast majority of those injured and killed in the earthquake were Haitian. Haitian casualties came from all sectors of society, from common citizens to prominent leaders and entertainers. Victims include public figures such as Port-au-Prince Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot and the vicar general, Msgr. Charles Benoit, who were killed in the destruction of the Port-au-Prince Cathedral. A number of individuals with connections to the government were killed: Hubert Deronceray, a former Minister of Education and Minister of Social Services and a three-time candidate for President, and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. An early report also listed Justice Minister Paul Denis as one of the victims but Denis was in fact able to escape the ministry's collapsing building in time.
Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Individuals
A number of countries sent large contingents of disaster relief, medical staff, technicians for reconstruction and security personnel. Notably, the governments of the United States, the UK, Israel, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Brazil, Italy and Cuba. With a total of 930 health professionals, Cuba initially sent the largest medical contingent to Haiti.
Humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Introduction
Appeals for international aid were immediately requested by Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States and his nephew, singer Wyclef Jean, The American Red Cross quickly announced that it had run out of supplies in Haiti and appealed for public donations.
Humanitarian response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Appeals for aid
The UN headquarters hosting the stabilization mission for Haiti (MINUSTAH), at the Christopher Hotel in Port-au-Prince, suffered a devastating collapse, concentrating early UN rescue efforts on their own personnel. Most of MINUSTAH's 9,000 troops and police were located elsewhere. Many U.N. personnel trapped in the building died, including mission head Hédi Annabi and deputy head of the UN mission in Haiti, Luiz Carlos da Costa UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed that 83 UN staff members had died and 32 remained missing.
Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake | United Nations casualties
Canadian military firefighters are inspecting buildings in Jacmel to ascertain which are structurally sound and usable.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 24 January 2010
Haitian Police officers opened fire on hundreds of looters, killing at least one. Episodes of looting continued, as aid officials feared a breakout of lawlessness unless US troops can deliver the needed aid to the up to three million survivors who have not received any. USNS "Grasp" and USS "Underwood" resupplied at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and then began operations in Haitian waters. Additional doctors and corpsmen were transferred from USS "Carl Vinson" offshore, to the inshore USCG cutters, with the objective of enhancing littoral medical access for injured Haitians. The US Army is sending two landing craft utilities to help unload shipments from larger vessels, while the facilities at Port international de Port-au-Prince are not usable.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 17 January 2010
Brunei: The Government of Brunei has pledged or gave US$50,000 in aid to Haiti. Cambodia: The Royal Cambodian government contributed . Indonesia: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia would send aid workers to help Haiti earthquake victims. Help from the government will consist of a team of 30 medical personnel including surgeons, a 10-member urban search and rescue (USAR) team, and 10 electrical experts. The remaining 25 are experts in construction and telecommunications. The Indonesian government will also send five tonnes of medical supplies, five tonnes of food, and five tonnes of special equipment and tools. The aid was airlifted by a Lion Air 747-400 jumbo jet.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Southeast Asia
Several experts have questioned the validity of the death toll numbers; Anthony Penna, professor emeritus in environmental history at Northeastern University, warned that casualty estimates could only be a "guesstimate", and Belgian disaster response expert Claude de Ville de Goyet noted that "round numbers are a sure sign that nobody knows." Edmond Mulet, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said, "I do not think we will ever know what the death toll is from this earthquake", while the director of the Haitian Red Cross, Jean-Pierre Guiteau, noted that his organization had not had the time to count bodies, as their focus had been on the treatment of survivors.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Casualties
The earthquake struck in the most populated area of the country and the International Red Cross estimated that as many as 3 million people have been affected by the quake, including injuries and deaths. One factor that contributed to the number casualties in the aftermath of the earthquake was a lack of medical supplies, damage to hospitals, and a shortage of medical and rescue personnel. In addition, Haitian and foreign medical staff, police, and military personnel themselves became victims of the earthquake. An example of this was Port-au-Prince's Grace Children's Hospital, where it was reported on 19 January that of 120 employees, only six had been accounted for and some had been confirmed killed.
Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Response and treatment of casualties
Canadian military evacuation flights have ended, Canadians desiring to leave are now required to depart via commercial flights via Port-au-Prince International Airport, which have resumed. In Limbé, a mob of citizens erected barricades on the exit route of a World Food Program convoy, and attacked the convoy and its Peacekeepers with rocks, to try to gain the goods carried within. The situation was resolved with no injuries and no arrests, after the National Police had been dispatched. The Peacekeepers had agreed to distribute milk.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 22 February 2010
Agency for International Development in Haiti). Also, a team of 15 Martinique firefighters and doctors, led by Daniel Vigee, and groups from Médecins sans Frontières and Haiti arrived to rescue the remaining trapped children. Hilario Davide, Jr. reported that “Filipino Blue Berets were the first to arrive at the scene on November 7 and immediately went to action, using their bare hands to roll over concrete slabs and dig through the rubble in their bid to pull out both the living and the dead. 157 officers and enlisted personnel from the Philippine Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as 13 other officers from the Philippine National Police, are serving with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
2008 Pétion-Ville school collapse | Reaction and rescue operations
The Haitian government revealed resettlement plans for Port-au-Prince, involving 5 sites around the city, two on government owned land, and three other privately held sites. The privately held site owners have demanded in total, $100 million for use of their land. The IFRC decongested a refugee camp in Léogâne, creating a second one out of the overflow. A second donors conference was announced for 31 March in New York City.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 2 March 2010
Argentina: On 13 January 2010, Argentine President Cristina Fernández pledged the deployment of two Argentine Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft carrying emergency aid. Argentina already had a 600-member force as part of the MINUSTAH peacekeeping operations including the Argentine Air Force Mobile Field Hospital treating nearly 1,000 people on the first night following the earthquake, one of the few medical facilities that remained functional. and two UH-1N military helicopters, part of UN flight, which carried a number of the more severely injured to the Dominican Republic for medical treatment. A team of White Helmets ("Cascos Blancos") arrived in Port-au-Prince on 16 January 2010.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | South America
GlobalMedic was one of the international relief organizations to respond to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The organization worked with local partners to quickly provide emergency medical assistance and clean drinking water to people in the Carrefour district of Port-au-Prince. An initial Rapid Response Team, composed of paramedics, a doctor and an engineer traveled into the city with an inflatable field hospital tent structure, an Explorer and several Trekker water purification units, plus millions of water purification tablets. The advance team arrived two days after the earthquake even though the country's airports were rendered unusable to any movements except military flights.
GlobalMedic | Haiti earthquake catastrophe, 2010
In January 2011, one year after the quake, Oxfam published a report on the status of the recovery. According to the report, relief and recovery were at a standstill due to government inaction and indecision on the part of the donor countries. The report stated: "One year on, only five percent of the rubble has been cleared and only 15 percent of the required basic and temporary houses have been built. House building on a large scale cannot be started before the enormous amount of rubble is cleared. The government and donors must prioritize this most basic step toward helping people return home".
2010 Haiti earthquake | 2011
They still face kidnapping charges in Haiti. The first 200 troops of the Japanese deployment are inspecting the safety of buildings in Gressier and Léogâne.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 17 February 2010
Armenia: After the 1988 Spitak earthquake in Armenia, the country kept an earthquake response force to deal with similar emergencies. Fifty-two of these rapid response workers, trained in earthquake response, were deployed to Haiti on 13 January 2010. The Armenian government said they would provide for reconstruction projects. Azerbaijan: The Government of Azerbaijan announced that it will allocate to the United States' Haiti relief efforts. Bahrain: Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa announced the donation of in aid. The Government of Bahrain sent a disaster relief team to assist with relief operations.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Middle East
Some of the staff of the Zunuzi school provided translation services to aid the medical staff. The group spontaneously organized mostly through Facebook. The group are planning on a return trip in March.
Humanitarian response by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | North America
The 240-member contingent of South Korean Peacekeepers (Task Force Danbi / Operation Danbi) has arrived in Léogâne.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 28 February 2010
In the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, FreshMinistries and its international arm, Be The Change International (BTCI) were asked by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate a major aid and relief operation there. The organizations' emergency relief effort shipped to the Haitian people many supplies, including three ambulances (one of which was delivered to the Haitian government), emergency aid, food, water, water purification systems, clothing, school supplies, large generators, and 147 large tents to serve as temporary schools and shelter.
FreshMinistries | 2010 Haiti earthquake response
Cuba lifted airspace restrictions to allow US airplanes to save time transporting critically wounded Haitians to the US. Médecins Sans Frontières reported that the need for medical services at their two hospitals was "overwhelming". Although it had been badly damaged, the Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince was transformed into a hospital and media center; journalists used the drained swimming pool as an operating base, and Hope for Haiti and the International Medical Corps started a makeshift clinic for the wounded. The Dominican Institute of Communications set up a cell tower using a satellite link, to replace towers damaged by the quake.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 15 January 2010
Six months after the quake as much as 98% of the rubble remained uncleared. An estimated 26 million cubic yards (20 million cubic meters) remained, making most of the capital impassable, and thousands of bodies remained in the rubble. The number of people in relief camps of tents and tarps since the quake was 1.6 million, and almost no transitional housing had been built. Most of the camps had no electricity, running water, or sewage disposal, and the tents were beginning to fall apart. Crime in the camps was widespread, especially against women and girls. Between 23 major charities, US$1.1 billion had been collected for Haiti for relief efforts, but only two percent of the money had been released.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Status of the recovery
In the wake of the devastating earthquake that destroyed much of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving nearly a million more homeless and without food, water or shelter, Israel was one of the first countries to send crews to assist in the devastated land. The Israel Defense Forces sent both search and rescue teams that sought remaining survivors, among crumbled buildings and homes as well sending medical teams to help care for the survivors. The medical team succeeded in setting up the first fully functioning field hospital, inclusive of an excess amount of advanced equipment. "During its time in Haiti, the delegation treated more than 1110 patients, conducted 319 successful surgeries, delivered 16 births including three by Cesarean sections and saved many from within the ruins." On January 27, following the rescue team operations in Haiti, the Israeli government decided to continue its official assistance to Haiti coordinated through MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in part of a global effort to reconstruct the country.
Haiti–Israel relations | 2010 earthquake
DART deployed to Haiti to assist in the recovery effort after a massive earthquake hit the country in January 2010. While there, they worked in tandem with 12,000 US MINUSTAH and 2,000 Canadian troops, mainly from 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group). Following an initial assessment and relief work near Port-au-Prince, the DART team began to concentrate their efforts on the area surrounding Jacmel on January 18, 2010.
Disaster Assistance Response Team | <a href="Operation%20Hestia">Operation Hestia</a> (Haiti), 2010
Canadian Forces announced that its jet transports would be scheduled to complete two relief flights per day, while their slower C-130s will make three flights every two days; for this operation Canadian response personnel have been primarily selected from French-speaking regions.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 16 January 2010
China: The People's Republic of China sent a 60-member rescue team (National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Rescue Team), and Chinese Red Cross Society pledged . The Chinese government itself announced it plans to deliver an additional US$4.41 million in humanitarian aid. A medical assistance station has been set up by the Chinese rescue team in Port-au-Prince. On 21 January 2010, China donated an additional US$2.6 million and sent a 40-member medical care and epidemic prevention team. Japan: After the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, the Japanese government plans to offer up to in grant aid, which will be exercised through international organizations including UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | East Asia
A Haitian judge has released eight of the ten detained members of the New Life Children's Refuge, after interviewing parents who revealed that they voluntarily gave up their children. The two remaining, Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter, have been held over for more questioning. Coulter, who has diabetes, may be held at a hospital. Coulter and Silsby are being investigated over a previous visit to Haiti, before the earthquake. Members of the group had previously stated that Silsby had misled them. Their Dominican legal advisor, Jorge Puello, has acknowledged he is being investigated for sex trafficking in El Salvador. The eight released members arrived on a USAF C-130 to Miami at 23h30.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 17 February 2010
While the vast majority of casualties were Haitian civilians, the dead included aid workers, embassy staff, foreign tourists—and a number of public figures, including Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, aid worker Zilda Arns and officials in the Haitian government, including opposition leader Michel "Micha" Gaillard. Also killed were a number of well-known Haitian musicians and sports figures, including thirty members of the Fédération Haïtienne de Football. At least 85 United Nations personnel working with MINUSTAH were killed, among them the Mission Chief, Hédi Annabi, his deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa, and police commissioner Douglas Coates. Around 200 guests were killed in the collapse of the Hôtel Montana in Port-au-Prince.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Casualties
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Penn founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization, which operated a 55,000 person tent camp. Before starting the organization, Penn had never visited Haiti and did not speak French or Creole. When asked for his comment on critics who questioned his experience, he said he hopes they "die screaming of rectal cancer”. Due to his visibility as an on-the-ground advocate for rescue and aid efforts in the aftermath, Penn was designated by president Michel Martelly as Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti, the first time that a non-Haitian citizen has been designated as such in the country's history. Penn received the designation on January 31, 2012.
Sean Penn | Relief efforts following 2010 Haiti earthquake
Haitians started to self-organize their refugee camps, to provide order, so that aid can be properly dispersed into the camps. The UN announced that Japanese and South Korean military engineering teams will be deployed to Léogâne and Gressier. The US recommenced medevac flights to the US, after having suspended them since Wednesday last. The flights would now avoid Florida, as previous flights to Florida had used up capacity in the state.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 2 February 2010
Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic, sent two helicopters to assist in evacuating the injured. United Nations peacekeepers, stationed in the country since the 2004 coup d'état, assisted in the rescue efforts, as did members of the aid group Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross. The U.S. Agency for International Development sent a disaster response team to the school, and provided more logistical and rescue equipment. This consists of some 38 Virginia search-and-rescue officials and four rescue dogs, (led by Capt. Michael Istvan, operations chief for the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team, flown by Alexandre Deprez, acting director for the U.S.
2008 Pétion-Ville school collapse | Reaction and rescue operations
2,200 US Marines, the 22MEU, and USS Bataan finished their tour, and have left Haiti. Several British Columbia groups have combined together to donate several baby monitors and incubators for Haiti.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 24 March 2010
Within 24 hours of the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti, Hope for Haiti responded with emergency relief buckets and the distribution of medical supplies. The organization has since airlifted thousands of pounds of medicines, supplies, construction materials, food and water and safely distributed them to the survivors. Hope for Haiti field staff were involved in organizing a trauma center at the hotel Villa Creole and at "L'Hôpital Général" in Port-au-Prince. Hope for Haiti sent over $11 million in supplies to Haiti in the first four weeks following the quake. The delivery of medicines and equipment is a part of the organization's on-going mission.
Hope for Haiti | 2010 Haiti earthquake
RFA "Largs Bay" arrives at Port-au-Prince, carrying relief supplies. The Korean peacekeepers in Léogâne have started constructing a hospital.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 18 February 2010
The government sent eight mobile medical units along with 36 doctors including orthopaedic specialists, traumatologists, anaesthetists, and surgeons. In addition, 39 trucks carrying canned food were dispatched, along with 10 mobile kitchens and 110 cooks capable of producing 100,000 meals per day. Other nations from farther afield also sent personnel, medicines, materiel, and other aid to Haiti. The first team to arrive in Port-au-Prince was ICE-SAR from Iceland, landing within 24 hours of the earthquake. A 50-member Chinese team arrived early Thursday morning. From the Middle East, the government of Qatar sent a strategic transport aircraft (C-17), loaded with 50 tonnes of urgent relief materials and 26 members from the Qatari armed forces, the internal security force (Lekhwiya), police force and the Hamad Medical Corporation, to set up a field hospital and provide assistance in Port-au-Prince and other affected areas in Haiti.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Early response
It was announced USS "Bataan", USS "Fort McHenry", and USS "Carter Hall" sailed into Haitian waters, putting most major elements of the sea-base on scene, except for USNS "Comfort" which is scheduled to arrive within the next 24 hours; "Comfort" has expanded its intensive-care center from 50 to 80 beds while en route, in anticipation of Haitian needs. Another large French vessel was ordered to Haiti, the Landing Platform Dock "Siroco". The US Navy Listed its assets in the area as "17 ships, 48 helicopters and 12 fixed-wing aircraft;" this was in addition to 10,000 sailors and Marines. With help of technicians from Radio France and TDF who installed a new transmitter, MINUSTAH FM, the radio of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti is emitting again, including programs by Haitian journalists from other destroyed radios.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 19 January 2010
Afghanistan: Afghanistan pledged or gave US$200,000 in aid to Haiti. "Even countries with their own troubles rushed to Haiti's aid: Afghanistan provided $200,000." Bangladesh: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the health ministry to send a medical team to Haiti. The 30 member medical team of 20 doctors and 10 health technicians will leave for Haiti on 18 January 2010. India: India initially donated to Haiti. A 140-member Indian UN peacekeeping paramilitary contingent was already helping with stabilization duties and is now assisting rescue work.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | South Asia
According to a CBS report, US$3.1 billion had been pledged for humanitarian aid and was used to pay for field hospitals, plastic tarps, bandages, and food, plus salaries, transportation and upkeep of relief workers. By May 2010, enough aid had been raised internationally to give each displaced family a cheque for US$37,000. In July 2010, CNN returned to Port-au-Prince and reported, "It looks like the quake just happened yesterday", and Imogen Wall, spokeswoman for the United Nations office of humanitarian affairs in Haiti, said that "six months from that time it may still look the same." Land ownership posed a particular problem for rebuilding because so many pre-quake homes were not officially registered.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Status of the recovery
A Dominican legal adviser to the New Life Children's Refuge for their Dominican Republic affairs has been put under investigation in Haiti and El Salvador for sex trafficking young women and girls. Jamaica rotated its team out, with a new team composed of 158 military and medical personnel rotating in.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 11 February 2010
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has begun using scheduled ports of call in northern Haiti to transfer emergency supplies using extra space on its liners. Long-awaited air drops have begun by the US air force in the countryside. Three sites were secured. If air drops are successful, the method will be used more widely. It was originally feared that air drops with no security would cause riots and other problems. By 18 January 2010, 5,800 US troops were in Haiti or offshore on naval vessels, and 7,500 Marines were sent to join their effort.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 18 January 2010
Several violent incidents occurred while distributing food in Port-au-Prince. At the Ministry of Culture, Haitian police distributed oil, soap, pasta and rice. Several men scaled walls and jumped onto the trucks with aid, and started throwing stuff into the crowd. In Cité Soleil, stones were thrown at aid workers distributing rice, and their Argentine UN Peacekeeper escort.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 28 January 2010
In coordination with the Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Airways—the country's largest airline and flag carrier—raised money for earthquake relief efforts by collecting donations on local and international flights.
Humanitarian response by for-profit organisations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Kenya
Algeria: Algeria allocated US$1 million in aid. Benin: Beninese President Yayi Boni announced that his government will be organizing aid. Botswana: The Government of Botswana pledged B$1M () to support relief efforts.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Africa
Cuba has announced it will dispatch a fifth field hospital to Haiti, for Les Cayes. South Korea is preparing to send 250 peacekeepers to Léogâne. Electricity was restored to some sectors of Pétion-Ville and Carrefour at the beginning of February.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 4 February 2010
The United Nations peacekeeping force, widely believed responsible for the cholera outbreak, continues to refuse to accept responsibility, however, they have launched a $2.2 billion initiative to combat cholera and the construction of a $17 million teaching hospital in Mirebalais which will employ 800 Haitians and treat 185,000 people. By the beginning of the year only a small part—$215 million—of the total funds collected for aid had been spent on permanent housing, with most of it—$1.2 billion—going for short-term solutions including tent camps, temporary shelters, and cash grants that paid a year's rent. A 2013 survey disclosed that of the 1.5 million Haitians living in camps following the quake, about 279,000 remained in a total of 352 camps.
2010 Haiti earthquake | 2013
Antigua and Barbuda: The Antiguan government donated EC$100,000 (US$37,000) to relief efforts. Bahamas: Bahamian Immigration Minister John Thompson suspended the repatriation of illegal Haitians residing in the country. With the prospect of a massive exodus of refugees fleeing from Haiti, government officials are sending tents, bedding, food and personnel to the island of Inagua, which is the closest Bahamian island to Haiti. Barbados: The Government of Barbados established a mechanism to coordinate national relief efforts and identify military personnel to aid in the earthquake damaged areas.
Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake | Central America and the Caribbean
As of 19 January only 12 had been rearrested. Some of the escaped convicts were reported to have stolen official uniforms, vehicles, and weapons, after starting fires and killing four guards during the breakout. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) at Christopher Hotel and offices of the World Bank were destroyed. The building housing the offices of Citibank in Port-au-Prince collapsed, killing five employees. Up to 200 guests at the collapsed Hôtel Montana in Port-au-Prince are presumed dead. Despite the official search being called off, as of 24 January teams were continuing to look for survivors at the Montana.
Damage to infrastructure in the 2010 Haiti earthquake | General infrastructure
The government handed over control of the airport to the United States to hasten and ease flight operations, which had been hampered by the damage to the air traffic control tower. Almost immediately Port-au-Prince's morgue facilities were overwhelmed. By 14 January, a thousand bodies had been placed on the streets and pavements. Government crews manned trucks to collect thousands more, burying them in mass graves. In the heat and humidity, corpses buried in rubble began to decompose and smell. Mati Goldstein, head of the Israeli ZAKA International Rescue Unit delegation to Haiti, described the situation as "Shabbat from hell. Everywhere, the acrid smell of bodies hangs in the air.
2010 Haiti earthquake | Conditions in the aftermath
The earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010 destroyed a large part of the city center and suspended all activities for several months. Haiti's Athletics Center had to manage over 600 families who had taken refuge on its grounds after the earthquake. But the Shackles of Memory and the CEFREPADE still provide their support for this project and work to its completion, also in memory of Jean-Christophe Fernandez, delegate of the CEFREPADE in Sun City and who died during the earthquake at age 26. The sorting and composting work started again in April 2010 and the center will be entirely rebuilt by the end of 2010.
Les Anneaux de la Mémoire | Development Assistance Program
The children taken by Laura Silsby's group have been returned to their parents. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released an estimate that $800 million USD will be needed to revive the agriculture sector of the Haitian economy.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 17 March 2010
On 12 January 2010, the United Nations reported that headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the "Christopher Hotel" in Port-au-Prince, collapsed, and several other UN facilities were damaged; a large number of UN personnel were unaccounted for in the aftermath of a major earthquake. The Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi, was reported dead on 13 January by President René Préval and French news sources and on 16 January the United Nations confirmed the death after his body was recovered by a search and rescue team from China. Principal Deputy Special Representative Luiz Carlos da Costa was also confirmed dead, as well as the Acting Police Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Superintendent Doug Coates, who were meeting with eight Chinese nationals—four peacekeepers and a delegation of four police officers from China—when the earthquake struck.
United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti | 2010 earthquake
Operations at Jacmel Airport have decreased to 20–40 flights daily down from the high average of 80 daily. Shaw Communications Inc. has announced a donation of $900,000 for Haiti quake relief. Haiti has issued a request for aid from the Haitian diaspora.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 3 March 2010
The first of three massive Red Cross Red Crescent basic health care emergency response units (ERUs) arrived on 16 January 2010. The ERU is designed to provide basic and immediate health care to 30,000 people. So far, 14 ERUs have been deployed to Haiti, with most expected to arrive in the coming days. They include water and sanitation units, logistic units, IT and telecommunication infrastructure, and a massive 250-bed hospital.
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake | 17 January 2010