BBC News – Haiti quake aid effort hampered by blockages.
Haiti quake aid effort hampered by blockages
On the ground in Haiti with survivors as they desperately plead for help
Bottlenecks and infrastructure damage have been holding up aid efforts in Haiti, where a devastating earthquake has left as many as 45,000-50,000 dead.
Aid has been arriving from around the world, but there is little sign of help beyond the airport, correspondents say.
Many are spending a third night without shelter or in makeshift camps in the ruined capital, Port-au-Prince.
US President Barack Obama pledged a huge aid effort, but warned it would take time for help to reach people.
President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, working with Brazil, Canada and other countries, will organise a conference on reconstruction in Haiti, the French presidency has announced.
‘Nothing coming’
But on the ground, correspondents said there was little immediate sign of a co-ordinated relief effort.
Planes queued to land at Haiti’s airport, while the port was too damaged to use. Roads were blocked by debris.
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AT THE SCENE
 Andy Gallacher, BBC News, Port-au-Prince
The extent of the devastation is almost impossible to calculate. Entire communities, schools and police stations are gone. Voices that were once being heard from inside the rubble have now fallen silent. Many people here have shown patience so far, but now the mood is changing. Some aid is trickling into the airport and some search and rescue teams are on the ground. But for so many Haitians this is too little too late. |
The BBC Andrew Callagher in Port-au-Prince says those that survived the massive earthquake are now dying in huge numbers, and clean water, food and medical supplies are desperately needed.
Bodies piled up on the streets and bulldozers were being used to remove the dead, and there were reports of mounting frustration and anger.
“We hear on the radio that rescue teams are coming from the outside, but nothing is coming,” said one man, Jean-Baptiste Lafontin Wilfried.
“We only have our fingers to look for survivors.”
The Red Cross estimates 45,000-50,000 people have died since Tuesday’s earthquake.
It estimates that, in total, up to three million people in Haiti have been affected.
Speaking in Washington on Thursday, Mr Obama said some US rescuers were already on the ground in Haiti and more were on their way.
He promised the country “every element of our national capacity, our diplomacy, and development assistance, the power of our military and most importantly, the compassion of our country” following the disaster.
“To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten,” he said.
Race against time
Mr Obama also promised an immediate $100m for Haiti’s relief effort and said that investment would grow over the coming year to aid long-term recovery.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and the USS Bataan, carrying a marine expeditionary unit, are on their way to Haiti.
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 They want us to provide them with help, which is, of course, what we want to do  David Wimhurst
UN spokesman  |
Gen Douglas Fraser, head of the US Southern Command, told reporters that logistics would be the key to providing relief and that US forces would strive to make Port-au-Prince’s port functional again.
The US Federal Aviation Authority earlier temporarily stopped civilian relief flights to Haiti at the Haitian government’s request because there was not enough space on the ground for more planes.
Aid groups say it is a race against time to find people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
UN emergency relief co-ordinator John Holmes said local facilities were overwhelmed, while David Wimhurst, a spokesman for UN peacekeepers in Haiti, said patience among those waiting for aid was wearing thin.
“They want us to provide them with help, which is, of course, what we want to do,” he said.
But they see UN vehicles patrolling the streets to maintain calm, and not delivering aid, and “they’re slowly getting more angry and impatient,” he said.
  To magnify this image of Port-au-Prince mouse over the left-hand panel
Cuba had more than 300 doctors in Haiti before the earthquake and they have been treating the injured in field hospitals. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who cancelled a trip to Asia to deal with the crisis, said Haiti’s recovery was “going to be a long-term effort”. The World Bank is funding $100m of emergency aid. The World Food Programme is working on supplying 15,000 tonnes of food and the Red Cross has begun a $10m appeal. 
Have you or your family been affected by the earthquake? Are you taking part in the relief effort? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: You can also send your pictures or videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or if you have a large file you can upload here. At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
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