Cablegate: Tfha01: Haiti Earthquake Task Force Situation Report

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 010853

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO MARR PREL PINR AMGT HA
SUBJECT: TFHA01: HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE SITUATION REPORT
NO. 56

STATE 00010853 001.2 OF 002

VIP TRAVEL
----------

1. (SBU) A Brazilian congressional delegation will arrive in
Port-au-Prince on the afternoon of February 3. (TF1/SOUTHCOM
e-mail)

EVACUATIONS/AMERICAN CITIZEN ISSUES
-----------------------------------

2. (U) A judge questioned for several hours five of the
Americans arrested in Haiti. The five, all women, included one
who was earlier treated for hypertension, but who later
returned to the police building on February 2. The judge is
scheduled to interview the five men on February 3.
(TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince email, AP, Reuters)

3. (SBU) A flight carrying six orphans and 51 Americans
arrived at Miami International at 0430 EST. Four humanitarian
relief workers were aboard. (TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince
telcon, TF1/TRANSCOM email)

HUMANITARIAN UPDATE
-------------------

4. (SBU) Relief agencies will distribute food assistance at 14
sites on February 3. Two previously operational sites will
suspend operations to address local confusion over the
distribution process. They are expected to reopen on February
4. (USAID SitRep#42)

5. (SBU) USAID teams will begin to assess humanitarian
conditions in Jacmel, Petit Goave and Grand Goave February 3.
(USAID SitRep#42)

6. (U) Malawi will donate 150 metric tons of rice to Haiti.
(Lilongwe 94)

MEDICAL RESPONSE
----------------

7. (SBU) The Spanish naval vessel Castilla, outfitted as a
hospital ship, arrived in Port-au-Prince with medical
personnel, civil engineers and marines. The Castilla will be
deployed for two months. (TF1/WHA email)

SECURITY/INFRASTRUCTURE
-----------------------

8. (U) The UN said incidents of violence related to food
distribution is not hindering the relief efforts. Haitian
police continue to accompany UN missions and have increased
their own patrols. (usatoday.com)

9. (SBU) The Coast Guard is operating at the South Pier 24
hours a day, off-loading a total of 200 containers per day.
The South Pier remains only partially open. (TF1/Interagency
telcon, USCG facility matrix)

10. (SBU) The Haitian government hopes to start commercial
flights between February 17 and 19. FAA and TSA teams
continue to evaluate the airport according to USG standards.
(TF1/Interagency telcon)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
----------------------

11. (U) During a mass funeral, hundreds of Haitians called for
the return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A representative of the
former president's Aristide Foundation for Democracy spoke at
the memorial. (morningstaronline.co.uk)

12. (SBU) Radio stations in Haiti are stoking public fears by
broadcasting predictions of another earthquake. (SOUTHCOM
SitRep)

13. (U) Additional updates are available through our
Intellipedia portal on the unclassified system at:
http://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_Ha iti_Earthquake.

14. (U) Minimize considered.
CLINTON

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