Cablegate: Tfha01: Haiti Earthquake Task Force Situation Report

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 015608

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. 73

STATE 00015608 001.2 OF 002

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

1. (SBU) Seven members of the House are expected to travel to
Haiti February 19, and a second CODEL is expected to travel
February 26. (TF-1/Bureau of Legislative Affairs e-mail)

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

2. (SBU) Haitian authorities released eight of the ten detained
Americans February 17; the eight departed Haiti at 2100 on a C-
130 flight to Miami. The remaining two Americans are being held
for further investigation. Also on the flight were 42 evacuees,
including three adoptees and one LPR. There is one flight
scheduled for February 18 at 2000 which currently is the final
planned evacuation flight. (TF-1/Embassy Port-au-Prince e-mail)

3. (SBU) 16,704 American citizens have been evacuated as of
0800 EST. (TF1/Embassy Port-au-Prince SitRep)

4. (SBU) Spirit Airlines intends to resume fights to Haiti
February 19 when Port-au-Prince airport reopens for commercial
service; American Airlines previously announced it would resume
service the same day. (Embassy Port-au-Prince/TF-1 e-mail)

5. (SBU) As of 0900 EST there are 103 reported American citizen
fatalities. (TF1/Consular Affairs e-mail)

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

6. (SBU) The GOH asked the WFP to increase distribution outside
Port-au-Prince. The UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs reports that more than 715,270 (USG-funded) MREs are en
route to areas outside Port-au-Prince, in addition to ongoing
food distributions in cities west of Port-au-Prince. In the
coming weeks, WFP is also planning food distributions in the
southeast. (USAID/DCHA Haiti Earthquake Fact Sheet #36)
7. (SBU) The USAID funded Famine Early Warning System Network
and the government of Haiti note that food, including rice, is
reportedly available for sale at low prices in Port-au-Prince
markets and settlements sites, reducing demand for imported
rice, which had risen about 35 percent after the earthquake.
(USAID/DCHA Haiti Earthquake Fact Sheet #36)

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

8. (SBU) MINUSTAH/HNP recaptured 138 of the 500 most dangerous
escaped prisoners. (SOUTHCOM SitRep)

9. (SBU) The total daily maritime container traffic into Port-
au-Prince has increased 25 percent since February 15 and is
close to the port's average weekly pre-earthquake throughput of
750 TEUs. (SOUTHCOM SitRep)

10. (SBU) Post anticipates it will need $1.5 million in the
very near future to cover earthquake-related costs, which
includes damage to the chancery building, estimated at $750,000.
(WHA-EX/Embassy Port-au-Prince Conference Call)

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

11. (SBU) The Dominican Republic plans to contribute 150
peacekeepers to MINUSTAH. The agreement to provide troops is
currently under review by the Dominican Minister of Defense and
must be approved by the Dominican Senate. (Santo Domingo 59)

12. (SBU) The government of Bolivia confirmed it will replace
its current 205 peacekeepers supporting MINUSTAH with another
rotation. The GOB also offered to send another 200-person
contingent within the next 60 days. (La Paz 49)

13. Additional updates are available through our classified
Intellipedia portal at
http://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_HAITI_Earthquake.

14. (U) Minimize considered.
CLINTON

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