Lenten reflections

St. Vincent's School was founded in the late 1950s by Sister Joan Margaret, of the Society of Saint Margaret, an anglican organization based in Boston. Several of the sisters still live and work in Haiti. I just discovered an amazing journal account of the earthquake in Jan 2010, written by Sr. Marjorie who was living at the convent in Port au Prince. Click on the link below. If it does not work, visit their website at: www.ssmbos.com and look for their newsletter from Lent 2010.

http://www.ssmbos.org/sites/default/files/Epiphany%20Lent%202010.pdf

NY times article-Haiti Cathedral Murals

By DAMIEN CAVE

Published: February 22, 2011

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Colorful and sad, beautiful but cracked, the three remaining murals of the Episcopal Trinity Cathedral received the soft afternoon sun after last year’s earthquake only because the rest of the church had collapsed.

Haitians walking by looked heartbroken. All 14 murals had been internationally treasured. Painted in the early 1950s during an artistic renaissance here, they depicted biblical scenes from a proud, local point of view: with Jesus carrying a Haitian flag as he ascended to heaven; and a last supper that, unlike some famous depictions, does not portray Judas with darker skin than the other disciples.

“All of this was painted from a Haitian perspective,” said the Rev. David César, the church’s main priest and its music school director. He marveled at the image miraculously still standing: Judas, with the white beard and wavy white hair often assigned to God himself.

It was his favorite mural, he said, and now, it is being saved.

In a partnership between the Episcopal Church and the Smithsonian, all three surviving murals are being stabilized and carefully taken to a climate-controlled warehouse in Haiti where they will be protected until they can be redisplayed in a new home.

The painstaking 18-month project began in the fall, with conservators analyzing how the paintings were bound to the walls (weak mortar) and the materials that were used to paint them (egg tempera). It was clear that they were fragile. A portion of one painting near the former altar faded to abstraction during the rainy season.

The other collapsed murals seemed to disappear. Perhaps portions were pulverized by the earthquake; perhaps some were stolen. But when conservators and Haitian art students separated the fragments from the rubble, they found only tiny pieces, usually the size of a hand or smaller, that could not be reassembled.

“We have only about 10 percent of the 11 murals that fell,” said Stephanie Hornbeck, the chief conservator with the Smithsonian, whose master’s degree focused on Haitian art. “When you have that little left, there’s nothing you can do.”

For the murals still standing, she said experts had higher hopes and immediate plans. For the past several weeks, Haitian workers in what was once the sanctuary have been carefully constructing scaffolding. A web of wooden beams now holds up tin and vinyl to protect the paintings, supporting both the art and the workers trying to carefully chisel it away.

Simply hearing hammers and seeing scaffolding — what smiles they bring here in a city where reconstruction is practically non-existent. No less soothing is the classical music — the high wail of trumpets, the smooth pull of violins — that frequently comes from behind the church, where Mr. César teaches outside. He is one of the many in Haiti who learned his first bars of music at the church’s music school. “My whole identity is here,” he said, and on this campus at least, reconstruction means more than architecture: a full artistic life is also being rebuilt.

The effort to save the murals is a visible extension of a little-known cross-border bond. The Episcopal Church of Haiti was founded by an African-American named James Theodore Holly, who led about 2,000 black Americans to Haiti in 1861 as part of a wider emigration movement. He and his sons played prominent roles as professionals and scholars after founding “what was actually Haiti’s first national church, and the first Episcopal church founded outside of the Anglophone world,” said Laurent Dubois, a historian at Duke University.

The eight muralists, while Haitian from their toes to the tips of their paintbrushes, also had American ties. Many trained at an academy founded by an American artist, DeWitt Peters, who came to Haiti in 1943.

Credit for the work, though, must also be shared by the Haitian bishops and priests who “gave them the liberty they needed,” said Mr. César. Some of the unconventional images would later become controversial for Christians who saw links to voodoo, but for many Haitians and art historians, they represented one of this country’s proudest cultural moments.

The earthquake ruined much of that. Only The Last Supper, Native Procession and The Baptism of Christ survived — and each work bears the wounds of the vicious tremor that killed 300,000 people. The paintings’ winding cracks, running through legs, through torsos, and through the neck of a dark-skinned woman in the baptism scene who seems to be screaming, are violent and painful.

Ms. Hornbeck said that conservators and the church are still discussing which damaged elements must be fixed.

But Mr. César, standing near the church’s former entrance, said he had little doubt about whether the paintings would be fully restored, or left how they appeared after the quake. He said that instead of rebuilding the church, religious leaders are planning to create a garden for the murals, in which they can reside in nature, earthquake scars and all. He said it was the only way to remember, the only way to move on.

“We have to live with it,” he said, staring at the roofless sanctuary and piles of rubble. “We have to learn how to live with it.”

To see the original NY Times article with photo, go to:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/world/americas/23haiti.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Fwd: aerial view: Haiti, before the quake, shortly after, and now NY Times, 9 Jan 2011

Follow the link below to see aerial views of Haiti before and after the quake

 

 Subject: FW: aerial view: Haiti, before the quake, shortly after, and now NY Times, 9 Jan 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/flash/newsgraphics/2011/0109-haiti-map-html/?hp

sent in by Hope Lennartz

HAITI: GOUDOU-GOUDOU

HAITI: GOUDOU-GOUDOU
From Anglicansonline.com:
By The Rt. Rev. Pierre W. Whalon, D.D.:

“Goudou-goudou” is the newest word in Haitian Creole. “Where were you Goudou-goudou?” they ask each other all the time.

The word is an onomatopoeia, recalling the sloshing sound the earth made during the great earthquake of January 12. All who heard it on that terrible afternoon will, I am well assured, never forget it. A heretofore-unknown fault line running beneath the city of Léogane —where the Diocese of Haiti began—fractured. Buildings conceived to resist hurricanes but not earthquakes came crashing down, crushing hundreds of thousands (the exact toll is still not known) to death, and amputating arms and legs of thousands more. Despite the dreadful roar of falling concrete and the screaming and wailing of terrified people, everyone heard the low, unearthly sound of the ground slopping back and forth, temporarily liquefied by the quake.

Gou!
Dou!
Gou!
Dou!

56 seconds later, the earth once again became solid. The screams died down, only to be replaced by the keening of grief and shock. As night fell, survivors gathered together, trying to organize rescue parties, or just to hold each other up.

In July, I made my second trip to Haiti since the earthquake. This trip, I found myself seated next to the country’s Minister of Commerce, Madame Josseline Fétière. A well-spoken cosmopolitan woman, elegantly dressed, we struck up a lengthy conversation. Eventually, she told me her Goudou-goudou story. As her ministry building had only one story, she and all her personnel were able to get out unscathed. (The government was otherwise virtually decimated, with some thirty percent of functionaries killed in the quake and most buildings destroyed.) Finding her home destroyed as well as those of other family members, Madame Frétière returned to the courtyard of her ruined ministry, where a crowd had gathered.

“We began to pray,” Madame Fétière said. “But we had no words, other than to cry ‘Jézus, Jézus’ for we had absolutely nothing left but him.” Tears ran down her face, unwiped, as her eyes looked off into the distance of memory. A few dropped onto her tailored suit.

Just as Americans can tell you where they were on September 11, 2001, or November 22, 1963, Haitians each have their own January 12, 2010 story. And now they have a new word, their own private word, to express their solidarity. And it must be said that the word has an amusing sound as well, which helps Haitians get some handle on the horror that haunts them.

What struck me in July was the difference in the country from my earlier trip in March. Progress was being made, despite the media reports to the contrary. Where was the Gulf coast six months after Katrina, in the richest and most powerful nation in the world? Goudou-goudou was much, much worse, and Haiti is probably the poorest and, certainly one of the least powerful countries. The president is a lame duck, the government is trying to organize despite hundreds of NGOs doing basically what they want, and a million people are still living in tents. And it is now hurricane season.

The other part of my experience was to witness the work being done by the Episcopal Diocese, which calls itself “l’Église Épiscopale d’Haïti.” Led by Bishop Zaché Duracin, whom his clergy refer to as “Le Sage”, they have methodically been setting to work rebuilding their nation. Engineers proceed to the poorest regions, building small but solid homes for the dispossessed. When I visited the village of Mathieu, a community living in a tropical forest, I visited several and spoke with the families and building teams. “How do you pick the first people to get a house?” I asked. “We ask the community who are the worst off, and they get one first.” Through donations, Episcopal Relief and Development supplies the $2300 each house costs, and the Haitian Episcopalians provide the design, materials, and construction. Each house also is provided with an outdoor latrine and a shower as well. “We want to add a little porch for $300 more, so the families can sit outside when it’s hot,” said Bishop Zaché.

It’s always hot in Haiti.

The 254 diocesan schools have re-opened, using improvised shelters of various kinds. In March, my first visit, I saw only wreckage and corpses at the site of the École Sainte-Trinité, next door to the cathedral, which had been obliterated by Goudou-goudou. Now 600 children in uniforms study in temporary classrooms. Haiti’s first woman priest, la Révérende Fernande Pierre-Louis, is the head of the school. She talks excitedly of the future. “As Bishop Duracin says, Haiti died on January 12 and now we await the resurrection. For me, resurrection means better than before. I want our school to produce excellent students, ready for the world. We will not settle for less!”

What was the massive pile of rubble that greeted me at first is now cleared. The lone remaining mural of what once made this church a UNESCO World Patrimony site sits under a frame to keep it dry. Seeing the 1924 building now only in outline, I realized how small it was. The new cathedral will have to be bigger, as befits the Episcopal Church’s largest diocese. Resurrection indeed! (See partnerswithhaiti.info for information about the cathedral rebuilding project.)

My last Sunday in Haiti, August 1, I began by celebrating the Eucharist for a good-sized crowd at St. Martin de Tours Church, under a huge tarp stretched between the buildings of the parish’s once-large school. Later I went to the Cathedral site, where the Eucharist was just ending in what Bishop Zaché calls “our fresh-air cathedral,” a shelter with open walls. (It has been reinforced since March.) A television van was setting up for a concert. Despite the loss of their season, and many of their musicians, the Orchestre philharmonique Sainte-Trinité was going to give their final (and only) concert for the year.

“Why the television truck?” I asked. The answer was that the concert was to be broadcast live on national television. Haiti’s only philharmonic orchestra belongs to … the Episcopal diocese.

They showed off. First, a fifty-voice men and boys’ choir sang several numbers. Then a young person’s string orchestra played several pieces. A wind symphony band followed, concluding with some jazz. Finally the whole came together, an 80-piece orchestra and the 50-voice choir. The repertoire was classical for the most part, with some Haitian music.

In a former life I was a trained classical musician, an organist and composer, and I still have the critical ear I was trained to have. Musically, the long concert showed all the enthusiasm of a good amateur orchestra, no more. But Goudou-goudou was never far. The program listed the members killed on January 12, to whom it was dedicated. Most of the instruments were new, donated by American Episcopalians. I wondered what kind of determination it took to practice viola or bassoon in the tent you live in. They were making a statement.

“We Haitians know how to survive,” Madame Fétière had told me. “We have our faith. And we have l’espwa.” That is Creole for “hope.” You see it written everywhere in the country. Leading in the way of hope is l’Église Épiscopale d’Haïti. I am really proud to be an Episcopalian, when I see what they are doing. What our people are doing, with the help of their sisters and brothers in the Episcopal Church and from elsewhere in the Anglican Communion.

There is so much more to do. The Episcopalians of Haiti are doing all they can, and it is amazing. They have needs they cannot meet, however. They cannot pay their teachers, as parents cannot pay school fees for now. The clergy go unpaid as well. The diocese needs an experienced administrator to manage the crisis. They need an experienced construction project manager as well. And Bishop Zaché, in the nine years I have known him, has always needed an assisting bishop—never more so than now. There are plans to raise the money to pay for these. Later on we will raise funds to build the new cathedral, new schools and churches.

The Orchestre philharmonique performed the Haitian premiere of a piece by Jean Jean-Pierre, a prominent Haitian composer, called Terremoto. It is a fairly conventional tone poem depicting the Goudou-goudou. After a lot of pyrotechnics depicting the quake and collapsing buildings, there was a moment of silence, interrupted only by an old musician playing a large Haitian drum, the only native instrument being used. He tapped out a quiet beat, punctuated by a little slipping sound he made by sliding his thumb along the drumskin. A pall fell over the faces of the more than 180 musicians. As Madame Frétière had done, they all stared into the distance, or else at the ground, reliving the aftermath.

Seeing their faces made my throat seize up. I looked at Bishop Zaché sitting next to me. He too was seeing his Goudou-goudou. Haitians will be sharing such moments for decades to come.

And the Episcopal Church will be there to minister healing and restoration, in the power of the Spirit.

Bishop Whalon welcomes comments or questions about this article. You can write to him at bppwhalon@aol.com.

THE RT REVD PIERRE W. WHALON is Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe.

(2010) Link to Haitian Government's Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Report

The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report was prepared by a joint team composed of representatives of the Government and members of the International Community, under the direction of the Government of the Republic of Haiti.

"In order to respond to a catastrophe of this scale, this assessment has been designed to go further than traditional post-disaster assessments. The objective has been to lay the foundations for a fresh start in the country’s development efforts, as well as to reconstruct the damaged areas and contribute to a longterm national strategic development plan, in order to begin rebuilding Haiti."

"The work accomplished by the teams of experts now enables us to present (i) a multi-sector review of damage and losses incurred following the earthquake on January 12, 2010 and an estimation of the impact of the earthquake on each themed sector; (ii) an action plan for the identification of needs for recovery and rebuilding the country in the very short term (6 months), short term (18 months),  medium term (3 years) and long term (10 years)."

Jean Max Bellerive
Prime Minister
Port-au-Prince
March 2010

Haiti Earthquake PDNA: Assessment of damage, losses, general and sectoral needs

This report should provide in depth information about the situation in various sectors of the relief efforts in Haiti.  Furthermore, it displays the amount of work that the International Community and the Haitian Government have accomplished thus far. Several hundred experts collaborated on collecting and analyzing the data within. The major contributors include the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations system, the European Commission
and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.  This also shows the large degree of international coordination and cooperation that has gone into assessing the damage and planning for recovery. We applaud the efforts that went into this project and hope to see aggressive, coordinated efforts continue to address the multi-layered troubles of Haiti's post-disaster situation.

Stephen Nelson 

Photojournalism Article on Haiti by Boston Globe

For an incredible photo journal of scenes from Haiti since the earthquake, go to:  http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/haiti_70_days_later.html

It is a story in the Boston Globe.  Get your Kleenex ready.

Susan Nelson

St Vincent's Fundraiser Feb 6, 2010

Starting at about 9 AM today, Sienna Nelson and Dumbledore's Army stood at the corner of Perkins Extended and Poplar Avenue in Memphis, and collected $1 dollar bills and loose change from folks stopped at the traffic lights. A balmy 37 degree temperature with light mist and biting wind was the background setting for this event. About 18 volunteers came to help, and donations included at least one $100 dollar bill and a rather large check. Folks at the bus stop next to Sears threw in several dollars. One man told me he did not have a phone so he had been unable to donate to the Haiti relief effort until now. He gave me 6 dollars while he was waiting on the bus.

The police questioned us on two different occasions, but seemed satisfied to leave us alone as long as we stayed off the street. I didn't point out to the officer that my daughter was walking up to cars and charming the drivers into making donations.
Our total came to $2356.41. Such is the power of one teenager.

Susan Nelson

Fundraiser for St. Vincent's February 6 in Memphis, Tennessee

My daughter, Sienna, has organized a fundraiser on Feb 6 at the corner of Poplar and Perkins extended, from 9 AM until 6 PM.  This will be a drive by fundraiser, to collect donations at the stop lights at this intersection.  We need volunteers to hold buckets, wave signs, and encourage donations.

We will have a registration desk in front of Sears at Laurel wood Shopping Center, starting at 9 AM. There is a walkway that extends from the front door of Sears all the way to Poplar Ave. We will be at the end of that walkway closest to Poplar. You can pull your car in the parking lot and park there.

A few of us will be there at 8 AM to set up, but we don’t need registration volunteers until about 9 AM and money counting volunteers about 10 AM until 6 PM.
Thank you for your help and my cell phone number is 825 7981; Sienna’s cell is 871 8087
Susan Nelson

International Aid Update

AUSTRALIA: $13.8 million in aid pledged.

AUSTRIA: $1.9 million to United Nations and international aid

organizations.

BRAZIL: $19 million in aid pledged. Eighteen flights have delivered

200 tons of aid including food, water, tents, medicine, a hospital and medical equipment. Forty six medical doctors and nurses have been

sent, along with 50 firefighters who specialize in search and rescue

using search dogs.Nearly 1,300 Brazilian U.N.. peacekeepers are working in rescue operations.

BRITAIN: $33 million in aid. A 64-member search and rescue team is on

the ground.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: $80,000 in aid.

CAMBODIA: $50,000 in aid from the government; $10,000 from Cambodian

Red Cross.

CANADA: $130 million in aid pledged. So far, Canadians have privately

contributed more than $39 million and Ottawa will match those funds.

Some 2,000 military personnel, including two warships.

CHAD: $500,000 in aid.

CHINA: $4.2 million in aid pledged. Deployed a 60-member rescue team

to the island, including search and rescue specialists with sniffer

dogs and monitoring equipment, medics, and seismological experts.

CONGO: $2.5 million in aid.

CROATIA: $137,000 from the government and a similar amount donated

from citizens to the Red Cross.

CYPRUS: $141,000 in aid.

CZECH REPUBLIC: $1.1 million in aid pledged.

DENMARK: $9.67 million in aid.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: $11.4 million in aid.

FRANCE: $28.6 million in aid pledged, plus more than 500 personnel,

especially rescue workers, and 61 tons (55 metric tons) of supplies.

Dispatched Francis Garnier, a ship that specializes in humanitarian

missions.

GERMANY: $14.28 million in aid pledged by government. $25.56 million

donated by private citizens.

GRENADA: $215,000 in aid.

HUNGARY: $140,000 within an aid program coordinated by the EU, plus

three medical teams and three search dogs.

INDIA: $5 million in aid.

ISRAEL: Established field hospital, sent some 150 doctors and rescue

workers and 10 tons (nine metric tons) of medical equipment.

ITALY: $8.14 million as part of $131.37 million in emergency aid from  EU member states. Separately it is donating $2.57 million to

international groups to help children in Haiti. A field hospital that

can treat 150 patients a day has been airlifted in.

JAPAN: $5 million in aid, plus $330,000 in emergency supplies. One

24-member civilian medical team on the ground, sending 110-member

military team of medical and other personnel via a Japanese C-130

transport plane.

LIBERIA: $50,000 in aid.

NETHERLANDS: $2.86 million in aid from the Dutch government, which has pledged to double the amount raised by the public. So far the appeal has raised $9.28 million. A Dutch plane with search and rescue team and sniffer dogs has been sent.

NORWAY: $17.5 million in aid earmarked for the World Food Program,

Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross and other aid organizations.

The country's Red Cross and other aid organizations have raised at

least $4.5 million for the country.

PORTUGAL: Around $860,000 from private donations. The government has

sent a military transport plane with more than 20 emergency rescue

workers and sniffer dogs, as well as medical equipment and water.

RUSSIA: Has sent 138 emergency workers and doctors and five transport

planes to deliver aid.

SENEGAL: $1 million in aid.. President Abdoulaye Wade has said he

would give a region of Senegal to Haitians wishing to move to Africa.

He argued that because Haiti was settled by African slaves they are

owed a right of return.

The eccentric proposal was met with criticism by many who say the government is not even able to house its own people.

SIERRA LEONE: $100,000 in aid. The government has also offered to send

police, soldiers and medical teams.

SLOVENIA: $70,000 in aid, and has sent tents worth $98,000.

SOUTH AFRICA: $135,000 in aid, and has sent a search-and-rescue team

and plans to send forensic experts to help identify bodies.

SOUTH KOREA: $10 million in aid from government, aid agencies,

religious groups and business companies.

SPAIN: $8.56 million in emergency aid disbursed, sending 450 troops,

50 doctors, technicians and specialists.

SWEDEN: $25.6 million to organizations working in Haiti, including the U.N.and E.U.

TAIWAN: $5 million in aid. Dispatched a team of 23 rescue personnel

and 33 medical staff.

THAILAND: $120,000 in aid; 20,000 tons (18,000 metric tons) of rice.

UNITED STATES: $130 million in aid, according to USAID. Has sent about

12,000 military personnel so far, 265 government medical personnel,

18 Navy and Coast Guard ships, 49 helicopters and seven cargo planes to assist in aid delivery, support and evacuations. Is managing operations at the Port-au-Prince airport.

VENEZUELA: 679 tons (616 metric tons) of food and 127 tons (116 metric tons) of equipment, including water purification systems, electrical generators and heavy equipment for moving rubble. 225,000 barrels of diesel fuel and gasoline is on its way, and the Venezuela-led Bolivarian Alternative trade bloc also sent two ships carrying 5,248 tons (4,761 metric tons) of food aid

sent in by Amy Bonk-Chanin

1/21 White House Press Release on Haiti

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 21, 2010

United States Government Haiti Earthquake Disaster Response Update

On January 12, a massive earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince.  President Obama has said, “at this moment, we are moving forward with one of the largest relief efforts in our history -- to save lives and to deliver relief that averts an even larger catastrophe.  In these difficult hours, America stands united.  We stand united with the people of Haiti, who have shown such incredible resilience, and we will help them to recover and to rebuild.”

The United States Government has mobilized resources and people to aid in the relief effort.  At the direction of President Obama, this is a whole-of-government effort, and USAID has the lead in this swift, aggressive and coordinated response.  Military personnel are playing an indispensable role in supporting this humanitarian effort, including making the logistics chain possible and distributing life-saving assistance.  Aid workers are working around the clock to deliver more aid more quickly and more effectively to more people in need.

Below, please find some key facts and examples of government actions to date.  All numbers below are current as of 3 p.m., Thursday, January 21.

INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION

At the request of the Haitian government, the U.S. continues to coordinate America’s relief efforts with the United Nations and the international community.  We are coordinating closely with more than 30 nations and hundreds of NGOs to deliver food and water quickly throughout the country.

·        Secretary of State Clinton discussed Haiti with UK Foreign Secretary Miliband and the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Catherine Ashton, earlier today in Washington.  The Secretary stressed the vital partnership underway in Haiti, with the U.S. and EU countries working side by side on relief and rescue operations, and the need for a “coordinated, integrated, international response to the reconstruction and the return of prosperity and opportunity to Haiti.”

·        At the United Nations, the U.S. Deputy Ambassador, Alejandro Wolff, addressed the UN press corps to draw attention to the broad international character of the rescue and relief effort in Haiti.  Held just before another pledging round for the UN Flash Appeal, Ambassador Wolff was joined by UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes and the Ambassadors from Haiti, Brazil, Canada, France and Uruguay. 

HEALTH/MEDICAL

·        Yesterday, the hospital ship USNS Comfort started receiving injured patients from the local hospitals and international medical facilities.  The Comfort has a crew of 850 to provide a host of medical services, and will eventually provide nearly 1,000 hospital beds, and 11 operating rooms.

o       The USNS Comfort has treated more than 230 patients received from 10 hospital sites already.

·        As of January 21, more than 7,000 patients have been treated by the 5 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) from the Department of Health and Human Services and one International Medical Surgical Team (IMSuRT) in Haiti (all funded by USAID/OFDA).  These teams treated 2,160 patients on January 20.

o                   Each DMAT has 35 staff members and 40 beds and functions as a field emergency room, while the IMSuRT has 50 staff members and 35 beds and performs disaster surgery. 

AIRPORTS & PORTS

·        The airport in Port au Prince is open around the clock.  The U.S. Air Force continues to manage air operations at the request of the Haitian Government.  And the State Department continues to coordinate closely with our international partners and NGOs to facilitate the smooth arrival of aid and personnel.  This is a consultative process with the government of Haiti and the UN involving dozens of international assistance flights, beyond U.S. civilian and military flights.

o       On January 20, 153 flights arrived (38 of those were official U.S. flights).

o       For example, of the 330 arrivals from January 16 - 18, approximately half were civilian/humanitarian, and less than 30% were military:

o       155 were civilian aircraft,

o       91 from U.S. military and government aircraft, and

o       84 from international governments and militaries – the proportion of international flights is rising.

o       On 1/18, flights landed from: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, France, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United States, Ukraine, and from the United Nations and numerous international aid organizations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the World Food Program (WFP).

o       The WFP has placed a coordination cell at the airport in Haiti to assist with the prioritization of flights and the movement of humanitarian assistance through the airport to areas of need in Haiti.

·        The port is beginning to receive some ships and is about 30% operational.  The port at Jacmel, southwest of Port-au-Prince is currently operational during daylight for certain vessels.  U.S. Army/Navy dive teams with underwater construction teams continued to assess port structural damage.

·        U.S. Transportation Command reports that since commencing air operations, a total of 160 missions have been flown that have carried more than 2,600 tons of relief supplies and more than 2,500 military and relief personnel into Haiti.

SAFETY & SECURITY

·        As of January 21, approximately 13,000 military personnel (10,000 afloat and 3,000 ashore) are a part of the relief effort.

o       The 22^nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) continues to provide assistance in support of Leogane and Petit Goave.  They currently have 356 Marines ashore.

o       The remaining assets from 2/82 Brigade Combat Team and equipment will complete deployment to Port-au-Prince by January 22.  They currently have 3,062 soldiers on ground.

·        As of January 21 there are 20 U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships, 63 helicopters, and 204 vehicles in the joint operations area.

• The U.S. Coast Guard has 12 aircraft operating in Haiti:

o       Five C-130 airplanes

o       One C-144 airplane

o       Three H-65 helicopters

o       Three H-60 helicopters

• The U.S. Coast Guard has 6 vessels:

o       Coast Guard Cutter Valiant

o       Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma

o       Coast Guard Cutter Forward

o       Coast Guard Cutter Oak

o       Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton

o       Coast Guard Cutter Legare

o       Additionally, the Coast Guard has 3 vessels in the Florida Straits to support any tasking related to Haiti relief efforts: Coast Guard Cutters Alert, Dependable, and Venturous.

·                    The U.S. Coast Guard has 801 service members on site assisting with recovery:

o                   26 ashore,

o                   719 afloat,

o                   56 aircrew.

·                    SOUTHCOM funded and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) contracted for the

      purchase of 50,000 hand held radios to distribute to the Haitian people.

o       As of the last night, 43,800 radios had arrived in Port-au-Prince. The remaining 6,200 radios are slated for delivery to Special Operations Command South by January 25 and flow into Haiti thereafter

o       The Military Information Support Team (MIST) in coordination with USAID will begin distribution of these radios immediately.  60,000 stickers, with the frequencies on them, and 60,000 hand bills that demonstrate (with pictures) how to operate the radio will be distributed with the radios.

o       This hand held radio initiative is part of an overall effort to reach the people of Haiti via FM/AM broadcasting of VOA programming and CJTF Haiti public service announcements.

EVACUATION & RESCUES

·        The U.S. government continues evacuations from Haiti around the clock.  The total number of people evacuated from Haiti by the U.S. is approximately 10,500, of which 8,300 were American citizens.  More than 1,100 Americans have been evacuated today, as of 3 p.m.

·        Search and Rescue: Currently, 43 international USAR teams, comprised of 1,739 rescue workers, with 161 dogs, are working in Haiti.  6 of those teams are from the United States – with 511 rescue workers from Fairfax County, Los Angeles County, Miami, Miami-Dade, Virginia Beach, and New York.

o       USAID/OFDA has provided more than $36 million in support of U.S. USAR teams deployed to Haiti to date.

o       U.S. USAR teams are currently conducting secondary reconnaissance missions throughout Port-au-Prince following the aftershock yesterday.

FOOD & WATER

·        C-17 air delivery of food and water resumed today -- 14,000 water bottles and 14,500 MREs/Humanitarian Rations were slated for delivery.  The drop zone is in the vicinity of Mirebalais, about 25 miles northeast of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.  A MINUSTAH battalion secured the site.

·                                             U.S. military aircraft, helicopters, and vessels are giving the highest priority to the shipment of water.  Over the past several days, JTF-Haiti has distributed more than 600,000 bottles of water and more than 400,000 meals/humanitarian rations.  The USS Carl Vinson is producing 100,000 gallons of potable water daily.  Water tanks are being installed in each zone of the city and potable water is now available at 45 distribution points.  The U.S. Coast Guard has distributed a total of 38.5 tons of water (62,880 bottles).  And USAID/OFDA has delivered 9 water treatment units to provide 900,000 liters of safe drinking water for 90,000 people per day.

o        More than 238,000 meals/humanitarian rations and 400,000 bottles of water were delivered yesterday alone.

o       The Crowley vessel Maracajam arrived in the Dominican Republic yesterday with more than 60,000 meals/humanitarian rations and water for the WFP.

o       The USNS Lummus, capable of producing 94,000 gallons of potable water, is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

·        USAID/FFP has contributed food assistance worth $68 million.

·        To date, International Organization for Migration (IOM) has delivered 240,600 water purification tablets for household use, 3,300 water containers, and 1,920 hygiene kits (funded by USAID/OFDA) to several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. 

·        Today, World Vision, in partnership with USAID, started distribution of 2,000 metric tons of Food for Peace (FFP) commodities.  The commodities will meet the immediate food needs of 18,670 families, or approximately 93,350 individuals, in Petion Ville, Delmas, and Port-au-Prince.

·        Yesterday, a USAID/OFDA-funded flight carrying emergency relief supplies arrived in Port-au-Prince.  Commodities included equipment to maintain a field hospital, including a trauma kit and air-conditioning unit.  This is in addition to the water treatment units, ten-liter water containers, hygiene kits, rolls of plastic sheeting, and water bladders provided in recent days.

ADOPTIONS & ORPHANS

·        Yesterday, Secretary Clinton announced that the State Department is heading up a joint task force with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to focus on orphans and unaccompanied minors, to streamline the process of adoptions, and to ensure that these families are united as quickly as possible while still ensuring that proper safeguards are in place to protect children in our care.  An interagency working group has been established to focus on the humanitarian needs of highly vulnerable children.  And the Administration is also working closely with the many Members of Congress who are understandably very concerned about this process.

·        On Monday, Secretary Napolitano announced humanitarian parole for certain Haitian orphans.  We remain focused on family reunification and must be vigilant not to separate children from relatives in Haiti who are still alive but displaced, or to unknowingly assist criminals who traffic in children in such desperate times.  To do so, we strongly discourage the use of private aircraft to evacuate orphans.  All flights must be appropriately coordinated with the U.S. and Haitian governments to ensure proper clearances are granted before arrival in the United States.

ASSISTANCE

·        As of January 20, USAID had contributed $90 million to the U.N. appeal, including $22 million in non-food assistance and $68 million in food assistance.  An additional $73.9 million in bilateral assistance for search-and-rescue and other assistance had also been committed as of December 20, bringing total USAID assistance to Haiti to nearly $165 million.

HOW TO SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS

We are all deeply affected by the devastation in Haiti.  Our common humanity demands that we act, as does America’s leadership and deep ties with Haiti.  At the request of President Obama, former Presidents Bush and Clinton are coordinating private assistance and urging Americans to help at www.clintonbushhaitifund.org

·        You can contribute online through ClintonBushHaitiFund.org.

o       Text “QUAKE” to 20222 to charge a $10 donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (the donation will be added to your cell phone bill).

·        Funding Raised Through State Department’s Text Message Program (keyword "Haiti", and short code number "90999"): nearly $26 million.

·        Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information (www.cidi.org).

Get Information about Friends or Family

·        The State Department has set up a web page that will serve as a clearinghouse for information on Haiti: state.gov/haitiquake, including a new tool, the “Person Finder,” to allow people to find and share information on missing loved ones in Haiti.

·        The State Department Operations Center has set up the following phone number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording).  You can also send an email to the State Department.  Please be aware that communications within Haiti are very difficult at this time.

·        The State Department has also partnered with the tech community to launch a free SMS relief information service to help people in Haiti.  The text message program allows people with service from Digetel and Voila to text their location and needs to a free short code: "4636."  Since the initiative was launched on January 18, NGO partners have received over 2,000 messages, including on food distribution, missing persons, water. 

·        Whitehouse.gov — The White House website continues to serve as a focal point for information for about the relief effort, including accounting for family and friends in Haiti and contributing to the relief effort.

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