Many news correspondents have complained about the slow response, and there have probably been some missteps, but look at the logistical problems.
The airport has one runway, and very little room to park planes. There is little material handling equipment at the airport, and the docks (where most material was received into the Country) have been destroyed.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends that the population be self sufficient for a minimum of three days. In Haiti, the earthquake destroyed almost all reserve resources available to the population.
FEMA recommends a truckload of water (5,000 gallons) daily for 5,000 people, and a truckload of Meals Ready to Eat (20,000 MRE) daily for 10,000 people. To feed the 3+ million Haitians needing assistance, 600 truckloads of water (3 million gallons) and 300 truckloads of MRE (6 million meals) need to be delivered to the hungry population daily.
Some of the major challenges are
- Collecting enough supplies at major US and other airports to send to Haiti
- Getting the proper equipment and manpower to the airport to unload, repack, and distribute the supplies.
- Moving enough planes in and out of the airport daily to deliver 900 truckloads of supplies.
- Distributing the supplies will be the major hurdle in this densely populated Country. With the apparent level of destruction, the debris cluttered roads, and the current desperation of the people, this will be a monumental task.
This is day seven. If all of the population is not receiving aid by now, people will soon begin dying from dehydration and starvation. More survivors are not likely to be found in the rubble.
A disaster of this type is made worse because the Country does not have an adequate infrastructure – airports, ports, Fire/EMS, medical facilities, and law enforcement to support recovery efforts.
Everyone needs to do whatever they can to support the humanitarian effort in this devastated Country.
NEXT: Are we prepared in Lee County?
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