Earthquake damage in Jacmel, Haiti PHOTO: JEREMY LOCK/USAF
BY ALICIA CRUZ
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Another strong aftershock shook Haiti this morning just as American troops arrived with long awaited food, water and medical supplies.
At 6:03 am, a 5.9 aftershock centered in Jacmel, Haiti, approximately 25 miles south of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 9 kilometers (5 miles), rocked the already-shattered Caribbean nation as thousands of people still slept in the streets after the initial monstrous 7.0 earthquake eight days ago.
The aftershock has officials worried that already weakened structures, which have been serving as shelters for some, will completely topple. Many survivors are in the throes of despair as they have taken to the streets living in makeshift tent cities throughout Port-au-Prince.
On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously backed a request by the U.N. chief, Ban Ki-moon to deploy an additional 3,500 peacekeeping troops to Haiti to assist with relief efforts. The additional troops will bring the total in Haiti to 12,500.
Scattered looting and violence have begun as Haitians fight one another for whatever rations they can get a hold of. This has raised concerns of UN officials who fear the violence could peak at any moment ... hampering the efforts of relief volunteers and medical staff as they attempt to render aid and deliver family kits, food and water.
The increased presence of American troops has made many Haitian anxious about the infrastructure of their government, which has yet to address the ravaged Caribbean nation since the January 12 earthquake.
As military Humvees patrolled the main strip in Port-au-Prince, U.S. Army Colonel Gregory Kane assured reporters that the Haitian government remains in tact and in control of the country, stressing that American troops were only present to assist with relief and peacekeeping efforts.
"There have been some reports and news stories out there that the U.S. is invading Haiti," said Colonel Kane. "We're not invading Haiti. That's ludicrous. This is humanitarian relief."
Despite reports of concerns over the American military presence, most Haitians stressed that their primary concerns were getting medical attention for the injured and receiving food and water.
Their sensitivities over foreign intervention from the past are a distant memory, at least for now, as evident by the cheering and warm welcome received by the U.S. 82nd Airborne as it strode across the grounds of the Haitian Presidential Palace.
Military engineers kept a watchful eye as the French naval vessel Francis Garnier unloaded supplies onto the pier for fear the fractured pilings would not hold the vessel's weight.
The USNS Comfort, which set sail from Baltimore, Maryland several days ago, has not been brought to port at this time. The ship arrived in Haiti today and began rendering aid to patients it received via helicopter. The Comfort, which is equipped to provide top-notch medical care, treated two severely injured Haitians flown to the deck from the USS Carl Vinson. The ship can treat up to 1,000 patients at a time.
The supplies aboard The Comfort will likely be brought ashore by amphibious landing craft until U.S. military divers and engineers certify the pier's stability.
The massive influx of air traffic has forced several planes stocked with equipment and additional supplies to be diverted to the Dominican Republic and Panama due to overcrowding at the Port-au-Prince airport - leading to the frustration of relief workers and Haitians.
Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, head of the U.S. forces,said planes are only being turned away if the airport is full and air traffic controllers do not know what's on the incoming aircraft. Controllers need to know the cargo of the plane so they know what priority to give it in order to clear the plane for landing.
Military officials have ensured the media that they are working to open more airfields, get more trucks to help deliver water and supplies to victims, and bring in repair and construction equipment to start removing rubble. Troops arriving now are being assigned to guard aid distribution sites, which has freed up the U.N. security forces to join American troops in keeping law and order as they patrol areas where looting and violence have broken out.
John Bellini, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey said the aftershock occurred within the zone of the first earthquake and "was not expected."
"There are going to be more aftershocks" in the days and weeks ahead, he said. This was the strongest aftershock since a 5.9 magnitude aftershock registered seven minutes after the initial quake hit.
The latest death toll count is at 75,000 dead, 250,000 injured and one million homeless.
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