Cablegate: Tfha01: Haiti Earthquake Task Force Situation Report

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UNCLAS STATE 018355

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. 81

VIP TRAVEL
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1. (U) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael
Mullen met with Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime
Minister Jean-Max Bellerive February 26. Admiral Mullen
travelled to visit American troops and assess conditions in
Port-au-Prince.
(AP)

AMERICAN CITIZEN ISSUES
-----------------------

2. (U) Judge Bernard Saint-Vil said the two American
missionaries who remain incarcerated, Laura Silsby and Charisa
Coulter, will be jailed through February 28 and possibly
longer, as he awaits more testimony. The judge requested two
real estate agents and a pastor from the Dominican Republic to
testify in Port-au-Prince about property the missionaries
rented to set up an orphanage. The additional testimony is
expected March 1. Saint-Vil plans to issue his ruling the
week of March 1. (AP)

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

3. (SBU) USAID determined approximately 45 percent of homes in
Port-au-Prince are safe for habitation. Approximately 130,000
households have received basic shelter assistance.
(NOC Update Report No.87)

4. (SBU) The Government of Haiti is considering a plan to
offer amnesty to approximately 4,500 escaped inmates. The UN
Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the Haitian National Police
have apprehended 140 escaped criminals and will continue to
pursue the remaining 356. (NOC Update Report No.87)

5. (SBU) The USNS COMFORT will begin to distribute more than
200 pallets of medical commodities to the Haitian medical
community, targeting health facilities in affected areas
outside of Port-au-Prince. (NOC Update Report No.87)

6. (SBU) The World Food Program is moving into the second
phase of its operations. It aims to assist 300,000 families
in the Port-au-Prince area with a full food basket of corn-soy
blend, oil, salt, beans, and rice. (OCHA Sitrep No.24)

7. (SBU) 86,403 Haitians are now engaged in cash-for-work
activities. The work includes clearing small debris, the
drainage and irrigation of canals, and solid waste
management. (OCHA Sitrep No.24)

8. (U) The U.S. military expects to fully transfer management
of the airport and ports back to the Haitian government by
March 1. USAID/DART anticipates an increase in congestion
following the transfer due to a lack of heavy equipment and
the government's limited capacity to offload aircraft and
ships. (USAID Factsheet No.40)

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

10. (U) Minimize considered.
CLINTON

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