After a day of deliveries, US ship runs out of aid

[cali]

By Daphne Benoit (AFP) – 6 hours ago

ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON — Helicopters sit ready to go from this US aircraft carrier off Haiti, but there's a problem: after a day of frantic aid runs there is simply nothing left to deliver.

Aboard the warship some 3,500 US military personnel have been coordinating the flights of 19 US helicopters carrying aid since early morning.

Visible from the ship is Haiti's scarred capital city Port-au-Prince, devastated by Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude, which Haitian officials say killed at least 50,000 people.

In less than 12 hours, helicopters from the USS Carl Vinson made some 20 trips to scout the ravaged landscape and deliver items that were originally intended for the ship's crew.

Among the supplies dropped off were thousands of bottles of water and energy drinks, 8,000 sheets and hundreds of camp beds.

Dozens of hospital beds have been arranged on board the ship to accomadate those injured in the quake, including a US citizen evacuated from the US embassy in Port-au-Prince.

The take off and landing space offered by aircraft carriers are crucial for the international aid effort, which has struggled to get in relief via Port-au-Prince's single-runway airport.

The relief work also faces logistical and coordination challenges, according to Rear Admiral Ted Branch, the most senior military official aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

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"The problem is, some people are perhaps not ready to release their stuff to the most efficient transportation makers and want to deliver supplies themselves."

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jbVqVxVMqFtwp80YYzMXLkDHk7hw

[cali]

1. A couple of things caught my notice in this article.

Most notably is that there may be a turf war going on re aid.

[jwirr]

2. Which at this moment is unforgivable. Work together all you world

idiots including the USA.

[KharmaTrain]

3. No Distribution Networks...

The logistics of this mission is overwhelming...a country that was ill-equipped to handle much more than the most basic services before this disaster...and now there's no civil authority...this is a country that is totally broken down.

The problem is getting from the airport to the neighborhoods is still dangerous...road remain impassible, blocked with debris and bodies. A complete distribution network has to be set up ad hoc...not something that can be done overnight...especially with so many people in need and the situation getting worse.

Here's hoping that the supplies begin to move and the logjam is broken. I don't think its a turf war as much as the size and scope of the recovery effort...so many people in need with so few resources on the ground. 8,000 cotts is just a drop in the bucket when you have hundreds of thousands who have been affected. Truth is I can't think of many countries...including developed ones, that are really equipped to rapidly respond to a disaster of such large scale.