Relief workers are struggling to deal with the overwhelming demand for food, water and medical aid amid the chaotic situation in Haiti, where, nearly a week after the devastating earthquake, anger continues to grow over the slow distribution of much-needed supplies.
"They told us they were estimating about two to three days left of fuel in Port-au-Prince," reported Laura Black of World Vision.
"Once we're out of fuel, our trucks can't get anywhere."
An apparent lack of organization at the airport in Port-au-Prince has slowed the pace at which more aid is arriving and a lack of security escorts means medical supplies have yet to leave the area. Violence and looting have broken out in several neighbourhoods, including reports of vigilante-style killings.
UN vehicles are reportedly being attacked in slums outside the capital by desperate and hungry people who believe the international community isn't working hard enough to help survivors.
Doctors Without Borders said there is little sign of “significant aid distribution”.
The chaotic situation means millions of dollars worth of life-saving supplies aren’t getting to those who need it most. The Canadian military is still trying to determine exactly where it will deploy the majority of the 1,000 new troops sent to Haiti.
On Monday the commander of Canadian military operations in Haiti, Brig. Gen. Guy Laroche, announced the 200-member Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) would be deployed in the hard-hit town of Jacmel, about 30 km southwest of Port-au-Prince, which is also Governor-General Michaelle Jean's home town. Laroche described the town as "cut off from the world" after the quake.
The medical contingent of DART is currently deployed and the
engineering contingent is expected to bring a water purification system
when it arrives. Impassable roads and devastated infrastructure are proving to be the biggest challenge on the ground at this stage, Laroche said.
The European Union estimates that approximately 200,000 people may have died in Tuesday’s quake, but a reliable death toll isn’t expected for weeks. Haitian officials say they've recovered about 70,000 bodies, so far. The EU also estimates about 1.5 million people have been left homeless.
"It is becoming increasingly evident the scale and scope of the devastation wrought by the earthquake is enormous and presents a substantial challenge," said Defence Minister Peter MacKay.
"But the momentum and the movement and the commitment shown so far illustrates that we're making a positive difference."
So far, the Canadians have been limited to offering medical help at a clinic and perimeter security around the embassy.
Approximately 200 Canadian soldiers are already on the ground in Haiti and officials have re-routed one of two warships, the HMCS Athabaskan and the HMCS Halifax, to Jacmel this week. The port in the capital was destroyed in the quake and the U.S. has said it will work to make the habour area functional again.
By the end of the week, Canada will have two Navy ships, seven helicopters and almost two-thousand troops in the country.
On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon confirmed the deaths of 11 Canadians in Haiti and noted that 859 are still unaccounted for. Nearly 1,000 Canadians have been airlifted home.
Canada will be hosting a conference in Montreal next Monday to help coordinate the international aid effort.
With files from the Canadian Press