CF IN HAITI: First Sailors In, Docs Complain about Unloading Priorities

Some of the latest:

A bit of a map to help orient you is available here.

• The Canadian Press reports that the HMCS Athabaskan’s first Zodiac inflatables with aid and staff arrived in Leogane today.  More on that from CTV.ca here.
• The Canadian Press also reports it could take a couple of weeks for Canada’s full commitment of about 1,000 troops to get to Haiti.
• Part of today’s update from Defence Minister Peter MacKay:  “In the past 24 hrs the Canadian Forces have airlifted 99,000 pounds (almost 45,000 kg) of aid into Haiti, bringing the total to more than 293 tonnes in Relief Goods alone, in addition to equipment and supplies transported into theatre. I mentioned yesterday that we would have three NOMAD water purification systems in place shortly. The last of these systems arrived yesterday and, once fully operational, each unit will produce 36,000 gallons (~163,660 litres) of clean water per day, which will be distributed to Haitians.”
• Not military news per se, but something I wanted to get the rest of the story out about.  Doctors Without Borders is complaining about planes full of medical supplies not being allowed to land in Haiti (more at the Huffington Post on this).  They don’t blame anybody in particular in the news release, but what they DON’T say is who sets the priorities for this stuff — this, from the blog of the commander of the U.S. military’s SOUTHCOM (a pretty busy group these days):  “The Government of Haiti, in coordination with the U.S. Government and the United Nations’ Mission in Haiti, establishes aircraft landing priorities according to the priority of the aircraft’s cargo, such as medical supplies, food and equipment. “ The UN’s World Food Program’s latest update shows the priorities as follows:

1. “Water related materials” (you can live longer without food than you can without water, and bad water makes more people sick)
2. “Logistics Enablers” (stuff that helps get blocked roads open and aid into areas once routes are opened)
3. Food materials (and)
4. Medical supplies

Something else to remember:  these priorities change as the operation goes on, according to the World Food Program.

For more news, check out these sites (newest additions in bold):

• New Twitter list of folks Twittering from the scene (mostly reporters, but some civilians and NGOs as well).
• ReliefWeb – Haiti:  Earthquakes in 2010 (aggregates news and news releases from governments and NGO’s doing work in Haiti)
• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

CF IN HAITI: Security a Growing Concern, Base of Operations Chosen?

Some of the latest:

• CBC News (via Twitter here and here and CBC.ca here) reports Canadian Forces ships are near Haiti, preparing to start deploying sailors and other experts to “clear roads of debris so that aid convoys can get in, offer first aid if they can, and look for Canadians and the bodies of Canadians so they can be returned home.”  CBC also says the focus of the CF’s work may be the town of Jacmel, a port community of approximately 30,000 on Haiti’s southern coast reportedly “(very) hard hit but getting less help to this point” (weather information available here, and tide information here).  It’s also the hometown of Canada’s Governor General Michaëlle Jean.
• The Canadian Press reports that security is increasingly a problem that will be dealt with by Canadian Forces in Haiti:  “…. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says security has been fingered as one of the key challenges facing relief and reconstruction efforts as aid slowly ramps up and the death toll continues to mount. “Although the concern over an increase in civilian violence is shared by several countries involved, it will be resolved by our capacity to deliver aid and our capacity to stabilize Haiti,” Cannon said Monday….”

For more news, check out these sites (newest additions in bold):

• ReliefWeb – Haiti:  Earthquakes in 2010 (aggregates news and news releases from governments and NGO’s doing work in Haiti)
• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

CF IN HAITI: Former AFG Boss New Boss

The latest:

• The Canadian Press reports, “the government has called on Brig.-Gen. Guy LaRoche, one of Canada’s top recent commanders in Afghanistan, to spearhead relief efforts in Haiti.”
• A statement by RCMP Commissioner William Elliot says, “early this morning Superintendent Douglas Coates’ body was located by rescue crews searching through the rubble of the UN Headquarters
  building in Port au Prince Haiti which was destroyed during the recent earthquake there.  Identification was confirmed this afternoon.”
• Meanwhile, the Toronto Sun reports, “The body of an RCMP officer killed when the earthquake struck Haiti should be back on Canadian soil this week.  A source tells the Sun that plans are underway to repatriate Sgt. Mark Gallagher on Wednesday or Thursday. “He will be brought to CFB Trenton in the same fashion fallen soldiers are,” the source said.”

For more news, check out these sites (newest additions in bold):

• ReliefWeb – Haiti:  Earthquakes in 2010 (aggregates news and news releases from governments and NGO’s doing work in Haiti)
• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

CF IN HAITI: More Headed South to Help?

Some of the latest:

• The Canadian Press reports, “the army has put 800 troops on standby for possible peacekeeping deployment to Haiti. The Conservative government has yet to give the green light to the mission, but defence sources say the order to move could come as early as Saturday. The soldiers would be drawn from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Que. They would bring along engineering units, as well as headquarters and support elements – something that signals a sustained operation….”
• The Toronto Star reports that because of a bottleneck at Port Au Prince Airport in Haiti, filled with planes filled with aid, Canadian military aircraft are having to wait their turn at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, with delayed flights, and changes in what the planes will be carrying.
• Responding to reports of post-quake disorder in Haiti (more on that from the BBC and Voice of America), Commodore Art McDonald, commander of the Canada’s naval task force headed to Haiti, is quoted by CBC.ca saying, “I don’t want to deliver aid at the barrel of a gun, but we will bring aid in the most effective means possible.”

For more news, check out these sites (newest additions in bold):

• ReliefWeb – Haiti:  Earthquakes in 2010 (aggregates news and news releases from governments and NGO’s doing work in Haiti)
• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

CF IN HAITI: Mountie Found Dead; First Canadians Rescued

In order to help out in Haiti, I’m willing to donate $1 to the Red Cross for every comment left below suggesting any other good source of news/information on Haiti – $2.00 for a comment that shows you’ve read any other post on the blog.

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Some updates:

• The RCMP has announced that it has “located the remains of Sgt. Mark Gallagher in the rubble of his residence in Port au Prince,” adding it “hold out hope that we will find Supt Douglas Coates alive.”  Condolences may be shared here.
• CanWest/National Post reports that Canadian military firefighters and medics, part of the first group that arrived earlier this week, are at work helping recover the still-living and the dead from the rubble.
• The Belleville Intelligencer reports that, “more troops and equipment are to leave (Canadian Forces Base Trenton) for Haiti today but Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) remained on standby (Thursday) night. Though expected to deploy to help victims of Tuesday’s earthquake, the DART as a whole had not been given the order to go into action. Yet some of the team’s members had been waiting at the base since 3 a.m. They were aboard the second CC-177 Globemaster sent by Canada to Haiti. The Globemaster departed just before 2 p.m. (Thursday). It was loaded with dozens of troops, food, water, medical supplies and a third CH-146 Griffon helicopter….”
• The Canadian Press reports the first plane load of Canadians flown out of Haiti by Canadian military aircraft are in Montreal.

For more news, check out these sites (newest additions in bold):

• ReliefWeb – Haiti:  Earthquakes in 2010 (aggregates news and news releases from governments and NGO’s doing work in Haiti)
• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

CF IN HAITI: CF Flying Canadians Outta HTI, Ships are On Their Way

Some updates:

• A new page is now available via the CF containing background information on OP Hestia here.
• CanWest says, “The federal government has begun airlifting Canadians from Haiti, and may institute a humanitarian immigration program to allow hundreds or thousands of Haitians into Canada ….  The first 100 Canadians removed from Haiti by Canadian military are en route to Montreal via the Dominican Republic and are scheduled to arrive at 10:05 PM. ET Thursday at Pierre Trudeau International airport.” (More on that from CBC.ca here)
• The CF says HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan are now on their way south to Haiti.
• Last night, Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh expressed his opinion on the relief effort via Twitter: “Canada should be in Haiti faster and more than we are. Time to speed up, Mr Harper.”  Today, he’s refined his position:  “i understand Harper is responding well to the needs in Haiti.”  More discussion on that here at Milnet.ca.

For more news, check out these sites:

• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

Any other good places to keep track of what’s happening?  Don’t be afraid to share.

HAITI: How’s Canada’s Military Helping?

You’ve heard about the earthquake in Haiti.  Before I go into how the CF is helping, here’s some links to good news resources to keep track of what’d happening in Haiti:

• European Commision News Brief aggregator (you can even pick the language of the feed)
• Google News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• Yahoo News search “Haiti+earthquake”
• NewsNow aggregator on Haiti earthquake
• Milnet.ca Discussion Forum (where military members and those interested share news/information about the work being done)

If you know any other resources, PLEASE let us know via comments below – always happy to share.

As for the CF presence, it’s already got a name:  Operation HESTIA (reportedly named for the Greek godess of the hearth fire or fireplace).  They even have a web page to follow the military support.

Media and other open sources indicate the following:

• “A C-130 (Hercules)  military transport plane arrived in Haiti on Wednesday with a reconnaissance team that will assess what military personnel and equipment is needed.” This would likely involve people with engineering (building/rebuilding as well as purifying water), medical and logistical expertise to decide how best to deploy Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).
• Another larger plane – a CC-177 Globemaster - is to have left tonight (Wednesday) “with humanitarian assistance that will be provided to the people of Haiti on behalf of the Canadian Government (including) components of the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).”
• There are also reports that “a (Globemaster) transport plane and two Griffon search-and-rescue helicopters have been assigned to help with the relief efforts in Haiti.”  Canada has four Globemasters, so this suggests that if one has already left, one more may be getting ready to go.
• Two CF ships – HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabaskan – are headed to Halifax to load up on “medical supplies, food, water purification tablets, construction materials and other equipment” to bring to Haiti.  “The two ships are expected to leave Thursday morning and will take about five days to reach Haiti, arriving Jan. 18 or 19.”

Safe travels to all the folks headed to Haiti to help out.

More, as I have time to plug it in.