The Haiti Super Thread- Merged

[leroi]

Echoing Tony: very proud and grateful for all you do for Canada!

We are a fortunate country.

BZ

 

[vonGarvin]

This is amazing.  I had never thought that either of Her Majesty's Canadian Ships would be able to assist with Air Traffic Control!  That's purely amazing.  Kudos to Jamaica as well!  Hell, Kudos all round! 

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Media Advisory
Loading Of Military Equipment Bound For Haiti
5 CMBG.10.04 - January 20, 2010

Valcartier Garrison (Quebec) – The Canadian Forces full-time charter, a civilian cargo ship the MV WLOCLAWEK, will be loaded with military vehicles and equipment destined for Haiti in support of OP HESTIA. Media are invited to cover the loading activities Thursday 21 January at her berth at the Port of Quebec.

What: Opportunity to capture B-roll and still imagery of loading activities. The MV WLOCLAWEK will be loaded with various vehicles and sea containers of military equipment and supplies
When: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Thursday 21 January, 2010
Where: The ship is berthed at the Anse-au-Foulons section of the Port of Quebec. Media are requested to rendez-vous at the Nouvelle-France gate at 09:30 a.m. in order to access the port terminal. The gate is located near the intersection of Boul. Champlain and Rue de la Nouvelle-France

- 30 -

Media are requested to indicate their intention to attend by contacting a member of 5 CMBG Public Affairs at the numbers below. For safety reasons, media will not be permitted onboard the vessel but will be able to view operations from a predetermined vantage point.

For further details on the Canadian Forces participation in humanitarian operations conducted in response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010, please visit: http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/hestia/index-eng.asp.

Information: Public Affairs
5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
Phone: 418-844-5000 ext 4688
Pager: 418-260-3082

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Jamaica Observer on how Jamaica benefits from the new air bridge set up:

JAMAICA will be utilising an air bridge set up by the Canadian military at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston to airlift relief supplies to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Canada had set up the facility to evacuate its citizens out of Haiti via Jamaica on two daily flights.

Information Minister Daryl Vaz told journalists at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in Kingston yesterday that the Canadian Government has consented for Jamaica to use the forward flights to transport equipment, supplies and personnel to Haiti.

According to Vaz, telecommunications company Digicel would now be able to transport equipment and engineers to fully restore its cellular service that was severely disrupted by the magnitude-7 quake which ravaged parts of Haiti last week Tuesday.

"It has been useful both ways because they are using Jamaicans to evacuate their citizens from Haiti to Jamaica then on to Canada. But it has given us some well needed airlift in order to get both our relief supplies and government agency personnel along with being able to bring back our Jamaicans and Haitians with family in Jamaica," he said ....

Le Nouvelliste en Haiti on Jacmel airfield being closer to good to go (Google English version here):

Les Etats-Unis vont ouvrir d'ici mercredi une nouvelle piste d'atterrissage près de Port-au-Prince, pour faire face à l'afflux de trafic aérien humanitaire qui dépasse les capacités de l'aéroport de la capitale haïtienne, a indiqué mardi un officier américain.

"La première piste (supplémentaire) convenable entrera en activité dans les environs de (la ville de) Jacmel dans les prochaines 24 heures", a indiqué à la presse le général Daniel Allyn, chef adjoint de la force spéciale américaine en Haïti.

Elle permettra d'accueillir des livraisons d'avions de transport Hercules C-130 qui permettront de soutenir dans un premier temps les efforts des Canadiens dans le sud de Jacmel, ville située à environ 40 km au sud-est de Port-au-Prince ....

 

[vonGarvin]

From here:

Canada sending military field hospital to Haiti ​

Canada will deploy a military field hospital to Haiti with more than 100 staff, adding to Canadian medical resources already at work in the earthquake-stricken country.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says 1 Field Hospital out of Petawawa, Ont., will depart in the coming days for Leogane, at the epicentre of the Jan. 12 quake.

1 FSH, a bn of soldiers, 2 of Her Majesty's Canadian Ships, 6 Griffons, the DART.  I stand by my earlier assessment that HESTIA will last longer than 60 days.  Roto 2....er....Roto 1 (since we start counting at zero in the army for some un Godly reason...) should probably be ready to conduct a Relief in Place in 6 months or so?  And I'm certain that Canadians of Haitian descent ought to be brought on board, if for nothing else than to offer a sense of hope to the locals.  We had some PRes members primarily from Montreal's Haitian community with us in 04, and they were, for the most part, gold.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Well Tech I think you are right.... we just did a preliminary staff check the other night for Haiti.... no time lines but they did want to know what special quals we all had.....

Particulary Heavy Equipment and Water Supply......

 

[Nfld Sapper]

From the daily update OP HESTIA Update By The Honourable Peter Mackay, Minister Of National Defence

Further to this, I can tell you today that 1 Canadian Field Hospital, based in Petawawa, will be deploying in the coming days in Leogane, bringing needed health services expertise and resources to augment the medical care the CF is already providing to the Haitian population. The hospital will be established in an area where it will provide the maximum benefit to the local population. Medical personnel, including surgeons, specialists, medical and dental officers and nurses, will deploy over the coming days. They will bring urgently needed capabilities into the region including:

•1 Operating room with two Surgical teams

•2 Resuscitation beds

•2 Critical Care beds

•50 Intermediate and Minimal Care beds

In addition, the advance group has some laboratory capability, some Diagnostic Imaging capability, and is setting up its own power generating capability. The hospital includes more than 100 CF members, most of whom are medical personnel, along with administrative and technical support.

 

[HercFE]

There is no way a C17 will get into Jacmel, that runway is at the max limit for the Herc. In fact alot of stuff that is being brought in is going to have to stay there. There is a road at one end and buildings and rising terain at the other, so no way to exend it. Both ends have tall trees at the the treshold, some extra tall ones have been cut down now. The ramp can not not take the weight of the Herc so all unloading is done on the button of the runway, it is not un-unusal to have planes land over top of the Herc as it is being unloaded.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I'm.  Not.  Making.  This.  Up.

This, from Venezuela's national (government) TV network* (Google translated from Spanish):

Russian Northern Fleet said that the earthquake that devastated Haiti was the clear result of a test of the U.S. Navy through one of its weapons of earthquakes / They have developed a linear sequence diagram for the earthquakes which happened to be reported occurred at the same depth in Venezuela and Honduras

The Northern Fleet has been monitoring the movements and activities of United States Naval in the Caribbean since 2008 when the Americans announced their intention of restoring the Fourth Fleet had been dissolved in 1950, to which Russia responded a year later with a fleet led by the nuclear cruiser Peter the Great ", starting his first exercises in this region since the end of the Cold War.

Since the late 1970s, the U.S. has "made tremendous progress" state of its weapons of earthquakes and, according to these reports, now employs a technology devices using Pulse, Plasma Tesla Electromagnetic and Sonic along with "waves pump shock" ....

Now that that story's disappeared, the government TV station is softening its stance - the US could cause natural disasters (Spanish - GoogleEnglish):

Just 48 hours after the world began to learn about the terrible consequences created by the earthquake measuring 7.3 degrees on the Richter scale, registered in Haiti, and Barack Obama announced that 3 thousand 500 American soldiers would leave Haiti immediately provide "solidarity".

The tragedy drew expressions of Haiti's immediate cooperation from dozens of countries.  The small airport of Port collapsed, and the United States has direct control of the airport.

According to Roger Searle, professor of geophysics at the University of Durham (UK) Haiti's earthquake was 35 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.  The professor also compared the energy released by an earthquake in the Caribbean country with the explosion of half a million tons of TNT.

Without clutch, according to Searle's thesis, the energy released in an earthquake in Haiti is one hundredth of which exploded during the devastating tsunami in Banda Aceh called, in southern Asia.  No doubt the tsunami and its destructive power was a terrible impression on mankind.

Some readers will say, these phenomena are the result of pollution and destruction of the planet, others will say, earthquakes have always existed and are part of how our planet is made up, and others will ask only do these phenomena have natural causes or some power forward to continuing to occupy strategic areas behind a military plan empire of unimaginable proportions? ...

* - the original link no longer works, but the Google Cache link does for now, with PDF of Spanish and GoogEng versions attached here for good measure

 

[Dean22]

I'm.  Not.  Making.  This.  Up.

This, from Venezuela's national (government) TV network* (Google translated from Spanish):
Now that that story's disappeared, the government TV station is softening its stance - the US could cause natural disasters (Spanish - GoogleEnglish):
* - the original link no longer works, but the Google Cache link does for now, with PDF of Spanish and GoogEng versions attached here for good measure

This reminds me of the "Cobra Vortex"  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxmUuR8yn0c&feature=related

 

[40below]

I'm.  Not.  Making.  This.  Up.

I'm betting the Internet has already deployed a crack(pot) team of specialists to test for traces of thermite in the wreckage. Can't wait for the 'HAITI WAS AN INSIDE JOB!!' protest marches.

 

[observor 69]

Good stuff by CHRISTIE BLATCHFORD :

As patience with Afghanistan wanes, Haiti offers a feel-good opportunity

When the enormity of the earthquake in Haiti became clear, and the world's media had begun the rush to Port-au-Prince, an old Afghanistan hand I know wrote a mutual pal who is still in Kabul, working for a non-governmental organization.

"Poor Afghanistan," he said. "Another kick in the nuts."

I knew immediately what he meant. I've been thinking it myself for as long as I've been glued to CNN, watching Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

    .....................................................................

fragile infrastructure reduced to rubble.

Of course the West, including Canada, should help. Of course the West should be in it for the long haul.

But many of the things our political leaders and others are saying now about Haiti they were saying, eight years ago, about Afghanistan. And come next year, Canada is out of Afghanistan and so, oddly, are the Americans, who will be leaving not much after they have really arrived in force.

Monday, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for a summit on Haiti. Three days later, the London Conference on Afghanistan will start in England. Which event do you suppose will garner the attention? My vote goes to the country for which the world had the fundraising concerts last night.

Afghans themselves are as deserving as they were in 2002. They are still poor, still suffering, still being willy-nilly blown up for the crime of going to market, still scratching out a living using biblical-age farm implements, still heart-achingly resilient despite all that. Their children are still cute, as cute as they were when one of them made the cover of National Geographic, and in many ways still doomed.

But in the West, as the modern parlance has it, we have so moved on: Haiti is hot, Afghanistan is not.



Complete article at G&M

 

[ballz]

Christie Blatchford is such a gem. It's too bad she represents a small fraction of the media.

 

[blacktriangle]

An excellent article, thank you for sharing it.

 

[old medic]

Canadian soldiers swarmed by desperate Haitians demanding food
By Sheldon Alberts
Canwest News Service
24 January 2010

copy at : http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2479905

LEOGANE, Haiti -- A crowd of about 2,000 hungry Haitians rushed a food distribution point where Canadian soldiers were providing security on Sunday as homeless residents grow increasingly desperate for post-earthquake relief.

Two platoons from the Royal 22nd Regiment were swarmed moments after aid workers finished handing out 2,400 boxes of food from the back of a tractor-trailer parked in a cow pasture in this coastal city, about 30 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince.

The chaotic scene unfolded just as the emptied truck departed a small area of the pasture enclosed by a two-metre cinder block wall. Men, women and children alike ran shouting toward the opening. Several people scaled the wall before the Van Doos quickly formed a crowd control line that prevented the situation from turning violent.

The incident is becoming ever more typical at dozens of food distribution spots around Haiti where many earthquake victims have now waited 12 days for official aid to arrive.

The United Nations World Food Program reported that it had to limit some distribution after two of its relief convoys were attacked on Friday.

In Leogane, a group of about 20 UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were overwhelmed by about 3,000 people when they tried to deliver food at the local soccer stadium that has become a tent city for the displaced.

"We've been the lucky ones who have been able to complete the delivery," said Maj. Frederic Pruneau, 32, of Asbestos, Que. "Most of the time they have to close the truck and leave because the crowd is too massive."

An estimated 80% of Leogane's buildings were either completely destroyed or badly damaged in the Jan. 12 earthquake. Not only are a growing number of residents hungry, there is a health crisis too.

At a small field hospital run by a Canadian Medical Assistance Teams unit, doctors have performed dozens of amputations over the past week, said Bill Coltart, one of the group's directors.

"We have had to amputate some feet -- a lot of below-the-knee amputations. We have had to amputate some hands," said Coltart. "It has been a very emotional time."

More than 200 Van Doos have been on the ground in Leogane now for several days, primarily helping with food distribution, doing small foot patrols and evacuating Canadian citizens.

After learning that the tiny Sri Lankan contingent had been overrun at the soccer stadium, the Canadians deployed about 70 soldiers to the distribution point on Sunday.

For most of the two-hour delivery, the crowd was calm and almost joyful -- the word most commonly heard was "merci."

There was periodic pushing and soldiers were forced on a few occasions to push back to keep people behind a thin line of tape used for crowd control.

"The people in front are very quiet. They know they will get food," said Pruneau. "But it's the 200 in the back who are pushing the 200 in the front."

Local community leaders had given out 2,300 tickets for a box of food containing rice, beans, corn, wheat flour, sugar and cooking oil. Women were placed at the front of the line.

"We serve the women first. The females are much better at looking after the food once they receive it than the men do," said German government official Eberhard Halbach, who was responsible for the delivery.

We are trying to stabilize this community. But people are still in a state of shock," Halbach said. "They have to rethink how to organize their lives. At least they have a little food to get their strength back to organize their lives. They lost everything."

Andrea Le Jean, 80, walked for 30 minutes from a nearby tent city to receive the provision, intended to feed one person for 10 days.

"My legs are tired. I am hungry," said Le Jean, who walked with the aid of her granddaughter. "There has not been much food."

International relief agencies are struggling with a variety of problems in distributing food and water, beginning from choosing where to provide help in a nation where nearly everyone needs it.

Halbach, the German government official, said he had an urgent request for food at a Christian mission about five kilometres from Leogane where 1,200 Haitians were said to have had nothing to eat since the earthquake. He had to make the difficult decision between unloading his full 2,400-box load in Leogane, and saving some for the other community.

"It is a hard choice, I know, but what can we do? In this situation we have to serve as many people as possible," he said.

Josua Cesar, a 27-year-old community organizer in Leogane, said demand for food continued to far outstrip supply even though there has been food distribution each day for several days.

"In Haiti, the families are huge. They need a lot of food to feed 10 people. It is good, but it's not enough."

By giving out tickets to women, organizers of Sunday's food distribution hoped to limit the size of the crowd. But over the two hours of the delivery, word quickly spread through the surrounding neighbourhood and the crowd swelled.

"Some people are coming back more than once, so we opened it up to men as well," said Cesar.

Several of the Van Doos now in Haiti had only recently returned from a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan when the earthquake hit and parts of the regiment were deployed again.

Capt. David Lacombe, 24, volunteered for the Haiti mission, which could last several months.

"When they are in the line, they are kind of angry, because they are tired of waiting. But as soon as they get their food, the tension goes away," said Lacombe, of Granby, Que.

"I am happy to be here, because here there is not the same danger as in Afghanistan," Lacombe said. "In Afghanistan, it was a bit more stressful area. When we were in the middle of town there, we were watching for a threat. When we are in the middle of town here, we are looking for people to help."

An estimated 200,000 people died in the Sept. 12 earthquake. It's thought as many as three millions Haitians have been injured or left without homes.

 

[ballz]

Sounds like a job well done by the Van Doos in what could have become a hairy situation if not handled properly. Kudos to all involved.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

CFB Gagetown personnel deploy to Haiti

Personnel from 4 Engineer Support Regiment prepared this MTVE for transport January 19, 2010, to support humanitarian relief work in Haiti.

Monday, January 25, 2010

CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick - In response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti January 12,  the Canadian Forces (CF) is conducting Operation HESTIA.

Army personnel from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown, located in Oromocto, New Brunswick, are also meeting the challenge with a contribution of their own.

Significant contribution
A total of 61 personnel from Gagetown have been sent to Haiti so far, with more on standby. In addition, two aircraft and one support vehicle have been added to the relief efforts. This is a significant contribution considering the operational tempo of the base and the Army in general.

Dedicated, professional troops
Two helicopters from 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron were flown down with full crews (i.e. six personnel in total) to help deliver aid. The bulk of the contribution from CFB Gagetown came from 4 Engineer Support Regiment in the form of a Mechanized Tracked Vehicle Engineer Mobile Tactical Vehicle Engineer (MTVE) and 42 personnel.

"CFB Gagetown has mobilized its resources as quickly and efficiently as possible," said Major Mike Gallant, G3 Ops and Training, 3 Area Support Group. "The dedication and professionalism our people approached this task with will contribute greatly to the success of the CF troops on the ground in Haiti."

Highly coordinated effort
"The Canadian Forces is rapidly engaged and responding to the recent earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 12, through a highly coordinated humanitarian relief mission," said Brigadier-General David Neasmith, Land Force Atlantic Area Commander.

"Our professional and dedicated members from the Canadian Army in Atlantic Canada are working tirelessly at home and in Haiti to provide essential assistance to the victims of this disaster."

Nine members from 4 Air Defence Regiment were deployed as part of an Airspace Co-ordination Cell to ensure airspace safety for land and air users in support of the relief effort. Additionally, the Military Police have deployed one of its officers to help with security.

One doctor and a senior medical technician from 42 Health Services were also sent to Haiti to work alongside other medical personnel deployed with the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and in co-ordination with non-governmental organizations to provide critically needed medical attention to the victims of the disaster.

Whole-of-government approach
Canada has adopted a whole-of-government engagement with Haiti that includes the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the CF, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Correctional Service of Canada and the RCMP.

The CF has committed the following assets to support the Haiti humanitarian assistance effort:

•the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), including engineering, medical, logistical, and defence and security personnel;
•a naval Task Force, made up of a destroyer, a frigate and a CH-124 Sea King helicopter;
•six CH-146 Griffon helicopters;
•one light infantry battalion, standing by to deploy;
•one CC-177 Globemaster
•one CC-130 Hercules airlift support;
•medical facilities; and
•four water purification systems, including three NOMAD sand-water systems and one reverse osmosis water purification unit (ROWPU), an advanced water treatment system capable of purifying any water source found in the world including fresh, brackish or seawater. Its clean water production capacity is over 139,000 gallons per day.

The Army's contribution to relief efforts in Haiti represents its fourth significant and simultaneous deployment of troops contributing to international and domestic security and humanitarian efforts.

Article by Lieutenant Ian McIntyre, Public Affairs Officer

Project Number: 10-0085


Pretty bad even ARMY NEWS can't get the name of the MTVE right..... :

 

[old medic]

German official commends Canada's aid in Haiti
By Jean-Francois Racine, QMI Agency
26 Jan 2010
http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/haiti/2010/01/26/12624231-qmi.html

LEOGANE, Haiti - A high-ranking German official in Haiti on Tuesday commended the exemplary work being done jointly by Canadian soldiers and Sri Lanka's army to help the devastated country.

Unlike Monday, when several acts of brutality were committed by UN soldiers near the Commissariat de Cite Soleil, the distribution of food supplies was done in a calm atmosphere, without any apparent tension on Tuesday. There was no violence and the population of Leogane, which was 90% destroyed by the quake, seemed to appreciate the Canadian presence in their village.

The crowd waited patiently for rations provided by Germany. The conversations happening in French seemed to comfort the people, whom remain miserable. The provisions entered the country through Santo Domingo and were sent to Port-au-Prince by container ship.

"The Canadians are our friends," said Jean-Louis, who lives in the Leogane area. "They're coming to help us. There are men who have nothing to eat, nothing to drink. The Canadians have to bring us food. No matter how, we can't stay like this. I'm eating bananas, but to bring things to my home, I'm finding nothing. There is a lot of suffering here."

The man only offered one bit of criticism.

"At the end, the poor often have nothing," he said. "The rich take it all."

A German official said he was shocked by an image of a UN soldier brandishing a stick over his head in a threatening manner.

"It's really upsetting to see that," said Christoph Burk of the company GTZ. "This isn't our case. We are very happy to see that there isn't this type of thing here. We thank the Canadian and Sri Lankan troops for their professionalism. Their work is exemplary."

Frederic Pruneau, a soldier from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, located 25 km north of Quebec City, says speaking the same language helps.

"We haven't seen Haitians losing it over food. Being able to speak French is very important. We can explain to the crowds how it works. That facilitates the operations and solves a lot of problems."

In small groups, the soldiers gave each person six pounds of rice, two pounds of beans, a half-pound of sugar and a half-pound of vegetable oil. With this, families should be able to eat three times per day for about a week. Unless, of course, they are robbed.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from AFP:

Haiti's Jacmel airfield has been cleared of debris by Canadian troops and opened to air traffic two weeks after a devastating quake, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Wednesday.

"With the consent of the Haitian government the Jacmel airport has been put back in service by the Canadian Forces to allow for the delivery of relief supplies to the region and to reduce the amount of congestion currently being experienced at the Port-au-Prince airport," MacKay told a briefing.

"Both planes and helicopters are now able to land at the Jacmel airport with a total of 64 aircraft movements yesterday alone," MacKay told a briefing.

At least two Canadian military C-130 Hercules aircrafts are scheduled to land there daily. The United States, France and the United Nations have also been cleared to land planes at the airstrip, which was cleared of trees ....

 

[old medic]

CNN did a good video on the airstrip two days ago.  I can't find the video, but here is the transcript;

http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1001/25/ampr.01.html

CNN'S AMANPOUR

Christiane Travels to the Southern Haitian Town of Jacmel

Aired January 25, 2010 - 15:00:00  ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:10]

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, as foreign ministers meet in Canada to map out strategy for Haiti, we go to a badly damaged town on the southern coast that could be a cornerstone for recovery.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour. Welcome to our program, live from Haiti.

Almost two weeks after the earthquake, we're seeing the first pictures now inside the ruins of the presidential palace, while the government continues to face questions about its legitimacy. At the flattened Montana Hotel, Mexican rescue workers are still searching for survivors, even though the official rescue operation has been called off.

And as many victims are being buried in mass graves, the difficult task of disposing of bodies continues. The U.N. is paying people $3 a day to go and collect bodies from the rubble, and some private citizens are even having to bring body bags. Some bodies are having to be burned right where they land.

And nearly 2,000 miles away, in Montreal, Canada, foreign ministers today are discussing the country's long-term future. The Haitian prime minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, there said that the aid effort has only just begun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-MAX BELLERIVE, HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I can simply tell you that the population is in need of more and more and more to confront the massive task of reconstruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: As Canada hosts the reconstruction conference, the Canadian military is leading the aid effort in the Haitian town of Jacmel. It was severely damaged in the earthquake, and it's separated from the capital, Port-au-Prince, by a mountain range. And because of the landslides, aid couldn't get there by road.

But we just traveled there to see how the Canadians are managing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Jacmel's tiny airport -- just a landing strip, really -- is suddenly the logistical hub for the international airlift to southern Haiti. The Canadian air force has been running it since last week, bringing in French rescue helicopters, supplies from the U.S. Navy, and even squeezing in the old Hercules workhouse, bouncing to a hard halt on the short runway.

MAJOR KEVIN SKIRROW, CANADIAN AIR FORCE: We have 330 feet for them to come in, but all of our air crew pilots are very highly trained.

AMANPOUR: Major Kevin Skirrow's in charge here. Their best day saw in 80 flights.

(on-screen): How difficult is it, getting big aircraft like this behind you in?

SKIRROW: How difficult?

AMANPOUR: Yeah.

SKIRROW: We were -- we were able to clear out some trees. We had some permission from the local authorities to clear the approach path.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Once down, water, food, medical supplies are offloaded, yes, and even checked by a Haitian customs official, and then aided by Haitian boy scouts, put on trucks, and driven here to the house of American evangelical group Joy in Hope.

Michael Regal (ph) explains they're trying to speed these basic supplies to the people: military rations, MREs from the U.S. Navy, and water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got about 5,000 gallons of drinkable, potable water right now. And we've emptied this room twice.

AMANPOUR: Nearby, trucks from the U.N.'s World Food Programme deliver rations to a tent city that sprung up in Jacmel's soccer stadium. Women wait with their babies for high protein powder.

While back at the jetty, the Canadian army has set up a small emergency medical clinic in the shadow of destroyed buildings. Now they've seen the scale of the disaster here, they're already ramping up their presence.

L. COL. BRUCE EWING, COMMANDER, CANADIAN FORCES, JACMEL: So instead of about 200 personnel, we're sending in up to 2,000, with a lot of them going up to Leogan (ph), where it was the epicenter of the -- the earthquake.

AMANPOUR: Today, a Canadian reverse osmosis water purification system is set up at the jetty, and the Canadian ship Halifax patrols Jacmel's coast. But it is this Caribbean coast and beautiful beaches that hold the most hope for the future, this unique 19th century architecture, and Jacmel's status as Haiti's cultural capital that the people and the government already hope to rebuild into a thriving tourist destination so that, in the future, it's paragliders and not army helicopters that will be flying from these beaches and pleasure yachts, not relief-laden warships, that will be docking at the jetty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)