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US activates Coast Guard reservists for Haiti
Washington (AFP) Jan 19, 2010 Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday called up to 900 US Coast Guard reservists to duty to serve in Haiti following the devastating January 12 earthquake. President Barack Obama on Sunday issued an executive order authorizing the mobilization of military reserves to help quake-hit Haiti, particularly medical staff to work on hospital ships and Coast Guard staff to secure the ports. The United States, already stretched fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is deploying thousands of troops to Haiti. "Activating our reserve Coast Guard forces will expand our capacity to assist in aid efforts in Haiti," Napolitano said in a statement. The reservists "will join the thousands of US and international personnel already working together on humanitarian and recovery efforts in response to this tragedy," she said. The reservists will be added to the more than 500 US Coast Guard personnel already serving in Haiti, Napolitano said. Five Coast Guard cutters and several aircraft are in Haiti providing port security and air traffic control support, as well as conducting damage assessments, delivering supplies, rescuing people and providing medical support, the DHS said in a statement. Napolitano authorized Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen to activate the reservists for up to 180 days for duty in Haiti. More than 100 of the reservists, expected to arrive within 96 hours of being activated, will be sent to strengthen port security operations in Port Au Prince, the DHS said.
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Haiti security surge grows as looters lay waste to cityPort-Au-Prince (AFP) Jan 18, 2010 US Marines surged in to help the Haiti relief effort on Monday, but lawlessness pervaded with looters raiding shops in the quake-hit capital as rescue workers struggled to save lives and stave off disease. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon requested 3,500 more troops and police to boost his battered mission that had been trying to bring stability to the dysfunctional Caribbean state even before disaster struck. Six days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake brought devastation on an unprecedented scale, the massive international relief effort spearheaded by the US military was still failing to bring security to a despairing populace. ... read more |
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