Haiti: Operation HESTIA
Source: Government of Canada
Date: 14 Jan 2010
Operation HESTIA is the Canadian Forces participation in humanitarian operations conducted in response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 12 January 2010.
Op HESTIA is the military component of a whole-of-government response that also involves Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency. For details of the non-military elements of the Canadian effort, visit the Earthquake in Haiti page on the DFAIT website.
The mission
At 16:53:09 hours local time (21:53:09 UTC) on 12 January 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake measured at 7.3 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the earthquake was located about 15 km from the centre of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 10 km. Significant aftershocks followed, including at least 12 having magnitudes between 5.0 and 5.9. The island of Hispaniola has not experienced such a severe earthquake since 1751.
The tremor damaged or destroyed most of the important buildings in Port-au-Prince, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly, the National Penitentiary, most of the city's hospitals, and the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Fortunately, the MINUSTAH logistics base was spared. Basic services such as water and electricity collapsed almost entirely, and all surviving health care facilities were flooded with the injured. According to Red Cross estimates, some 3 million people — one third of Haiti's population — are affected by the quake.
The Humanitarian Operations Task Force
Commander: Brigadier-General Guy Laroche
The Humanitarian Operations Task Force (HOTF) deployed in Haiti under Operation HESTIA has a mandate to deliver a wide range of services in support of the Government of Haiti and the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
The HOTF includes the following Canadian Forces assets:
* A Naval Task Group from Halifax, Nova Scotia, under the command of Captain (Navy) Art McDonald, comprising:
o the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan (with a CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment); and
o the frigate HMCS Halifax;
* Two CH-146 Griffon helicopters;
* The lead element of the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART);
* An urban rescue and recovery team; and
* A Military Police detachment to support the Canadian Embassy.
The HOTF receives extensive support from 8 Wing Trenton, the home of transport squadrons flying the CC-130 Hercules tactical airlifter and the CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlifter.
Canadian operations in Haiti
*
Operation HORATIO World Food Programme, September 2008
* Haiti 2004-4 December 2004
* Haiti 2004-3 October 2004
* Haiti 2004-2 October 2004
* Haiti 2004-1 September 2004
*
Operation HAMLET United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), August 2004–present
*
Operation HALO MINUSTAH, March–August 2004
*
Operation HALO Multinational Interim Force, February–July 2004
* Haiti 1999 December 1999
*
Operation STANDARD June 1996–July 1997
*
Operation DIALOGUE January–December 1994
*
Operation CAULDRON September 1993–June 1996
*
Operation FORWARD ACTION October 1993–September 1994
* Haiti 1989 January–October 1989
*
Operation BANDIT January–February 1988
* Haiti 1963 May 1963
Two CIDA workers confirmed killed in Haiti quake
January 16, 2010
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The Canadian International Development Agency has confirmed that two of its staff died in the massive earthquake that has devastated Port-au-Prince, bringing the confirmed Canadian death toll to six.
The Canadian International Development Agency has confirmed that two of its staff died in the massive earthquake that has devastated Port-au-Prince, bringing the confirmed Canadian death toll to six.
CIDA employee Guillaume Siemienski and consultant Helene Rivard were both killed in the quake, Bev Oda, Canada's minister of international co-operation, said in a statement released on Saturday.
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Mr. Siemienski and Ms. Rivard," Oda said in the statement.
"They will be remembered for their long-standing commitment to development and to improving the lives of Haitians. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families."
Siemienski was a development officer at CIDA on assignment to the United Nations, who had been with CIDA since 1999. Rivard had worked with the organization for more than 20 years.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also released a statement after learning of the deaths of the two CIDA workers.
"Their deaths are a reminder of the sacrifice Canadian men and women like Siemienski and Rivard are willing to make in order to bring Canadian generosity and aid to Haiti and the world," he said.
"On behalf of all Canadians, Laureen and I would like to offer their families and friends our profound sympathies. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time."
Four other Canadians died as a result of the Jan. 12 disaster.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced Saturday morning that 1,362 other Canadians remain missing in the aftermath of the quake. Cannon also said 781 Canadians have been located in Haiti, 460 Canadians have been evacuated to Canada and 50 Canadians are taking shelter at the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
With files from The Canadian Press
Support for Haiti: Before and after the quake
January 16, 2010
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International donors have earmarked more than US$400 million for relief in Haiti after the massive Jan. 12 earthquake walloped its capital, leaving Port-au-Prince in chaos.
International donors have earmarked more than US$400 million for relief in Haiti after the massive Jan. 12 earthquake walloped its capital, leaving Port-au-Prince in chaos.
The Haitian capital saw its presidential palace destroyed in the 7.0-magnitude quake, the UN peacekeeping headquarters collapsed and 4,000 inmates escape from a prison that fell to the ground. An estimated 300,000 people are homeless and thousands of victims have been buried in mass graves. The international Red Cross believes the death toll could be as high as 50,000 by the time all of the bodies have been recovered.
For now, the focus of foreign investment is in keeping the people who survived the quake alive and well.
Pam Aung Thin, the national director the Canadian Red Cross, told CTV News Channel that her organization would use its donations -- which reached $10.9 million as of Friday afternoon -- to meet help meet the basic needs of the survivors.
"It goes for meeting the basic humanitarian needs of people following a disaster," Thin said during an interview from Ottawa on Friday afternoon.
"So, initial efforts are search-and-rescue and then we move to making sure that we provide shelter, food, clean water, blankets and making sure that people are supported that way."
Also Friday, World Vision said it had raised $2.5 million for relief in Haiti, and the Humanitarian Coalition -- made up of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec and Save the Children -- estimated it could provide $1.5 million in pledges. Another $750,000 was committed to UNICEF.
But Haiti, often described as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has long depended on aid from foreign governments, charities and private donors, well before Tuesday's massive quake.
The country of nine million has received billions from the UN, U.S., and other countries, including Canada, which is Haiti's second-largest bilateral donor. Only Afghanistan receives more Canadian dollars from Ottawa than Haiti does.
In general, the Canadian government has provided long-term development assistance to Haiti, a country with which it has held diplomatic relations since 1954.
Most recently, Canada committed $555 million to Haiti over a five-year period, according to figures posted to the Canadian International Development Agency website. The money is supposed to go towards building government institutions, improving access to basic services and to make social and economic improvements over the 2006-2011 period.
Private Canadian citizens have also been kind to Haiti, giving to a multitude of charities that target its people.
A search of Canada's online Charities Directorate finds 49 active charities with the word Haiti included in their name. Forty-six of these Canadian charities filed tax returns last year, a total declaring more than $7.9 million in the 2008 tax year.
In Washington, U.S. lawmakers have given at least $800 million to Haiti through the U.S. Agency for International Development in its 2004-2008 budget years.
At least $700 million more was pledged for Haiti by governments, international givers and charities at an April 2009 donors conference. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a United Nations special envoy to the country, told the U.N. Security Council in September that he was "100 percent committed to delivering tangible results to the U.N. and most importantly the people of Haiti."
And in the wake of Tuesday's disaster, U.S. President Obama pledged an "immediate" $100 million in aid, an investment that will is likely to be further buttressed by American taxpayers. That was on top of $100 million from the World Bank and a pledge from Canada to offer up to $50 million.
But even with all the money Haiti has received in the past, its people have still suffered.
The country's standard of living is dismal, with Haitian people typically living on less than $2 per day. Nearly half its population is illiterate and its government is unstable. Even before the devastating earthquake, few homes had safe drinking water, sewage disposal or electricity.
A Gallup survey conducted last December found that 60 per cent of respondents had times when they didn't have enough money to buy food in the last year. And 51 per cent of those surveyed said there were times when they couldn't afford shelter.
"Attention on Haiti is often focused in times of disaster but not necessarily in the long-term," said Rich Thorsten, director of international programs for Water.org, a charity working to provide safe drinking water and sewage treatment to Haitians. "Funding that has been available does not necessarily go toward basic infrastructure like water and sanitation."
The Haitian government doesn't use its own resources for sanitation, and instead depends on charities, Thorsten said. In addition, international groups often do not coordinate, and there are also problems with security, corruption and political stability, he said.
"It is very important to keep track of the spending, and so when we work with partner organizations we make sure they have detailed accounting systems," he said. Supplies must be guarded, he added.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
Relief aircraft clog Port-au-Prince airport
January 16, 2010
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CBC News
With food, water and other aid flowing into Haiti in earnest, relief groups are focused on moving supplies out of the capital's clogged airport to hungry, haggard earthquake survivors.
Canadians have joined search and rescue efforts. An Air Canada cargo plane left Montreal Saturday with doctors and supplies, including medicine and tents.
The relief flight to Port-au-Prince was carrying 100 search-and-rescue technicians from the Montreal Police Department, the Montreal Fire Department and Quebec Provincial Police.
The Boeing 767-300ER was to return to Montreal later in the day, but officials say that could prove difficult because of a bottleneck at the badly damaged airport in Port-au-Prince, which is under U.S. control.
The Canadian military says at least 800 troops from CFB Valcartier in Quebec are on standby for deployment to Haiti. An announcement confirming the size of the contingent was expected Saturday.
Meanwhile, two C-130 Hercules aircraft were to arrive at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport on Saturday, returning with Canadian evacuees. One of the planes was set to land at 11:55 a.m. ET. It's not known when the other aircraft will be able to take off from Haiti.
"It's an extremely small airport [in Port-au-Prince]. There are planes circling and those on the ground are having a tough time getting out of there. There's not enough personnel to get the planes off the ground," said the CBC's Kristin Falcao from the hotel where evacuees who are not injured will be debriefed by the Red Cross.
About 270 evacuees landed in Montreal early Friday. They were flown out of Haiti on Thursday on Canadian Forces flights. Most arrived with only the clothes they were wearing when the earthquake hit.
Officials now estimate as many as 200,000 people died in Tuesday's quake. Thousands remain buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Thousands of decaying bodies are lying unclaimed in the streets. Thousands more have been burned or buried in mass graves.
The United Nations says it's feeding 8,000 people daily. About 3 million people have no access to food, water, and shelter.
The Haitian Embassy in Ottawa is scrambling to get aid to Haiti. The embassy's Chargé d'Affaires, Nathalie Gissel-Menos, says every minute counts.
"People are hungry, they are thirsty, they are in pain and they are desperate. The more time it takes for help to arrive, the more difficult it will be, because then you are facing the possibility of riots," she told CBC News.
There are still few signs that any aid is reaching people in much of the city, four days after the quake, amid growing concern that the desperate - or the criminal - are taking things into their own hands.
A water delivery truck driver said he was attacked in one of the city's slums. There were reports of isolated looting as young men walked through downtown with machetes, and robbers reportedly shot one man, whose body was then left on the street.
On Friday night, a group of Belgian doctors and nurses left a field hospital over security concerns, CNN reported. The medical team returned Saturday morning.
With files from The Associated Press
1,415 Canadians missing in Haiti
January 16, 2010
Article Link
CBC News
More than 1,400 Canadians are missing in Haiti in the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating earthquake, Ottawa says.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay said 144 Canadian military personnel are now on the ground in Haiti, with more to come.
"The Canadian Forces have made good progress in establishing a footprint for staging search and rescue operations, relief efforts and aid delivery," MacKay said.
Canada may be preparing to send hundreds more military personnel to Haiti. The Canadian Press reported that 800 soldiers are on notice, but that they have not yet been given the nod to go by the federal government.
Four more flights were scheduled to arrive Friday, carrying rescue equipment, humanitarian supplies and additional RCMP and Canadian Forces members.
The longer-term plan is to send two big C-17 transports every day, with smaller C-130 Hercules aircraft making three flights every two days.
Two Canadian warships, HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax, are expected to arrive in four days or so with additional relief equipment.
6 Canadians known dead
Six Canadians have been confirmed dead since the 7.0-magnitude quake struck: Guillaume Siemienski and Hélène Rivard, both with the Canadian International Development Agency, RCMP Sgt. Mark Gallagher of Nova Scotia, nurse Yvonne Martin of Elmira, Ont., and Montreal university professor Georges Anglade and his wife, Mireille.
Cannon said 13 Canadians are listed as injured.
About 6,000 Canadian citizens live in Haiti, but Cannon said earlier this week that only 700 were registered with the embassy in Port-au-Prince before the quake.
Among the Canadians reported missing is Supt. Doug Coates, a Mountie based at the force's Ottawa headquarters, according to RCMP spokeswoman Patricia Flood.
United Nations spokeswoman Alexandra Duguay and UN worker Jean-Philippe Laberge were also among Canadians unaccounted for.
There is confusion around the fate of Serge Marcil, a former Liberal MP believed to have been located after being reported missing in Haiti.
There were reports Marcil was found and flown to Miami for medical treatment. It now appears the reports were premature, according to the office of Quebec Premier Jean Charest.
Marcil's wife, Christiane Pelchat, had rushed down to Florida to reunite with Marcil at the hospital.
"When she arrived she saw that he wasn't there," said Beatrice Farand, a spokeswoman for Pelchat, who is the president of Quebec's Status of Women group.
"It was then, at the same time, when she learned that there had been an error. She's shattered."
Charest's office said a UN worker in Port-au-Prince had mistakenly listed Marcil's name among the survivors. The UN has since issued a correction. Marcil's son works in Charest's office.
With files from The Canadian Press
