LONDON (AlertNet) - Fuel shortages, limited capacity at Haiti's main airport and damage to the port and roads are slowing the delivery of vital aid to survivors of last week's devastating earthquake, relief workers said on Monday.
Countries from around the world have flown or trucked aid into the Caribbean nation but the scale of the disaster and inadequate coordination means hundreds of thousands of Haitians are going hungry and wounds are not being treated in time.
Following are some of the challenges facing the international aid effort:
AIRPORT
The U.S. military has taken over Port-au-Prince's international airport but the airport only has one runway and standing room for 18 aircraft at a time. Incoming planes must carry enough fuel to circle the airport for an hour and reach another airport if necessary.
Medical charity Merlin said improved coordination at the airport meant the maximum number of planes could now land and unload their cargo but other organisations complained the U.S. military had turned away planeloads of vital supplies, prioritising American aircraft and troops.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said planes carrying essential drugs, equipment and medical staff were rerouted by the U.S. military, resulting in delays in vital operations for hundreds of victims of the earthquake. The U.S. military has been prioritising landings, bringing in thousands of U.S. troops and supplies.
"Five of our planes were refused landing and had to go to Santo Domingo, so we had 48 hours of additional delays to our operations," Benoit Leduc, MSF Operations Manager, told journalists on a conference call from Port-au-Prince. "We are frustrated as doctors who have patients with structures, drugs or equipment to perform the operations they need. We are two days behind."
An MSF inflatable surgical hospital is now on its way to Haiti from the Dominican Republic by road, a journey of 12 to 18 hours by road. Leduc said the aid operation was inefficient and it was not clear who was in charge of coordination.
Some World Food Programme planes were also turned away late last week but managed to land at the weekend. "There has been some difficulty at the airport and with both sea and road access too," said Caroline Hurford, WFP spokesperson in London.
Airports in the Dominican Republic are receiving aid flights but the main airport in Santo Domingo is also becoming congested.
FUEL
The fuel shortage is one of the main challenges for relief workers and the U.S. military. Fuel is needed to generate electricity for communications, hospitals, cooking and lighting as well as for transport.
The WFP is planning to move 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel a day from the Dominican Republican to Port-au-Prince to meet high levels of demand following the depletion of existing fuel supplies in the capital.
"The fuel situation is pretty dire right now," said the WFP's Hurford.
"Fuel is a real issue. Hospitals are running on generators day and night," said MSF's Leduc. MSF had fuel stocks already in the country but they are running short, he said.
Loris de Filippi, an MSF nurse also in Port-au-Prince, described a tense situation at the airport earlier on Monday where crowds queued for fuel and gun shots were fired into the air.
There are queues at petrol stations around the capital and other petrol stations are closed, aid workers said.
PORT
Haiti's main port is not functioning due to damage caused by the earthquake to the docks and loading cranes, said Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson for OCHA, the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Assessments are being carried out on the port. Cap Haitien port is operable although has limited capacity and ships are also being sent to the port in Santo Domingo.
ROADS
The main road connecting Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince is open but is hugely congested with vehicles carrying aid into the country and transporting fleeing Haitians out. It can take up to 18 hours to make the journey between the two capitals, according to OCHA.
"Road links are being established Â? importantly the road between Port au Prince and the Dominican Republic is still working and is now a major artery for the delivery of aid," said Merlin in a statement.
SECURITY
Armed looting has broken out in parts of the capital. The U.S. is sending in more troops to protect supplies and the relief operation.
Looters have swarmed smashed shops in downtown Port-au-Prince, fighting each other with knives, hammers, ice-picks and rocks while police tried to disperse them with gunfire. At least two suspected looters were shot dead on Sunday, witnesses said. Heavily armed gang members have returned to the Cite Soleil shantytown since breaking out from prison after the quake.
"Of course violence is increasing. Yesterday, we saw people with gunshot and other wounds, so apart from the problems related to the earthquake, there are additional problems," said MSF's de Filippi.
Leduc said people were very tense, in shock and getting frustrated because of problems with aid distribution and the lack of fuel.
(additional reporting by James Kilner)
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