Port-Au-Prince a city in chaos, hampering relief efforts

With most of its infrastructure in ruins, the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince has increasingly become a major obstacle to relief and recovery in the wake of the magnitude 7.0 Haiti earthquake that struck last week.

According to an Associated Press report, pockets of violence throughout the city are hindering efforts to improve delivery of relief supplies to its residents. With the police force shrunken from 4,000 to 1,500 officers and the national prison destroyed, setting inmates free, some local residents have formed vigilante groups in order to protect what possessions they still have.

Many survivors sleep in the streets or in tent cities that have sprung up in public squares, including one directly opposite the ruined National Palace. According to a CNN report, nearly half a million residents now live in makeshift outdoor quarters.

Other residents have chosen to head for the hills. The Haitian countryside, having fewer large or concrete structures, is in better shape than the capital, and a steady flow of evacuees from Port-au-Prince has commenced, though officials say there is not yet a mass exodus. Singer Wyclef Jean, however, has called for a complete evacuation of the city's 2 million residents to tent cities on its outskirts to expedite aid deliveries and cleanup of the city.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that an additional 2,000 UN troops and 1,500 UN police will be deployed to help the 3,000 UN soldiers and police currently deployed in Port-au-Prince maintain order.

Written by Sandy Smith
For HULIQ.com

Sources: AP, CNN, DimeWars blog

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