• According to updates from the Department of Health & Human Services and Department of Homeland Security today, there has not been any change in the Haitian government's willingness to allow government or private organizations to assist with mortuary management. NFDA remains in close communication with the U.S. federal government and will be among the first in the mass-casualty response community to be notified when new information becomes available
• One of the U.S. government's concerns related to mortuary management involves American citizens who died because of the earthquake on January 12. There is a desire to secure the bodies of those who died and bring them back to the United States as soon as possible. Also, given the reports of the Haitian government's use of mass graves, there is tremendous concern that U.S. citizens or individuals who hold dual American/Haitian citizenship are being placed in these mass graves.

• With respect to American citizens, this morning the State Department confirmed that 35 U.S. citizens have died. Officials with the Department of Defense (DOD) informed NFDA late yesterday that Mortuary Affairs staff members have arrived in Haiti; additional DOD Mortuary Affairs personnel are on the way. A collection site for the remains of U.S. citizens that have been identified has been set up at the Port-au-Prince airport. DOD Mortuary Affairs is securing the necessary supplies – ice, refrigeration units and transfer cases – for the repatriation of the remains of U.S. citizens.

• As noted on January 19, the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees all military activities in South America and Central America, informed NFDA that the remains of all identified citizens will be sent to the Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for processing. The details and logistics concerning how the remains of U.S. citizens will be brought from Haiti to Dover and processed have not been released, however. NFDA is participating in conversations about this process and will be notified by SOUTHCOM when plans are finalized and when we might expect to begin repatriating citizens who died in the earthquake.

The U.S. Humanitarian Response

NFDA staff members have participated in conference calls hosted by, and receiving briefings from, a variety of federal agencies responding to the earthquake. Here are a few insights into the tremendous humanitarian response by the federal government:

• The Department of State reports 6,095 American citizens have been evacuated from Haiti.
• More than 13,300 U.S. military personnel are on the ground in Haiti, along with 20 Navy and Coast Guard ships and 51 helicopters.
• The USNS Comfort, a 1,000-bed hospital ship, arrived on January 20 in Port-au-Prince and is receiving patients by helicopter. In addition, the USS Bataan, a 400-bed hospital ship, and the USS Carl Vinson, a 200-bed hospital ship, are being used to treat the injured.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and one International Medical Surgical Team are fully operational in Haiti and have treated more than 5,290 patients.
• The American Red Cross reports eleven Emergency Response Units are operational, delivering medical care, clean water, logistics and telecommunications support. Approximately 100 tons of Red Cross aid has arrived in Haiti. The International Federation of the Red Cross has field hospitals, base camps, kitchen sets, generators, shelter kits and transportation assets ready to move into Port-au-Prince for deployment in the city and surrounding areas. Red Cross teams are focused on purifying the water supply available in the country and expect to deliver clean drinking water to 200,000 to 400,000 people each day by truck.
• The National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC) reports:
  • Electric power plants appear to be largely undamaged.
  • Cell phone reliability is improving and is assessed at 70% operational and land lines are at 10%.
  • 30 out of 40 FM radio stations are operational; two TV stations are operational.