By LARA PICKFORD GORDON Tuesday, January 19 2010

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OFF TO BURIAL: A morgue attendant at the general hospital in Port-au-Prince throws the body of a child onto other bodies in preparation for the corpse...

AS A possible health crisis looms a week after the deadly magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, a Caricom Tactical Advance Party arrived in Haiti on Sunday to gather information and “establish logistical arrangements for the delivery of the Region’s Health Sector intervention”.

Caricom has identified the health sector as the focus of coordination of the regional intervention.

According to a situation report from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) based in Barbados, arrangements are being made to facilitate deployment of the Caricom Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU) into Haiti on Thursday.

It will comprise 31 members of CDEMA from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Communication has been ongoing with the Jamaican Defence Force (JDF) and Department of Civil Protection in Haiti.

Amateur (HAM) radio is the main source of communication. This is being monitored with support of the Barbados Amateur Radio Society, which is “keeping CDEMA updated on critical information as it emerges”.

PAHO/WHO, a CDEMA partner has reported that field hospitals have been established by a number of countries, some are operational including those from Israel and Russia. Turkey, France Indonesia and the US are also expected to set up field hospitals.

CDEMA said search and rescue efforts were being hampered by inaccessibility to areas, lack of heavy equipment and limited fuel supplies. The Haiti Ministry of the Interior, Department of Civil Protection has advised CDEMA of “many injuries, deaths and loss of homes are reported from Leogane (1,300 injured, 581 deaths), Petit Goave (2,000 injured), Grand Goave (3,000 injured, 14,000 homeless) and Gressier (80 percent of homes destroyed)”. There was an influx of people to Gonaive, San Marc and Jiman. Local hospitals were overwhelmed.

The TT Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) is coordinating the “collection nodes” which will collect relief supplies from different sectors of society. Adventist Disaster Relief Agency (coordinating relief from all agencies), United Way TT (co-ordinating relief supplies from all non-governmental organisations) and TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce (coordinating relief from all corporate entities), ODPM (coordinating relief supplies from government ministries and agencies). Relief supplies will be forwarded to sub-regional focal points in Jamaica (CDRU, for repackaging based on prioritisation) and Barbados (CDEMA will collect funds).

In a release on Sunday, ODPM said potable water, medical supplies, canned goods and other non-perishable items were most urgently needed in Haiti. It said CDEMA is the regional body responsible for coordination and management of disasters for the entire Caribbean.