Aid Workers Try to Ramp Up Relief Efforts in Haiti
Food, water and medical supplies have not yet reached some survivors 12 days after a devastating earthquake killed more than 111,000 people
Last updated on: January 23, 2010 7:00 PM
International aid workers in Haiti are looking to speed up their relief efforts Sunday, after criticism that food, water and medical supplies have not yet reached survivors 12 days after a devastating earthquake.
Rajiv Shah, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told Reuters news agency the disaster is "unparalleled" and his organization is "never going to meet the need as quickly as we'd like."
Up to 1.5 million Haitians lost their homes in the earthquake.
Makeshift tent camps have sprung up across Port-au-Prince, the capital, where hurt and homeless people are living with little or no water, food, or sanitation.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reports the number of people leaving the capital and going to Haiti's interior is increasing.
The Haitian government called off search and rescue operations on Friday, but international rescue teams pulled a man from the rubble of a grocery store on Saturday in Port-au-Prince.
Organizers of an international telethon to aid Haiti say Friday's broadcast has raised more than $57 million. Actor George Clooney organized the "Hope for Haiti Now" which featured performances from Bruce Springsteen, Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean, and Stevie Wonder. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali also made an appearance.
Money raised from the telethon will support the work of various relief groups in Haiti.
The U.N. says the Haitian government has confirmed more than 111,000 deaths so far, though the final toll is expected to reach 200,000.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.