Finding home

PORT-AU-PRINCE-The Haitian government has called off the search-and-rescue effort in Port-au-Prince, saying little hope remains of finding survivors 11 days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake flattened large portions of the nation's capital.

But as of Friday afternoon, large swaths of the capital appeared untouched, with only a handful of earthmoving machines visible during a drive through the streets of Port-au-Prince. Massive piles of concrete rubble appeared frozen in the places they fell during last week's earthquake. In some spots, handfuls of men with only shovels and wheelbarrows began clearing away two-stories' worth of concrete into packed streets. Others stood on the precarious second floors of exposed homes, pounding the broken remains with sledgehammers.

Some Haitians believe survivors might remain trapped, especially after workers pulled two people alive from the rubble yesterday. If the last of survivors have died, one thing is certain: scores of bodies remain. Outside one large building downtown, some Haitians had marked the unexpected grave of those entombed inside. Scrawled on the concrete wall were the words: "Please help. Lots of bodies inside."

As Haitian officials consider how to clear the massive damage in Port-au-Prince and beyond, they are also making plans for more immediate needs: providing better shelter for hundreds of thousands of Haitians baking in tent cities with mounting sanitation woes. That miserable situation may begin to improve next week: At a meeting Saturday morning of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at a UN building in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian government approved The Salvation Army as one of the first groups to officially provide shelter supplies and other aid at a set location in the city-the beginnings of formal camps. The UN is making plans to open several more camps in conjunction with the Haitian government to shelter as many as 400,000.

Haitian officials are asking NGO workers who want to provide ongoing help to a set population to apply to the government with specific details: the exact location (including GPS coordinates), the number of people already squatting in the area, and the aid planned. Haitian officials will then decide if they approve of a camp on that plot of land.

Early signs indicate that process could work quickly. According to information provided by the UN at the Saturday morning meeting, Haitian officials approved The Salvation Army's request within 48 hours.

Haitian officials are asking NGOs to inquire about another important detail with homeless populations: Is your home habitable? Though many homes are destroyed or clearly unstable, others appear they might be safe. But Haitians are afraid to return to buildings they think might be damaged, and remain camped outside seemingly intact homes.

Engineers like Scott Powell of the non-profit Engineering Ministries International can provide an assessment in just a few minutes. On a recent afternoon, Powell walked the perimeter and interior of a pastor's home in Petit-Goave, a hard-hit town southwest of the capital. Within 15 minutes, he told the fearful family that the structure was safe to inhabit. He hopes more engineers can provide such assessments, and give some Haitians what others will likely go long without: a home.

Related coverage:

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