GEOS Crisis Management Platform
Earthquake in Port-au-Prince (Haiti)

Following the earthquake that devastated Haiti last week, GEOS has activated its crisis management platform to provide assistance to our clients on-site and to victims who require emergency evacuation.

GEOS personnel on the ground in Haiti deliver reliable, professional personal security and asset protection services : localization services, security escort, journey management, protection of individuals during their stay on the island, and evacuation services. GEOS on-site has the support of local residents and correspondents with perfect knowledge of the country.

Chronic shortages of fuel, food, water and electricity are major causes of unrest, resulting in price hikes.

Communications are virtually impossible except with 3G mobile phones. Security firms on site have been severely impacted with damage to property and destruction of equipment.

Air traffic control is difficult with the huge influx of international aircraft (humanitarian relief, military planes). The bottleneck at the airport has resulted in major restrictions to the airport landing strips.

Security situation 29 January 2010

GTS Alert, Haiti: General elections

Yesterday, Haiti’s President René Préval announced that legislative elections slated for Feb. 28, 2010, will be postponed.

Given the scale of the humanitarian disaster caused by the devastating earthquake that struck on 12 January last killing an estimated 150,000 people and causing widespread destruction, the electoral campaign that should have started tomorrow has been cancelled « for obvious reasons ». Most of the polling booths of the Electoral Council were destroyed in the earthquake and some members of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) who worked with the Electoral Commission were killed in the earthquake. In addition, most of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure has been badly damaged, making it impossible to hold the elections. Though it is obvious that the political system of the country is paralyzed, the Haitian population is beginning to criticize the political vacuum given the fact that President René Préval has yet to address the nation. Against this backdrop, discontent among the country’s citizens may grow and lead to demonstrations over the coming weeks.

Security situation 27 January 2010

GTS Alert, Haiti: Situation Report

Insecurity persists in Haiti despite the international relief effort.

Since the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 Jan, a further fifty aftershocks have rocked the country causing more panic and fear among the local population. The Haitian government has reported more than 150,000 deaths since the earthquake, though this figure does not include the numbers of bodies yet to be found by rescue workers. Haitian President René Préval has yet to address his fellow citizens directly, but he has encouraged locals to leave for towns less affected by the earthquake. Consequently, almost 100,000 Haitians have already fled Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, moving south-west and to the north of the country, travelling in free buses laid on by the government. However, a large number of Haitians have been forced to remain in the capital, due to a lack of money or because they have no relatives outside the city. Many have set up camp in Champ-de-Mars Park in the heart of the city. Food riots are frequent. Last Monday, clashes broke out between locals and United Nations security forces as foodstuffs were being distributed in front of the ruined presidential palace. UN troops tried to control the crowd by firing shots into the air but were unsuccessful. There could be fresh violence given the logistical difficulties that is hampering the distribution of international aid. Moreover, the lack of housing is causing even greater hardship for survivors and is a further cause for violence. According to the United Nations, there are 600,000 homeless people in the city of Port-au-Prince despite the 447 tent cities established by international relief workers. President René Préval has called on the international community to provide a further 200,000 tents needed before the expected start of the rainy season in April and the hurricane season in June. Meanwhile, the speed with which the reconstruction effort in Haiti begins is a crucial one for the country and its inhabitants. Haiti’s Prime Minister, Jean-Jacques Bellerive, and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, have firmly denied claims that the US government is looking to occupy the country by taking control of the reconstruction effort and deploying large numbers of US troops there. Despite the Haitian government’s declaration of intention, international donors appear unsure about the capacity of the government to lead the efforts to rebuild the country that has been reduced to ruins.

Security situation - january 20

Tuesday, Jan 20, a severe aftershock struck Haiti causing widespread panic among the populationone week after the earthquake that caused between 100,000 and 200,000 fatalities. This latest catastrophe has led to further security fears in the country.

GEOS Analysis

The UN has established 447 tent cities on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince in an effort to rehouse 500,000 earthquake survivors. The majority of the population are steering clear of buildings and infrastructure as they fear a repeat of the earthquake. The latest and severe aftershock caused panic among the Haitian population and further lawlessness and rioting is being reported.

Moreover, despite the large numbers of international relief workers on the ground, living conditions for the Haitian people remain precarious on account of logistical difficulties affecting the transportation of supplies. Though work has begun to clear the country’s main roads, roadways to smaller cities and towns remain impassible. This explains why large numbers of Haitians have still not received international aid.

Looting of shops and outbreaks of violence among the local population continue. Rioting broke out among an assembly of Haitian nationals looking for work outside the UN headquarters. The security situation in Haiti remains highly unstable despite the large numbers of international security forces on the ground, and the fact that the United States plans to deploy a further 4,000 troops on Sunday, Jan 24, bringing the number of US troops participating in the rescue effort in Haiti to 15,000. The decision by Washington to deploy more troops was strongly criticized by President Chavez of Venezuela and his Bolvian counterpart President Morales who accuse the United States of seeking to occupy Haiti.

Travel to Haiti

• Inform relatives and your company/organization before your departure
• Only travel to Haiti, including for humanitarian relief work, as part of an official organization
• Contact the authorities (embassy, UN) to know the zones to avoid and to facilitate localization
• Exercise caution with regard to health risks (spread of diphtheria). Make sure that you are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.

On site

• Check that access control measures for local personnel and professional staff are functioning properly
• Inform your superiors before making any journey
• Do not travel by night
• Exercise caution on the border between Dominican Republic and Haiti
• Companies should not count on local emergency services which will be swamped over the next weeks.
• Personnel non-essential for business continuity should be repatriated to the Dominican Republic, at least temporarily. They can return home from there.
• Evacuations must be planned. Companies called on to provide evacuation services must be seasoned professionals. Be aware that individuals may attempt to profit from the situation and propose services that they do not have the operational expertise to perform.
• Hire local drivers who are used to driving on damaged road surfaces.
• Driving includes additional risks, such as electrocution from fallen electricity lines and collapsed buildings, severe road damage, stagnant water.
• Aftershocks may occur and could prove severe.

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