V. IMPT LOGISTICS UPDATE - Dom. Rep to be aid, cargo entry hub for Haiti

The UN Logistics Cluster group charged with coordination of the Haiti quake disaster response issued their daily situation report and it is important reading.

The report outlines how the Domican Republic -- notably Santo Domingo - will be the centralized hub for all cargo and aid traffic into Haiti, while the Port-au-Prince airport has "diminished capacity" given the overflow of air craft seeking to use its airspace now.

According to the plan, a field office and transit hub will be set up at the Jimani border and all cargo and relief aid group bringing supplies into Haiti are recommended to pass through Santo Domingo - further logistics details below.

The Cluster group partners will establish a base camp to accommodate humanitarian workers in Port-au-Prince.

The overall logistics of sea and air are here too, as well as information about storage capacity, etc.

Of note, Shell has been given a provisional contract to provide FUEL at the site, and the DHL Disaster Response Team will manage cargo arrivals.

Handicap International will manage a large Logistics Cluster Fleet and the World Food Program will extend this fleet with local subcontracted transport capacity to respond to urban transport needs.

Also: The Cluster team will provide transport services to organizations without logistics capacity in the Dominican Republic, from the staging area(s) in Port-au-Prince based on a pull system.

Please share widely.


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Haiti Logistics Cluster
19 January 2010

Operation: Haiti Earthquake Response
Concept of Operations
19 January 2010

Background
On Tuesday 12 January 2010, at 16.53 hours local time, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale was recorded in Haiti, 17 km to the south-west of Port-au-Prince. The capital has suffered severe destruction to critical infrastructure, including buildings, roads, electricity, water supply and communications networks.
Reports indicate a large number of casualties and widespread damage throughout the affected area. The Government of Haiti has declared a state of emergency throughout the country and has advised severely affected populations to leave Port-au-Prince.

The US military has been deployed to Haiti to support national authorities and humanitarian community in the relief effort. The US government has taken over management of Port-au-Prince airport, creating a system for coordination of incoming aircraft.

Gaps and Needs
Given the extent of the damage inflicted by the earthquake the need for an international humanitarian response is critical as the Government of Haiti has limited capacity to respond to a disaster of such magnitude.

Based on a request from the Humanitarian Country Team, the World Food Programme as
Logistics Cluster lead will maintain a Haiti Logistics Cluster cell in Port au Prince and establish a cell in Santo Domingo to coordinate the mobilisation and use of logistics assets and provision of logistics support services
to the humanitarian community.

Primary Concept of the Haiti Logistics Cluster

Due to the severity of the damage that has occurred in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, the Logistics Cluster will augment existing logistics capacities by deploying logistics assets and providing logistics services, as described below in order to support the humanitarian community’s response to the disaster.

1. Santo Domingo
o Santo Domingo is recommended as the primary entry point for humanitarian cargo while the Port-au-Prince airport is operating at diminished capacity and the sea port is damaged.
o Santo Domingo will be used as a staging area for inbound air and sea shipments before onward transportation by air, road or sea, to delivery points within Haiti. Storage capacity will be made available for inter-agency use.
o Santo Domingo airport will be an operating base for a cargo aircraft (12mt) to be used for the transport of key commodities to Port-au-Prince. It will also be the base for a smaller fixed-wing aircraft (10 pax) to ‘shuttle’ inter-agency personnel to and from Port-au-Prince. Air services will be reduced/phased out as early as possible.
o A 1,000 mt landing craft will operate from the Port of Santo Domingo to key delivery points around the coast of Haiti. This landing craft will also be supported by 200 mt barges that will be used to access smaller locations along the coast.
Haiti Logistics Cluster

2. Barahona
o WFP is establishing a second staging area at Barahona located on the south coast of the Dominican Republic which can handle inbound movements by sea and air.
o It is anticipated that this location will primarily be used for the movement of cargo arriving as non-containerised sea freight.
o Barahona airport will be the operating base for two helicopters (2mt) and a fixed-wing cargo aircraft (12mt). The helicopters will be used for deliveries to key locations within Haiti which are not easily accessible by road, or where security is a concern.
o A landing-craft operation will also be established at the Port of Barahona to transport relief aid to key locations along the southern Haitian coast.
o If required, the Logistics Cluster will supplement existing storage capacity by erecting mobile storage facilities to meet any increase in demand.

3. Transit Hub
o The Logistics Cluster will establish a field office and transit hub at the Jimani border crossing to facilitate the coordination of road transport from Santo Domingo and Barahonas to Port-au- Prince.
o The transit hub will provide a “marshalling” area for trucks / cargo prior to joining MINUSTAH escorted convoys into Port-au-Prince, ensuring more effective security of personnel, assets and commodities.
o Temporary storage will be erected so that the limited capacity within the city area will not be compromised and also provide a more strategic location for movements to other locations within Haiti.

4. Port-au-Prince
o A staging area will be established to accommodate the international cargo entering Port-au- Prince by air.
o Cargo arrivals at the Port-au-Prince airport are being managed by the DHL Disaster Response Team.
o Storage capacity at the port of Port-au-Prince will be augmented.
o The two helicopters (2mt) based in Barahona may be used for deliveries out of Port-au-Prince depending on airport capacity.

5. Cap Haitien
o The sea port at Cap Haitien will be primarily used as the point of entry for containerised commodities. This port is currently being used by WFP. The existing infrastructure will be strengthened to meet additional demand.

6. Surface Transport
o The Logistics Cluster will provide transport services to organisations without logistics capacity in the Dominican Republic, from the staging area(s) in Port-au-Prince based on a pull system.
o Handicap International is managing a Logistics Cluster fleet of more than 40 M-62 6x6 “allterrain” trucks that is available for tertiary transport needs. WFP will extend this fleet with local subcontracted transport capacity to respond to urban transport needs.

7. Civil-Military Coordination
A Civil-Military Liaison Officer will be responsible for liaising with MINUSTAH and international military entities in Port-au-Prince to coordinate the use of logistics assets in support of the humanitarian community response. The overall goal is to channel requests from the Humanitarian Community through the Logistics Cluster to establish systems for the most efficient use of military resources, including air, land and sea transport. Liaison services will include the following:
o Establish direct lines of communication and tasking procedures for US Military assets through USAID/OFDA.
o Create a coordination platform between WFP, the US Air Force and MINUSTAH to facilitate the arrival of incoming humanitarian flights.
o Set up ground logistics at Port-au-Prince airport including cargo movement, clearing and uplift.

8. Coordination and Information Management
The Logs Cluster will have dedicated information management capacity, including GIS / mapping services with the aim of coordinating logistics operations and supporting decision making to improve the efficiency of the logistics response. Within this capacity, the Logistics Cluster will undertake the following:
o Consolidate information on the overall logistics situation from the humanitarian community and local authorities, identifying logistics gaps and bottlenecks. Facilitate Logistics Cluster meetings and publish records of decisions taken.
o Provide updated information on operational data such as customs procedures, air operations and prioritisation of cargo by the HC to the humanitarian community through the publication of sitreps, bulletins, snapshots, flash news and briefings.
o Based on priorities set by the Humanitarian Coordinator coordinate the use of common logistics services through the management of Cargo Movement Requests and Storage Requests accompanied by cargo tracking services.
o Provide updated maps on logistics infrastructure to facilitate decision-making for transportation of humanitarian relief by the humanitarian community.
o Provide a platform for the sharing and dissemination of logistics information at
http://www.logcluster.org/ops/hti10a

9. Fuel
o In response to dwindling fuel resources, WFP has signed a fuel contract with Shell in Santo Domingo to meet the minimum requirements for operational continuity.

10. Accommodation
o MSB and the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) will establish a base camp to accommodate humanitarian workers in Port-au-Prince.