According to the UN 3 million people now need help

More than 1.5 million Haitians homeless, 250,000 injured, more than 70,000 bodies buried in mass graves. Six days after the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck this small country of 9 million inhabitants of which 80 live on less than $ 2 per day, Haiti is sinking into chaos and despair. The Haitian Government has declared a State of emergency and a national mourning for thirty days. And U.S. Army estimates now that balance could reach 200,000 victims, almost as much as the results of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which had been 220,000 deaths.

The magnitude of the disaster, Western countries are trying to coordinate. A first preparatory meeting of donor countries in the future International Conference for Haiti's reconstruction and to be held in Montreal on January 25, Matignon, announced yesterday at the end of a meeting between François Fillon and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and defence, Bernard Kouchner, and Hervé Morin. President René Préval had to go yesterday to Saint-Domingue to prepare for this international meeting, while the UN Security Council was to hold a special meeting on Haiti and former US President Bill Clinton, Special Envoy to Haiti, UN arrived yesterday at Port - au-Prince.

Logistical challenges

But for the moment, the priority remains in first aid: an attempt to find survivors under the rubble, deliver drugs and supplies by limiting the looting. More than 40 international teams are involved, either 1.739 rescuers, and 280 reception centres were open yesterday. However, Governments, international organizations and NGOs are struggling to coordinate their assistance, both the logistical challenges are important (read analysis of Olivier Noyer page 16). The airport is saturated, the control tower out of use, often impassable roads and lack of fuel becomes critical. The situation is further complicated by the destruction of government structures, said the United Nations. Departments destroyed, officials and Ministers dead or missing: the State Haiti, already weak, is destroyed.

"The population of Port - Prince fight to survive", explains to the international Committee of the Red Cross, that alarm is the desperation growing of the survivors and the rise of looting and violence.

The European Union finally stopped its aid device and the massive commitment of the United States becomes more and more visible. Some 12.500 American soldiers should be on the spot yesterday, President Obama ordered the mobilization of reservists to participate in humanitarian missions. For its part, WFP announced having already distributed 500,000 rations of food aid.

Risk of epidemic

However, each passing day increases the risk to see a health disaster of great magnitude still burden the balance sheet of the earthquake. Lack of access to drinking water, the risk of epidemic are great. A US nuclear carrier should distribute soon, but the population can no longer wait.

According to the UN, 3 million people now need help. Multilateral organization has been hard hit with 40 killed employees, the head of mission, the Tunisian Hedi Annabi, and 330 remained missing. The United Nations launched an emergency call to the international community to collect $ 560 million to help the Haitian people for six months. Last night, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, has estimated that Haiti needed an aid package of 10 billion dollars over five years, while the Secretary-General of the United Nations requested 3,500 additional troops of the peace.