World Food Program Faces Logistical Challenges in Haiti

This week, three WFP-contracted helicopters will be operational in Haiti and nearly 75 trucks were also due to arrive.

Video and photo courtesy: World Food Program

(PORT-AU-PRINCE/SALEM) - Despite massive logistical challenges since the earthquake struck, the World Food Program (WFP) has delivered more than 3.6 million rations, the equivalent of almost 11 million meals, to nearly 460,000 people.

Although the overall security situation is generally calm, several incidents at sites throughout the city have hampered distributions in the past few days.

Natasha Scripture, spokesperson for World Food Program, said: "This is the most complex emergency WFP has ever launched. We're faced with enormous logistical challenges. Haiti's entire supply chain infrastructure has been devastated, yet our logistics machine is operating at full speed. We're streaming food assistance through five humanitarian corridors around the country and we've already delivered three million rations which is the equivalent of ten million meals to earthquake victims."

All cargo transport took place in convoys with appropriate security, and security was also required at distribution sites. WFP worked closely with MINUSTAH and the US military to ramp up security and minimize disruption to food distributions.

Denise Brown, Emergency Support with WFP, said, "Security remains a concern in and around Port-au-Prince, but we are working very closely with MINUSTAH and the US military to ramp up security at all our distribution points."

This week, three WFP-contracted helicopters will be operational in Haiti and nearly 75 trucks were also due to arrive.

Governments around the world have so far donated more than 180 million dollars towards WFP’s emergency program to feed 2 million people and provide logistical and telecommunications support for a 6-month Emergency Operation.

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com