Another challenging day greeted Haiti on Wednesday as the death toll surpassed the 2,000 mark following the search and rescue efforts.
Tropical Storm Grace has hindered the rescue operations, adding to the damaged roads left by the earthquake, making it hard to access the areas that suffered the hardest from the tragedy.
On late Wednesday, the Haiti Office of Civil Protection said in a tweet that at least 2,189 people have died while 12,268 incurred injuries and were hospitalized. Some 332 others are still missing.
In a statement to Reuters, Haiti Civil Protection Agency head Jerry Chandler said that 135, 000 families were displaced, and at least 600, 000 people need humanitarian aid.
“Haiti is now on its knees,” Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Wednesday said through a video, Reuters reported. “The earthquake that devastated a large part of the south of the country proves once again our limits, and how fragile we are.”
The Navy warship USS Arlington with more than 600 military personnel on board will be augmented to Haiti. They will arrive on Friday.
“It’s a heavily damaged area and I think the need is going to be great,” according to Lieutenant Colonel Cory Murtaugh of the Marine Corps.
The U.S. Coast Guard, as what the CBS News witnessed during a visit to Les Cayes, has delivered thousands of supplies to a city close to the earthquake’s epicenter. Apart from bringing the assistance, dozens of injured people were also rescued by the Coast Guard.
“We have all kinds of rescue equipment,” according to one of the Coast Guard rescue workers. “We have over 80 rescuers in this area.”
Several hospitals were overwhelmed, giving room for desperation to emerge. The dire situation left others without a choice but to be treated outdoors, including a woman and her infant.
One of the patients, a boy suffering from a broken leg, was fortunate to be accommodated at the Hôpital OFATMA des Cayes. “I am doing okay,” he exclaimed.
