Haiti earthquake: Aid workers face logistical nightmare

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The U.N. says rescue workers and relief goods are pouring into Haiti from around the world, but aid workers are running into huge problems reaching people trapped under buildings or feeding hungry survivors.

U.N. spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs called quake-hit Haiti a logistical nightmare.

The World Food Program said Thursday that damage to Haiti’s port in the capital Port-au-Prince is preventing ship deliveries to the quake-struck region. It said the city’s airport is open but straining to handle dozens of incoming flights of supplies and rescuers.

Desperate quake survivors, fearing more temblors, are also standing in the middle of roads and slowing the transport of food and other crucial aid.

The World Health Organization said heavy damage to at least eight Port-au-Prince hospitals is slowing doctors’ ability to treat the thousands of injured.

--Associated Press

Photo gallery: Earthquake hits Haiti | Twitter: Reports from Haiti | Resources: How to help

Top photo: Haitian President Rene Preval and First Lady Elisabeth Preval speak with Barth Green, right, a surgeon who had just arrived with a team from the University of Miami, and Albert Dimitri, who was helping organize the relief effort. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times