Originally Posted By: NightHiker
Originally Posted By: Mark_Frantom
Originally Posted By: Lono
Haiti had a mostly inadequate infrastructure before the EQ, afterwards its ocean ports have been knocked down and the remaining airstrips are inadequate to provide airlift capacity to support the nearby population. Ocean ports are generally built on areas that may be subject to liquefaction, so restoring normal crane lift capacity to/from ships will take a while, probably too long to help.


In an effort to keep up the interesting and mature discussion, would temporary ports like those used by Allied forces at Normandy on D-Day be viable? I know those were built way ahead of time but surely there is something similar that could be used now. Maybe a ferry system from boats to beaches? The logistics of such a thing are beyond me but there has to be a workable solution. If there is, surely it is already in the works as we speak. For the sake of the unfortunate victims in Haiti, I hope so.


Haiti's shoreline and reef system is very restrictive, there are only a couple of deep water ports and beaches that could accomodate landing large quantities of materials AND then allow it to be transported to where it's needed. I was involved in hydrographic and beach "studies" in 1994 in Haiti, trying to establish exactly where heavy equipment could be brought ashore. Cap-Haitien is a probable location but that's about it. Even then, getting the materials onto the beach is a logistical nightmare - massive interaction of aircraft, ships, airports, sea ports, transportation assets....


That's good to know. To Mark's question, I have to say I don't know, but engineers should be doing the kind of assessment that NihtHiker did, and propose a recovery infrastructure plan. NightHiker might agree, it depends on the terrain that's left after the shake - if the dock area is more or less intact but the cranes destroyed, they might do some temporary fixes to the docks and bring in 'portable' lift equipment for immediate use. Either way, from some port photos I saw on the Boston Globe site, I don't think there is any quick fix there.