More United Nations peacekeepers are needed on the streets of Port-au-Prince to help with the relief effort aid agencies have said today.
Goal’s CEO John O'Shea said unless decisive action is taken now, “the suffering will continue unabated and the death toll will rise sharply.”
Mr O'Shea said it is “virtually impossible” to mount a successful relief and rehabilitation programme until law and order is restored to the streets of Port-au-Prince.
Earlier UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he had recommended to the security council that 1,500 police and 2,000 troops be added to the 9,000-member UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti to provide security assistance for Haiti's shattered government.
More than 11,000 US military personnel are also on the ground, on ships offshore or en route, including some 2,200 Marines with earth-moving equipment, medical aid and helicopters.
Meanwhile Plan Ireland said an aid shipment containing 4,000 tents and more than 300 family survival kits docked at the coastal town of Jacmel, 30 miles south west of the capital, yesterday.
Plan’s spokesman Stuart Coles said the equipment will make “a real difference” especially for the many children now developing coughs and respiratory problems.
Mr Coles also warned diarrhoea is becoming common and said these “simple ailments can quickly become very serious in these situations."
Globally the charity has raised €5 million for the emergency relief effort in Haiti but said more is urgently needed.
Oxfam said responding to the crisis has been “one of the toughest challenges ever”.
The charity’s country director Yolette Etienne said: “Many of my staff here have lost their homes, and some have had family losses.
“Two Oxfam members of staff were killed when the quake struck and I lost my own mother.
“I told my staff that we have no choice, no other option but to work and to work harder since we have the privilege of still being here and we can help people to overcome their desperation.”
To date Oxfam Ireland has raised over €220,000 for the Haiti emergency appeal.
Concern’s CEO Tom Arnold said in “very difficult circumstances” the agency is getting aid to the victims. Returning from a 48 hour visit to Haiti Mr Arnold also thanked the Irish public for their generosity.
He said: "In very difficult circumstances, we are getting on with what our incredibly supportive donors want us to do: get aid to those who need it as quickly and effectively as possible.
“The Irish public have been absolutely fantastic in supporting the Haiti emergency effort and they should accept nothing less than knowing we are doing everything humanly possible to get vital aid to those who need it most. Every second counts."
Meanwhile the Irish Red Cross warned members of the public to remain vigilant of bogus collections for the Haiti appeal.
Noel Wardick of the Irish Red Cross said the organisation has strict protocols for collectors and said if the public are “in doubt in any way to ask the people collecting to provide Red Cross identification and their Garda collection permit as they will be happy to do so if they are genuine.”
Mr Wardick said donations to the Irish Red Cross Haiti Appeal have reached over €650,000 to date.