MELISSA BLOCK, host:
The United Nations has regrouped by the airport after its headquarters collapsed in the earthquake.
David Wimhurst is director of public information for MINUSTAH, the U.N. mission in Haiti. We spoke earlier today and I asked about the efforts to dig survivors out of the U.N. headquarters.
Mr. DAVID WIMHURST (Director of Public Information, MINUSTAH): We've had teams working nonstop under floodlights at our collapsed headquarters. And they've been working very hard to lift off the very heavy concrete slabs that cover the wreckage. And these have been an impediment until we were able to cut through them and get a crane in to lift them up. And now we are going down into the building. And all I can tell you is we are recovering more bodies, but I cannot give you account yet, I'm afraid.
BLOCK: Have you found any survivors as you've gotten farther into that building?
Mr. WIMHURST: Well, we did have the miracle of yesterday, where we found a survivor four meters below the lowest rubble level - a security officer from Estonia, who walked out unscathed once the rubble had been lifted off him. He was in a space. He had air to breathe. He was covered in dust, of course, and extremely tired. And, but he had a radio, so we were able to keep in touch with him. And then the dogs that were brought in by the expert teams sniffed him out. But since then there have been no other live recoveries.
BLOCK: And, again, among the missing is the chief of mission there for the U.N.
Mr. WIMHURST: Yes. We still have not been able officially confirm or, you know, we haven't, you know, found him yet.
BLOCK: What about the U.N. peacekeeping force itself - I think 7,000 people plus 2,000 police(ph), where are they and what's their mission right now?
Mr. WIMHURST: All of the uniformed personnel are deployed in security operations in and around the city of Port-au-Prince. We are patrolling night and day with the National Police of Haiti, which has been somewhat decimated. I mean, they've had their police stations have collapsed and they have many injuries. But we're patrolling everywhere as much as we can. I mean, there are some areas are inaccessible. We simply can't get in because of the crushed houses.
And we are maintaining calm and law and order. There's been some sporadic episodes of looting. But I emphasize sporadic. We're also distributing as much as we can in its form, some water and medical aid where needed.
The key is that if you have a secure environment, you can then really move the humanitarian aid in fast. And that's really what we're doing. Already the not just on that, the World Food Programs were feeding at least 8,000 families a day, and they're quickly accelerate to at least 60,000 families a day.
BLOCK: Would part of the mission become collecting the bodies from the streets?
Mr. WIMHURST: Yes, we will certainly move to do that. In fact, we have started doing it. The question is where to take them. People are bringing bodies out onto the streets for the simple reason that they need to move them away from where they're living, even if it's in some rubble. The city itself is picking up bodies. They have trucks that are going around picking up bodies. And the prime minister said yesterday that they've already buried 7,000 in mass graves.
BLOCK: And what is your understanding of where those bodies are to be taken?
Mr. WIMHURST: Right now they're being taken to a site outside of the city. But we're looking to find new areas that can be used for this purpose. But it's not enough, so other sites have to be created.
BLOCK: You mentioned the National Police, which you said have been decimated. How would you describe at this point what is left of the Haitian government and how it's able to perform?
Mr. WIMHURST: The Haitian government is functioning on a daily basis, believe it or not. Even though the prime minister's offices have been demolished, and the president's palace has gone down and the ministries have collapsed, in spite of all that, they've regrouped very fast. They meet every day at 7:00 in the morning. We attend the meeting. It's down in a location very close to where we are near the airport, so we're close connection with each other. Our job is to support them to the max.
BLOCK: Mr. Wimhurst, we've all heard voices of Haitians there in the capitol, in Port-au-Prince, saying they have seen no government assistance and said they have been left to fend for themselves. And we're now three days after the earthquake. Do you fear that the longer this goes on, that the situation gets more and more untenable and dangerous?
Mr. WIMHURST: Inevitably after an event like this in which, you know, suddenly people are deprived of food and water and shelter, inevitably they're going to look to organizations like the United Nations for immediate assistance. But we can't bring assistance to two million people in 24 hours. It's simply impossible. So it's going to take place over time.
BLOCK: David Wimhurst, thanks for talking with us.
Mr. WIMHURST: Thank you.
BLOCK: David Wimhurst is director of public information for the U.N. in Port-au-Prince.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
The U.N. says its secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, will visit Haiti on Sunday. You can find photos and more news of relief efforts at npr.org.