International Search And Rescue Efforts In Haiti Turn Up 62 Survivors

62 survivors have been found since the international community began its search and rescue efforts in Haiti, U.S. officials on ground in the Caribbean nation told reporters Sunday. Approximately 30 of the live rescues were conducted by American teams.

While the majority of those found were Haitians, an official reported that 6 or 7 were American citizens. The government of Haiti will ultimately have final say in when the rescue effort ends and when the focus will shift to recovery.

The distribution of necessary resources continues to move along steadily, marked by the arrival of an additional 57,500 pounds of food from the U.S. Sunday afternoon. This intake adds to the 600,000 humanitarian rations secured by the U.N. World Food Program. The distribution of both food and the 250,000 liters of water received thus far will chiefly be determined by the Haitian government.

The Haitian airport has undergone heavy use as supplies roll in. While the airport was typically only used several times a day prior to the quake, it is now handling 600 landings and takeoffs each day. Coordination of the air arrivals for food and personnel has proven to be a taxing undertaking since the airport can only handle one wide bodied aircraft, five narrow bodied planes, and three additional smaller crafts. Time slots have been allocated for each available opening to ensure the efficient delivery of supplies.