Aid is slowly beginning to trickle in more than forty-eight hours after the earthquake struck. Aid flights were diverted for over five hours Thursday because of a lack of space and fuel at the Port-au-Prince airport. Earlier today, the World Food Programme said its Port-au-Prince warehouses had been looted. The United Nations is planning to make an appeal today for $550 million in emergency aid. The first US troops have begun to arrive in Haiti, the first wave of an expected deployment of over 5,500 US forces. On Thursday, President Obama said the US would contribute a first installment of $100 million in aid to Haiti.

President Obama: “The first wave of our rescue and relief workers arrived on the ground yesterday. Search and rescue teams are now working around the clock to save lives. More waves of major assets are going to be arriving. This morning, I announced an immediate investment of $100 million to support our relief efforts in the early days of this crisis. Most of this is for the basics — life saving equipment, food, water, medicine. This investment will grow over the year as we help our neighbors embark on what is going to be a long-term recovery.”