The Caribbean Community (Caricom) says it is in the process of sending additional personnel to Haiti as it seeks to beef up its presence in the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation, the Caribbean Media Corporation reported on Jan. 22.

The executive director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Jeremy Collymore, said there are currently more than 300 uniformed, medical and technical personnel on the ground assisting in relief and rescue missions. He added that efforts were under way to immediately send additional troops, boosting the Caricom contingent to over 1,000 members.

"Now having a better picture of what resources are available across the community, we are putting in place the logistics for harvesting these and delivering them to Jamaica (which is the regional focal point for the Haiti response)," Collymore told reporters on Jan. 20.

In the face of recent criticisms leveled against the organisation, which has been accused of acting too slowly for Haiti, Collymore added that Caricom's response has extended beyond sending personnel on the ground. He noted that a total of $4 million has already been pledged by Caribbean neighbours to Haiti. Collymore also pointed out that within 24 hours of the impact of the powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake, Caricom had deployed personnel in Haiti through its sub-regional office in Jamaica.

“It is important to recognise the efforts of Jamaica within the larger context of the RRM (regional response mechanism)," said Collymore.

"The mission by the Jamaican prime minister was the genesis for informing the community's priority focus of its efforts in Haiti," Collymore told reporters as he updated them on the region's response to Haiti so far. "Caricom assets to date have facilitated some of these search and rescues, we have joined with the international search and rescue teams and have and have contributed to the rescuing of at least three people and two others who were not alive."

More than 400 Haitians have been treated for injury, including several amputations.

"The troops have also been providing security assistance to some of the World Food Programme distribution systems and logistical support for the civil protection system individuals as well as security support for medical and other personnel for Caricom on the ground," said Collymore.

Separately, Major Jaimie Ogilvie of the Jamaica Defence Force, who is heading the Caricom contingent to Port-au-Prince, told the Caribbean Media Corporation that the Caricom team has already been making an impact on the ground.

"We have two medical teams that are doing outreach in the communities, they hit the ground running," Major Ogilvie said. "They have done a number of surgeries and other minor procedures and just general medical work bringing relief to a number of affected Haitians who would not have otherwise been able to receive this help."

Major Ogilvie said that the team was prepared to receive "in a controlled way, through the various countries, respective contingents who are going to add value and add meaningful work to the relief effort here."