Guantanamo Bay may be used in Haiti effort

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. officials said Guantanamo Bay may be used in humanitarian efforts focused in Haiti in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay spokeswoman Maj. Diana Haynie said while there has been no official orders regarding a possible "mass migration from Haiti," soldiers at the U.S. base in Cuba have begun setting up beds, tents and toilets, CNN reported Thursday.

"There's no indication of any mass migration from Haiti," Haynie said of the preparations. "We have not been told to conduct migrant operations."

Haynie added the preparations were being conducted "as a prudent measure," since

"it takes some time to set things up."

Meanwhile, Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said Guantanamo Bay would serve as an ideal site in the Navy's shipment of supplies to Haiti.

"Guantanamo Bay proves its value as a strategic hub for the movement of supplies and personnel to the affected areas in Haiti," the U.S. military official said.

Officials estimate as many as 200,000 people were killed in the Jan. 12 earthquake. The 7-magnitude quake also left as many as 2 million people without shelter.