Petraeus: Limited airport hampers Haiti relief Published Jan. 20, 2010 By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Limited runway space at the Port-au-Prince airport is hampering humanitarian relief operations in Haiti, the chief of U.S. Central Command said Jan. 20. "This is a single runway; there's not even a taxi-way," Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said. The magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Haiti Jan. 12 severely damaged much of Port-au-Prince, the capital city, including its airport and seaport. Though relief aid now is pouring into Haiti, General Petraeus said, the limited airport ramp space is making it difficult to off-load supplies. Coordinating aircraft to land and take off at Port-au-Prince airport also is difficult, General Petraeus said, noting satellite-enabled command-and-control systems need to be established. "Everything has been knocked out" by the earthquake, General Petraeus said of Haiti's already-sparse infrastructure. Nonetheless, the humanitarian aid mission continues to make progress, he said, as food, water and medical care are distributed among the stricken Haitian people. The situation in Haiti, he said, requires an "industrial-strength" response effort. "And, that is what we are doing," General Petraeus said.