As search and rescue winds down, focus turns to rebuilding

As search and rescue winds down, focus turns to rebuilding Nearly two weeks after Haiti's horrific earthquake , the government and international relief officials focused on rebuilding the ravaged country, while continuing to funnel aid and find shelter for hundreds of thousands of homeless.

A key step in the recovery phase begins Monday, when 20 donor countries from around the world meet in Montreal to find the money and assistance needed to reconstruct the country and its shattered economy. Among those in attendance will be Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who left Port-au-Prince Sunday morning.

As part of the rebuilding strategy, the United Nations is hoping to put hundreds Embroidered Fabrics of Haitians to work in cleaning up their battered capital and cities affected by the disaster by removing rubble, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a meeting with former U.S. President-turned U.N. Special Envoy Bill Clinton.

``By creating jobs, by creating work for all these people, this would contribute to revitalize their economy,'' said Ban, who tapped Clinton to help with the Cash-for-Work program.

The Haitian government warns that the amount needed to rebuild could easily triple or multiply as the death toll pushes toward 200,000.

Dr. Ariel Henry, chief of staff at the Haitian Ministry of Health, called the death toll from the quake a ``sensitive issue.''

He said the government has counted some 115,000 deaths as of Friday, but noted that the number is likely higher because some people buried their own relatives.

``We don't have an official death count,'' he said.

On Sunday, Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue, Haiti Communications Minister, told The Associated Press the death toll topped 150,000 just in the area of Port-au-Prince, with thousands more dead around the country.

Haitian government officials and relief agencies were still struggling to deliver food and water to survivors.

Henry said food distribution has been ``very difficult,'' and that the food hasn't reached everyone, especially in some of the areas hardest hit by the quake south of the capital, but he said he did not believe anyone is at risk of starving.

Also Sunday, Haitian National Police also shot and killed the country's most wanted gang member, Police Chief Mario Andresol said.

Jean Wilson Delesca, a former Haitian SWAT member who allegedly ran a car ring involving Haitians and Dominicans, was killed after he fired on police, Andresol told The Miami Herald.

``Today the Haitian National Police is in the streets,'' Andresol said.

Charles Clermont, tasked with relocating quake victims for the Haitian government, said he toured the cities south of Port-au-Prince struck by the quake and found they are in need of quick assistance because distributions are not reaching many of them.

While the immediate medical needs of those in Haiti remain a concern, health workers are starting to shift to the demands of long-term care.

``For the first 10 days, search and rescue has been the priority, and care for trauma, burns, limbs and internal injuries,'' said Mirta Roses, director of the Pan American Health Organization. ``Now the profile is going to be different, the needs for post-operative care.''

She said there will be a need for another facility for post-acute care patients -- those who need more nursing than medical care.