Guantanamo Bay or “Gitmo”, as it is more infamously known, is in preparation for more human detainees. However this time, it is not an influx of terror suspects but it will be the refugees from the earthquake stricken nation of Haiti.

The quake, which hit Haiti on 12 January, has left over 200,000 dead and over 300,000 injured. An estimated 250,000 homes have also been destroyed resulting in over a million people being rendered homeless. Aid has flooded in from all parts of the world, but the scale of the devastation is such that the efforts at this stage are relegated to stopgap measures. Even basic needs such as drinking water and sanitation are in short supply.

In light of this, U.S. authorities are expecting vast numbers to flee the nation in search of greener pastures, namely the United States. Those who are intercepted at sea will be held at a special site on the opposite side of the Gitmo base that holds almost 200-suspected terrorists. Tents, toilets and supplies have already been set up to hold the influx of Haitians. Strangely, Gitmo may feel like Déjà vu for some of the refugees, where thousands of Haitian boat people were held in the early 1990′s.

The Gitmo base has been prominent in the effort to aid Haiti as it has been used to transport personnel as well as supplies to the grief stricken areas.