 Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid , pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams , engineers and support personnel . Communication systems , air , land , and sea transport facilities , hospitals , and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake , which hampered rescue and aid efforts ; confusion over who was in charge , air traffic congestion , and problems with <unk> of flights further complicated early relief work . Port @-@ au @-@ Prince 's <unk> were overwhelmed with tens of thousands of bodies . These had to be buried in mass graves . As rescues tailed off , supplies , medical care and sanitation became priorities . <unk> in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors , and looting and sporadic violence were observed . On 22 January the United Nations noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was drawing to a close , and on the following day the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors . 
