( CNN ) -- A top United Nations official acknowledged Friday that the earthquake relief operation in Haiti was not progressing fast enough . `` You ca n't snap your fingers and make it happen just by magic , '' U.N . Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said . But he promised , `` We will do it , slowly and surely . '' In an interview with CNN 's Christiane Amanpour , Holmes said , `` We have blockages at different points or bottlenecks of different points . The airport , coming in -- not as many planes as we 'd like to get in there because of the landing blockages . It 's happening , but it 's happening not as fast as we would like . '' Referring to the slow pace of aid deliveries , Holmes added , `` We 've got to unload it , get it into warehouses , then get it into trucks , then get it to distribution points , and then start to distribute it . '' `` There 's a huge effort going in from huge numbers of countries and aid organizations , but it 's not so visible on the ground because you ca n't quite get it there . '' Get the latest developments in Haiti . Holmes said it was key to dig out survivors from ruined buildings as soon as possible . `` There are something like 27 search-and-rescue teams now either on the ground or on their way , and that 's beginning to make a difference , '' he said . `` Of course , with every day that passes , we know that the chances of finding somebody alive diminish , but that effort must continue , and we must continue to try and look after the injured . '' Impact Your World . New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly , who was in Haiti just before the earthquake and served there in the mid-1990s , also emphasized the importance of saving the lives of people who are trapped and injured . `` I think there 's still an opportunity even though it 's almost 72 hours . I think that 's got to be job number one , '' Kelly told Amanpour . As far as aid distribution is concerned , Kelly said it was essential to move supplies from the airport into Port-au-Prince as fast as possible . `` It 's about five miles for the most part , but it 's a tough five miles . The roads are not good . Perhaps the helicopters from the USS Carl Vinson are going to be used to do precisely that . '' The USS Carl Vinson , an U.S. Navy aircraft carrier , has recently arrived off the coast of Haiti with a fleet of 19 helicopters and several tons of aid . Holmes expressed concern about the losses faced by the Haitian National Police during the earthquake . He said 300 officers died when the main police commissariat collapsed . `` It 's not surprising they have n't been able to recover from the blow . But the prime minister , the president , are functioning now , and the ministry of interior . '' He said so far it has been reasonably calm in Haiti . But the U.N. has thousands of police and soldiers in the country , and they will be able to maintain law and order with the help of American troops if necessary , Holmes said . `` It 's really a peaceful country . I think it 's gotten a bad reputation for certain outbreaks that did happen , '' Kelly said . `` The people are in desperate straits . But I think everyone will be surprised at just how peaceful and orderly it will be . ''
U.N . Emergency Response Coordinator John Lewis : Hard to get aid in . Problems include : Roadblocks , bottlenecks . Key : Bring out survivors quickly . New York City Police Chief : 300 Haitian police die in action .