But, coming into Port-au-Prince in early March, he thought the city still looked very much like one in the grip of the initial emergency. As his plane landed, he was struck by the sight of American Humvees, UN helicopters and planes and the 82nd Airborne Division coming into the airport.

“It’s a full-scale relief operation underway but with a slightly militaristic face, which could be concerning,” said Copeland, managing director of Garda World’s operations in Latin America and who is based in Buenos Aires.

The airport, a temporary shelter required because the permanent airport is too dangerous, has no baggage carousel. It’s complete chaos. 

“Even the first 10 minutes are quite a stressful, sweaty time, just trying to find your belongings,” he said.  “And you get out onto the street and there’s a huge traffic jam and people shouting and it’s generally an immediate environment that doesn’t look that benign and possibly isn’t — with UN vehicles, armoured personnel carriers on the street, armed UN soldiers and American soldiers. It looks more like a war zone in those first impressions.” 

It’s only later, he added, you come to understand that the strong military presence acts primarily as a deterrent. 

In the weeks following the quake, Garda’s work was focused on finding missing American and international NGO workers and getting medical aid for them. The company helped evacuate some client organizations to safer areas or, for those who weren’t moving, provided advice on staying put.

Two months later, the company was preparing to provide a wider range of security services to organizations that were looking ahead, Copeland says, “beyond the initial short-term relief phase to the reconstruction and recovery phase.”

With the shock of the destruction passed, other risks were appearing. The situation was changing rapidly.