AFTER three weeks in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, Stephen Mitchell said he was now confident that aid to the homeless was finally being more efficiently distributed than at any time since a devastating earthquake struck.

But he warned: "There's a long way to go, although the basics of life such as shelter and water are becoming available to more people each day thanks to everyone's efforts.

"However, it is going to take years to restore any kind of normality to a city that has lost 20% of its population and where there are one million people homeless."

Mr Mitchell's mission to Haiti, a week after the earthquake struck killing more than 200,000 people, saw him project-manage the distribution of aid by agencies.

He worked with several organisations to find the best way to organise shelter, food and water.

Mr Mitchell, who is financial director at online recruitment company MyJobGroup.co.uk, is no stranger to disaster zones, having carried out a similar role in Kosovo, Kenya, Afghanistan, Uganda and Albania.

"Despite media reports to the contrary, I think the international response to the disaster has been better handled than any of the others I have witnessed," said Mr Mitchell.

"People need to remember that you can't just take food to an area if you don't have enough for everyone because that causes riots.

"Also, you have to make sure you have some form of rudimentary sanitation because nothing will spread disease quicker than the presence of raw sewage.

"If it appears that not much is happening, believe me, there is loads going on – and every penny that can be raised is valuable to the relief effort."

Mr Mitchell has had to adjust to the temperature change since he arrived back on Saturday. "It was about 36C in Haiti and we came back to just 2C," he said.

"But of course, the heat in Haiti makes it more essential that shelter and water are available.

"We spent a great deal of time talking to the people who had lost their homes and loved ones just to find out what they needed most.

"Haven's efforts were concentrated in an area called Delmas where shelter, latrines and cooking pots seemed to be the most requested items.

"We were in tents to begin with but managed to rent a house because security was essential for some of the equipment and supplies we were in charge of."

Like many other people who have visited the ravaged capital, Mr Mitchell spoke of the shock etched on most people's faces, but also of their resilience to their situation.

He said: "Within a couple of days, local people had set up roadside stalls selling fruit and vegetables.

"One woman who had set up home in the rubble of her former house had jokingly put a 'Don't drop litter' sign outside.

"And one little boy, delighted to have fresh water and a tent, asked when they would be getting any electricity again.

"So many people were brave in the face of terrible sadness, including a US Marine living in Haiti called Big Steve who lost 30 members of his family.

"He had to extract his daughter's body from the rubble of his collapsed home.

"He said it was like 'lifting a sheet of paper' because she was so crushed and her bones were gone."

Mr Mitchell said he did not see many people pulled alive from the debris of their homes.

"It was mainly bodies, although many buildings still have bodies in them which can't be accessed," he said.

"I lost track of the number of body parts I saw scattered around.

"It was particularly moving to see two dead bodies intertwined, as if huddling together for comfort in the last few seconds.

"Mercifully, the end would have come quickly.

"The local mayor asked if we had seen the Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now and its scenes of devastation – and then pointed out that disaster in Haiti was 'real life'."

Mr Mitchell, who is married, said he was unsure whether he would return to Haiti in the near future.

He said: "I would like to keep doing things to help the effort because only a fraction of the money and aid that is needed has reached the country so far.

"Efforts such as Aquabox [a water-purifier] are all playing their part in bringing much-needed relief. In 10 years of visiting disaster areas, this has to be the single most devastating and most intense.

"To say I 'enjoyed' being there sounds almost callous but it was very rewarding.

"If you can manage to create a professional approach and block out some of the horror, you can be most helpful."