Thanks to the re-opening of the banks, the purchasing power of local people has begun recovering.

Shoppers could find virtually everything they could afford in a high-end grocery store, including imported cheeses, wine and liquor, and even made-in-China pancakes. The store was guarded by armed security officers.

As more people had money to spend, peddlers and hawkers strolled Port-au-Prince's streets and alleys with items ranging from clothing, food, and housewares, to even decorative items.

A United Nations spokesperson said that the city's major shopping facilities would reopen if stability can be maintained.

Haitian authorities have so far put confirmed deaths at over 150,000, with 200,000 people injured in the earthquake.

A total of 55,000 families had suffered directly from the quake and 610,000 people are being accommodated in some 500 refugee centers.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2010)