Haitian Earthquake response - if you want to help
The news from Haiti, even incomplete, seems more than horrible. This was a country without any sort of fully adequate infrastructure to start with and one already reeling from three significant hurricanes in 2008.
The recovery from this will be very, very long term, but there are also severe and immediate emergency responses needed. If you'd like to help, here are some organizations with what appear to be well-organized and immediate action plans, culled from some sources I received throughout today:
The American Red Cross has staff on the ground in Haiti and has an extensive partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, which is expected to lead the Red Cross response to the earthquake. The American Red Cross has made available all of the relief supplies from its warehouse in Panama which would provide for basic needs for approximately 5,000 families. In addition, it is deploying a disaster management specialist to Haiti.
Episcopal Relief and Development has already disbursed emergency funding to the Diocese of Haiti to help them meet immediate needs such as providing shelter, food and water, and stands ready to support their ongoing recovery as they rebuild their ministries. They have a long-running partnership with the diocese as well as a network of development agencies throughout the country.
Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian organization, has been working in Haiti for 55 years. CRS has made an initial commitment of $5 million for immediate use in the relief effort. CRS is mobilizing food and gearing up emergency capacity, and deploying prepositioned emergency shelter and hygiene kits in Haiti, as well as bringing supplies in from the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Doctors Without Borders teams are treating hundreds of people injured in the quake and have been setting up clinics in tents to replace their own damaged medical facilities.
Oxfam America has a staff of about 200 people on the ground in Haiti and a team of 15 highly-experienced emergency specialists based in the capital will be responding with public health, water and sanitation services to prevent the spread of waterborne disease.
Partners In Health, with hospitals and highly trained medical staff in place in Haiti, is mobilizing resources and preparing plans to bring medical assistance and supplies to areas that have been hardest hit by the earthquake. Outlying clinics of PIH are already treating patients.
UNICEF will deploy essential aid - including safe water, sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter materials - as quickly as possible to assist with recovery efforts. UNICEF will also focus on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation.
Please feel free to add additional emergency responders in the comments. I will leave this post unlocked.
These are - as we are all acutely aware - difficult times, but if you are in a position to give, I do encourage you to do so!
Peace,
Viv
The recovery from this will be very, very long term, but there are also severe and immediate emergency responses needed. If you'd like to help, here are some organizations with what appear to be well-organized and immediate action plans, culled from some sources I received throughout today:
The American Red Cross has staff on the ground in Haiti and has an extensive partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, which is expected to lead the Red Cross response to the earthquake. The American Red Cross has made available all of the relief supplies from its warehouse in Panama which would provide for basic needs for approximately 5,000 families. In addition, it is deploying a disaster management specialist to Haiti.
Episcopal Relief and Development has already disbursed emergency funding to the Diocese of Haiti to help them meet immediate needs such as providing shelter, food and water, and stands ready to support their ongoing recovery as they rebuild their ministries. They have a long-running partnership with the diocese as well as a network of development agencies throughout the country.
Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian organization, has been working in Haiti for 55 years. CRS has made an initial commitment of $5 million for immediate use in the relief effort. CRS is mobilizing food and gearing up emergency capacity, and deploying prepositioned emergency shelter and hygiene kits in Haiti, as well as bringing supplies in from the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Doctors Without Borders teams are treating hundreds of people injured in the quake and have been setting up clinics in tents to replace their own damaged medical facilities.
Oxfam America has a staff of about 200 people on the ground in Haiti and a team of 15 highly-experienced emergency specialists based in the capital will be responding with public health, water and sanitation services to prevent the spread of waterborne disease.
Partners In Health, with hospitals and highly trained medical staff in place in Haiti, is mobilizing resources and preparing plans to bring medical assistance and supplies to areas that have been hardest hit by the earthquake. Outlying clinics of PIH are already treating patients.
UNICEF will deploy essential aid - including safe water, sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter materials - as quickly as possible to assist with recovery efforts. UNICEF will also focus on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation.
Please feel free to add additional emergency responders in the comments. I will leave this post unlocked.
These are - as we are all acutely aware - difficult times, but if you are in a position to give, I do encourage you to do so!
Peace,
Viv