Haiti Update: Red Cross Pledges Initial $1 Million to Haiti Relief; How to Locate Loved Ones
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
For Immediate Release
American Red Cross Pledges Initial $1 Million to Haiti Relief Send a $10 Donation by Texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999 How to Locate Loved Ones in Haiti
TUCSON, Wednesday, January 13, 2010 -- The American Red Cross is sending money, supplies and staff to Haiti to support relief efforts there after yesterday’s earthquake, which caused catastrophic damage and loss of life.
* SITUATIONAL UPDATE *
According to reports, as many as three million people may have been affected by the quake, which collapsed government buildings and caused major damage to hospitals in the area.
The Red Cross is contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund to support the relief operation, and has opened its warehouse in Panama to provide tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families.
In addition to Red Cross staff already in Haiti, six disaster management specialists are being deployed to the disaster zone to help coordinate relief efforts. At this time, the American Red Cross is only deploying volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations.
Debris and collapsed bridges are making access to many areas extremely difficult. Telephone service and electricity are out in many places. Haitian Red Cross staff worked throughout the night to rescue people still trapped in their homes and provide first aid. The priority remains to provide food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.
The American Red Cross already had fifteen staff in Haiti providing ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness programs. All are reported to be safe and responding to the disaster.
To date, there have been no requests for blood products from the government of Haiti. However, some patients at an affected facility in Haiti have been moved to a Guantanamo Bay hospital, and the Armed Services Blood Program has asked both the Red Cross and Florida Blood Services for support for those patients. In addition, the American Red Cross will be sending a shipment of blood products to the United Nations Mission in Haiti.
While communication with those in Haiti is still difficult, people should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 if trying to reach a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Haiti. If trying to reach a Haitian citizen, callers should continue to call or contact other family members who live nearby.
While donations are coming in for Haiti relief, the initial American Red Cross response is made possible in part by contributions from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). The following partners designate a portion of their ADGP commitment to the International Response Fund: American Express, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Morgan Stanley and State Street Foundation.
* FOR THOSE WITH LOVED ONES LIVING OR TRAVELING IN HAITI *
We know that people in the United States may be very concerned about loved ones living or traveling in Haiti.
- Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross has also established a family linking Web site, enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake. www.icrc.org/familylinks
- If you’re trying to reach a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Haiti, you should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747.
* WAYS TO HELP *
Financial Contributions:
Give Online: www.redcrossarizona.org. Make your gift to the International Response Fund.
Send a Check or Money Order to:
American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter 2916 E. Broadway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85716
Place in memo of check: International Response Fund
Text to Give: Text "HAITI" to "90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross, through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department. One-hundred percent of your $10 gift (which is tax-deductible) will go to support American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.
In-Kind Donations: Because this is an international relief effort, we are unable to accept in-kind (product and supply) donations at this time.
Volunteering: During an international crisis like this, we must be invited to by the Haitian government to send relief workers, and we only send those workers after our President and military deem it safe for Americans to be on the ground. We are standing in-wait to deploy volunteers when we receive the call. Please note: if/when we need to deploy, we will prioritize sending currently trained volunteers who have a valid passport / visa.
Blood Donations: The American Red Cross HAS NOT YET received a request for blood, therefore as of this morning we are not collecting blood for Haiti. However, please encourage the caller to give blood anyway to help someone in need. They can call 1-800-GIVE LIFE (1-800-448-3543) or visit http://www.givelife.org/ to make an appointment to donate blood or to organize a blood drive.
Contact Your Local Red Cross for Questions:
520-318-6740 800-341-6943 www.redcrossarizona.org
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