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HAITI RELIEF: US troops are fanning out across Haiti as aid operations gather momentum, a week after the devastating earthquake.
UN officials said aid distribution points were being set up in the capital and UN security forces would accompany US troops as they delivered supplies.
Helicopters dropped scores of US troops in the presidential palace grounds, who then moved to secure a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has voted to boost its peacekeeping forces to help control outbursts of looting.
Anger has been growing in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as people wait for help.
The US military has begun delivering food and water to distribution points in the capital and elsewhere by helicopter, after congestion at the airport delayed deliveries of aid.
DONATE NOW: clintonbushhaitifund.org
Haiti pier opens, road laid into Port-au-Prince January 21, 2010 -- Updated 1858 GMT (0258 HKT)
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Relief supplies were heading into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from ships docked at a reopened pier Thursday, brought into the city on trucks traveling on a repaired gravel road leading from the port.
A Dutch Navy ship, the Pelikaan, was docked at the city's south pier Thursday, unloading 90 tons of humanitarian aid. Two other ships previously unloaded containers.
The reopened pier is older and smaller than the north pier, which was rendered unusable by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the Haitian capital January 12.
The south pier was damaged, but Haiti port authorities and the U.S. military were able to put it back in shape, although repairs continue. Workers also repaired the road leading into the city and laid gravel on it.
Unloading of aid, however, was a slow process. The road allows only for one-way traffic, meaning a truck drives to the end of the pier, is loaded with supplies, and then drives out. Also, because of concerns about overloading the pier, only one truck is allowed on it at a time.
Repairs on the pier continue, said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mark Gibbs. "We're working on it. We've got a long ways to go. ... If we lose this pier, that's it. We can't bring in anything."
However, the reopening of the pier and the repairing of the road represented a major development in efforts to get aid to earthquake victims, in that ships can carry much more cargo than air airplanes.
Authorities hope to get two-way traffic going on the pier by Friday, which would speed up the process.
An aftershock on Wednesday stopped efforts at the pier for about three hours. U.S. Navy divers had to go back in the water and reassess the pier's structural integrity, officials said. There was no immediate word if Thursday's less intense aftershock caused a delay.
Lt. Gen. Douglas Fraser of U.S. Southern Command announced the pier's reopening on Thursday in Washington. Officials hope to move about 150 containers of aid Thursday and 250 on Friday. They want to increase that to 800 containers a day.
The reopening comes as U.S. officials have been stung by criticism of aid efforts in recent days.
Some of that criticism has been leveled by aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, who blamed five victims' deaths on delays, saying several flights carrying medical supplies had been diverted from the Port-au-Prince airport into the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Working under adverse conditions with limited supplies, medical teams have been forced to improvise.
Renzo Fricke, field coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, told CNN earlier this week that staffers had to buy a saw in the market so surgeons could do amputations. Lacking rubbing alcohol, doctors have used vodka to sterilize equipment and instruments. Surgical patients are being given over-the-counter pain medicine because doctors lack any stronger medication. One nurse used a string of Christmas lights as a makeshift extension cord.
Canadian troops, meanwhile, were working to open an airport in Jacmel on Thursday, another step that could speed delivery of relief supplies.
Fraser said Thursday that 120 to 140 flights a day are coming into the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport, compared with 25 per day just after the quake struck last week. More than 840 have landed since the airport was reopened, but there is a waiting list of 1,400 to come in, he said.
A senior administration official acknowledged that not all aid, particularly medical supplies, is getting through fast enough but said that in recent days, at least half of the flights entering Haiti are carrying humanitarian supplies. Most of the other 50 percent of flights, including those of the U.S. military and foreign governments, are still carrying some kind of aid.
The official attributed the delay in getting aid through to two factors. Dozens of planes were flying into the Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti, carrying cargoes of food, water, medicine and search-and-rescue gear. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said military personnel on the ground were sometimes confused about what each plane was carrying.
The military will now station aid officials in the airport control tower to assess the contents of each flight and ease the flow of aid.
Also, a Web-based system has been created so that aid groups, donor countries and others can track when each flight is scheduled to land and the supplies it has aboard.
The official also said the operating procedure of the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti says it can work without security only during daylight. U.S. troops that have arrived now can take over a large share of security and speed the processing of aid.
The senior administration official said that more than 300 aid distribution sites are up and running. Fraser said more than 700,000 meals and 1.4 million bottles of water have been delivered.
At least 72,000 people -- including dozens of U.N. staff members -- have been confirmed dead in the earthquake, according to the country's prime minister.
International aid contributions have totaled hundreds of millions of dollars, but relief agencies working in Haiti say transportation bottlenecks and poor communications have slowed the delivery of food, water and medicine to survivors.
On Wednesday, U.S. Agency for International Development administrator Rajiv Shah ordered more medicine and other supplies to be sent within the next 24 hours, the administration official said.
Lt. Gen. P.K. Keen, the head of the U.S. military task force in Haiti, said any aircraft identified as carrying medical supplies would have priority for landing. They are turned away only "if there's no parking space on the ramp, and they don't have sufficient fuel to hold in their holding pattern," he said.
Another senior U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday that the priorities for aid flights are set "by the government of Haiti first and then by the U.N. second." But the number of flights that can land at Port-au-Prince is "a sheer issue of physics and geometry; you just can't get them all in there."
To improve the flow of air traffic, the U.S. military said Wednesday it had obtained landing rights at the Dominican Republic's air base at San Isidro, about 135 miles (220 kilometers) east of Port-au-Prince.
The U.S. military has the ability to build dirt runways that rugged cargo planes such as the C-130 Hercules can use, but the equipment needed to build those is "always at a premium," the senior official said.
The military has 63 helicopters in the region, Fraser said.
links, contacts and news clippings
from recent history...
In the United States: FEMA Response & Recovery programs
US Hurricane Programs: [nvoad.org] [redcross.org 1-800-435-7669]
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August 30, 2005
MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES CITY'S RELIEF AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph Bruno today announced that the City will be deploying an Urban Search and Rescue Team (New York Task Force One NYTF-1) to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Mayor also urged New Yorkers who want to help to make donations to an established charity like the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or through the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, which will distribute donations to disaster relief agencies."We have all seen the devastating images of the damage that Hurricane Katrina has caused in the southeast United States," said Mayor Bloomberg. "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I offer our heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of those who have perished in this terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people in the area who have been impacted by this disaster, and we are eager to do everything possible to help. New Yorkers will never forget the extraordinary support we received following the dark days after 9/11 and how much it meant to our City. One way that each of us can offer support is by making a donation to an organization that provides disaster relief."
"We are working with FEMA and local governments in Louisiana to see what assets New York City may be able to provide to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts," said Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph Bruno. "New Yorkers should remember that at this point the best way to help is to donate to one of the charitable organizations operating in the impacted area."
NYTF-1 is managed by the Office of Emergency Management and includes approximately 210 members from NYPD, FDNY, and OEM who become a federal asset in times of emergencies. There are 28 teams nationwide and eight teams have been deployed already. In addition, there are already two members of NYTF-1 who are in position to support operations in the Southeast. OEM will continue working on putting together resources that will be available to local and Federal officials as they assess the impacted zones.
The Mayor's Fund was established in 1994 to serve as the umbrella not-for-profit corporation for the City of New York and is a publicly supported, not-for-profit corporation, dedicated to working closely with the City.
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City raises money to promote the general welfare of the City's residents and aid civic improvements. The Fund supports the work of many City Agencies including Education, Parks, Health, and Cultural Affairs, and raises funds for many quality of life initiatives.
Donations can be sent in the form of a check to: Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, City Hall, New York, NY 10007 with a note on the check that the donation is for "Hurricane Katrina Relief."
Additional organizations doing work on the ground and accepting monetary donations:
American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English
1-800-257-7575 Spanish
Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348America's Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070
Additional Organizations accepting monetary donations and volunteer:
Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
Catholic Charities, USA
1-800-919-9338
Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818
Church World Service
1-800-297-1516 ext. 222
Convoy of Hope
417-823-8998
Lutheran Disaster Response
1-800-638-3522
Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210
Nazarene Disaster Response
1-888-256-5886
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
1-800-872-3283
Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
Southern Baptist Convention --Disaster Relief
1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440
United Methodist Committee on Relief
1-800-554-8583
For further information: visit the website for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) at: http://www.nvoad.org/ or call 311.
The Int'l Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies
"There are too many people who come here for food.
All of them need rice and other things. What should I do? "
-- ABDUL BASIR BASIRAT, Red Crescent Society supervisor in Jalalabad, Afghanistan (2001)
HaitiStatement by Ambassador Sichan Siv, United States Representative to the Economic and Social Council,
on the Launch of Appeal for Humanitarian Aid for Haiti
USUN PRESS RELEASE # 32
"Our humanitarian aid supplements our support to Haiti’s long-term development, which is ongoing."
[US UN Mission site: click here for statement and links]
Disaster Relief
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Treasury Eases Restrictions To
Assist Humanitarian Relief Activities
For Earthquake Victims In Iran
Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org
"Appropriate Donations to Meet International Disaster and Humanitarian Needs"
South Asia - Earthquake and Tsunami
Find out how you can help.
December 30, 2004
PRIME Minister John Howard today said the best thing Australians could do to help the tsunami relief efforts
was to put their hands in their pocket and return home if in the disaster area. "Give money" was Mr Howard's advice when asked what Australians could do to help. "I would exhort people to give money, I would also exhort any people who are still in the affected areas, unless they have a need to stay there, they should come home," he told ABC radio. "We have a moral obligation on the basis of pure humanity to help and we will help."
[news source: theaustralian.news.com.au] [photo (r): WTC, NY NY]![]()
How to Help
www.careusa.org
www.redcross.org
www.unicefusa.org
www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/
news reports:
"British queen gives 'substantial' donation to tsunami relief"
"Japan pledges $500 million in tsunami aid"
"UN Now Needs Logistics Help to Deliver Aid" [NYTimes]
[A horrific scene; photo at lower left
sent to us by friends in Thailand, 1/7/2005]
FEEDBACK AND ANALYSIS
After the Tsunami... After Katrina... Post war Iraq... "Lessons Learned"
"Logistics officers said the military has learned valuable lessons
from the tsunami deployment to Sri Lanka in January, 2005,
and from a DART mission to Pakistan to aid earthquake victims six months later.
[excerpt]
DART includes a mobile medical clinic and water purification system that can be transported by aircraft.
The cost of sending just the water system was estimated at $7.8-million.
CIDA estimates that 'the NGO community can provide 12 times the clean water as DART at the same cost,' the note said. 'Accordingly, cost-effective and demand-driven aid must be weighed against the strong Canadian image the DART projects.' There were other considerations that suggested that DART might be an unnecessarily expensive way to hoist the Canadian flag in a disaster zone. At that point, no tsunami-affected country had requested a medical clinic similar to DART's. They wanted medicine instead."
excerpt from article, in Canada's theglobeandmail.com 16-November, 2006
PLAN AHEAD!
Where will you find 10-days of potable drinking water in the event of an emergency?
  Try: www.seychelle.com
For more tips and advice on safety matters, go to: www.sefco-export.com/safeandsound.htm
Relief Agency contacts
Excerpt from: www.usafreedomcorps.gov
Information contained on this sheet has been gathered from sources at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information on the South and Southeast Asia Earthquake and Tsunamis, please visit http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/.The list below is provided by USAID and can be retrieved from their website http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html.
Please check back at this site for updates.VOLUNTEERING
Volunteer opportunities in disaster settings are extremely rare, and are usually limited to people with prior disaster experience and technical skills (such as health, engineering, etc). To register your skills and experience for a possible volunteer opportunity, go to the Center for International Disaster Information's registration page.
DONATIONSThe most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. USAID encourages cash donations because they: allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance. The agencies listed below are accepting donations for assistance they or their affiliates are providing to those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis:
Action Against Hunger
247 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018
212-967-7800
www.actionagainsthunger.orgADRA International
Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
800-424-ADRA (2372)
www.adra.orgAir Serv International
6583 Merchant Place, Suite 100
Warrenton, VA 20187
540-428-2323
www.airserv.orgAmerican Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
888-588-2372
www.afsc.orgAmerican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.
JDC-South Asia Tsunami Relief
P.O. Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, New York 10017
212-885-0832
www.jdc.orgAmerican Jewish World Service
45 W. 36th St., 10th Fl.
New York, NY 10018
212-736-2597
www.ajws.orgAmerican Refugee Committee
Tsunami Relief
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-872-7060
www.archq.orgAmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave
Stamford, CT 06902
800-486-4357
www.americares.orgAnanda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT)
Tsunami Fund
6810 Tilden Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
301-984-0217
www.amurt.netBaptist World Aid
Asia Tidal Waves
405 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
703 790 8980
www.bwanet.org/bwaidB'nai B'rith International
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund
2020 K Street NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
212-490-3290
www.bnaibrith.orgBrother's Brother Foundation
1200 Galveston Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
412-321-3160
www.brothersbrother.orgCARE
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.orgCatholic Medical Mission Board
10 West 17th Street
New York, New York 10011
800-678-5659
www.cmmb.orgCatholic Relief Services
209 West Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
877-HELP-CRS
www.catholicrelief.orgCHF International
8601 Georgia Ave. Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
301-587-4700
www.chfhq.orgChristian Children's Fund
Child Alert Fund
PO Box 26484
Richmond, Virginia - 23261-6484
800-776-6767
www.ChristianChildrensFund.orgChristian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
South Asia Earthquake
2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49560
800-55-CRWRC
www.crwrc.orgChurch World Service
PO Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
800-297-1516
www.churchworldservice.orgConcern Worldwide, US
104 East 40th Street, Suite 903
New York, NY 10016
212-557-8000
www.concernusa.orgDirect Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.orgEpiscopal Relief and Development
South Asia Relief Fund
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
800-334-7626, ext. 5129
www.er-d.orgFood for the Hungry, Inc.
Food for the Hungry
Asia Quake Relief
1224 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
800-2-HUNGERS
www.fh.orgHabitat for Humanity International
Asia Tsunami Response Fund
121 Habitat St
Americus, GA 31709
229-924-6935
www.habitat.orgHeart to Heart International
401 S. Clairborne
Suite 302
Olathe, KS 66062
888-800-4327
www.hearttoheart.orgInternational Aid
17011 W. Hickory
Spring Lake, MI 49456
800-968-7490
www.internationalaid.orgInternational Medical Corps
Tsunami Emergency Response
1919 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90404-1950
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.orgInternational Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
Asia Disaster Response
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
www.iocc.orgInternational Relief and Development, Inc.
1621 N Kent Street, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22209
703-248-0161
www.ird-dc.orgInternational Relief Teams
Asia Earthquake/Floods
3547 Camino Del Rio South, Suite C
San Diego, CA 92108
619-284-7979
www.IRTeams.org
[scroll down]International Rescue Committee
PO Box 5058
Hagerstown, MD 21741-9874
877-REFUGEE or 733-8433
www.theIRC.orgLatter-Day Saint Charities
Welfare Services Emergency Response
50 East North Temple Street, Room 701
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84150-6800
801-240-3544
www.lds.org/humanitarianLutheran World Relief
South Asia Tsunami
700 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-230-2700
www.lwr.orgMAP International
P.O. Box 215000
Brunswick, GA 31521
800-225-8550
www.map.orgMercy Corps
Southeast Asia Earthquake
Dept. W
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
800-852-2100
www.mercycorps.orgMercy-USA for Aid and Development
Tsunami Disaster Relief
44450 Pinetree Drive, Suite 201
Plymouth, Michigan 48170-3869
800-556-3729
www.mercyusa.orgNetwork for Good
8615 Westwood Center Dr.
Suite 1A
Vienna, VA 22182
703-265-3683
www.networkforgood.orgNorthwest Medical Teams
SE Asia Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207
800-959-4325 (HEAL)
www.nwmedicalteams.orgOperation Blessing International
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach, VA 23463
800-730-2537
www.ob.orgNorthwest Medical Teams
SE Asia Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207
800-959-4325 (HEAL)
www.nwmedicalteams.orgOperation USA
8320 Melrose Ave. #200
Los Angeles, CA 90069
800-678-8876
www.opusa.orgOxfam America
Asian Earthquake Fund
PO Box 1211
Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211
800-77-OXFAM
www.oxfamamerica.orgPlan USA
Asia Disaster
155 Plan Way
Warwick, RI 02886
800-556-7918
www.planusa.orgProject Concern International
5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123
858-279-9690
www.projectconcern.orgProject Concern International
5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123
858-279-9690
www.projectconcern.orgProject HOPE
Asia Tsunami Response
255 Carter Hall Lane
Millwood, VA 22646
800-544-4673
www.projecthope.orgRed Cross (American Red Cross)
International Response Fund
2025 E St. NW
Washington, DC 20006
800-HELP-NOW
www.redcross.orgRelief International
Asia Earthquake Response
1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-478-1200
www.ri.orgSalvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
South Asia Relief Fund
615 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA, 22313
800-SAL-ARMY
www.1800salarmy.orgSamaritan's Purse
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
Phone (828) 262-1980
Fax (828) 266-1053
www.samaritanspurse.orgSave the Children
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
1-800-728-3843
www.savethechildren.orgStop Hunger Now
SE Asia Crisis
2501 Clark Ave, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27607
888-501-8440
www.stophungernow.orgUnited Methodist Committee on Relief
Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency
475 Riverside Drive
Room 330
New York, NY 10115
212-870-3815
www.methodistrelief.orgUnited Way International
United Way South Asia Response Fund
701 N Fairfax St
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
703-519-0092
www.unitedway.org/tsunamiresponseUS Fund for UNICEF
General Emergency Fund
333 E. 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-4-UNICEF
www.unicefusa.orgWorld Concern
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
19303 Fremont Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98133
800-755-5022
www.worldconcern.orgWorld Emergency Relief
2270-D Camino Vida Roble
Carlsbad, CA 92009
760-930-8001
www.worldemergencyrelief.orgWorld Hope International
Asia Relief
P.O. Box 96338
Washington DC 20090
888-466-4673
www.worldhope.orgWorld Relief
SE Asia Earthquake/Tsunamis
7 East Baltimore St
Baltimore MD 21202
800-535-5433
www.worldrelief.orgWorld Vision
P.O. Box 70288
Tacoma, WA 98481-0288
800-56-CHILD
www.worldvision.org(This list is provided by USAID and can be retrieved from their website http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html. Please check back at this site for updates.)
Examples of Community Responsiveness
In response to floods in Venezuela, earthquakes in El Salvador and elsewhere, the HISPANIC FEDERATION has worked with the City of New York and various hemispheric Consuls General to provide disaster relief for the victims of devastated areas. Efforts include collecting and packaging donations of non-perishable foods, clothing, medicine and children's toys, to be sent to charity and religious organizations. Contact: Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez, President (2002) The Hispanic Federation (New York City) www.hispanicfederation.org
In the Americas En Las Americas NY TIMES headline (March 2, 2003) - "the recent past" [article excerpt] - "The situation is most desperate in poor neighborhoods like Los Vazquez, where working-class families that struggle to make ends meet even in the best of times are now penniless. Two of the children who died of malnutrition - a 15-month-old girl and a 3-year-old boy - lived here, and relief groups have classified 90 percent of the neighborhood's children as undernourished."READ THE FULL STORY: [ click here to go to the NY Times article] ![]() Caritas Argentina ![]() National Director: Mr Eduardo Serantes Address: Balcarce 236, 1 piso 1064 Buenos Aires C.F., Argentina Telephone: +54 11 43 42 86 50 Email: comisionacional@caritas.org.ar |
More listings:Humanitarian aid, philanthropy, volunteerism - Worldwide News Coverage
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