“Initial reports indicate widespread damage in Port au Prince, with continuing aftershocks,” says Tracy Reines, director of international disaster response for the American Red Cross. “As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.” 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, and has additional disaster specialists on standby if needed.
The American Red Cross 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 staff on the ground in Haiti who provide ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness programs. At this time, all the three American Red Cross staff in Haiti have all been reported safe.
The Haitian Red Cross was founded in 1932 and is one of the primary organizations in the country responding to disasters. Although earthquakes are less common, Haiti is frequently impacted by hurricanes including those in 2008, and the Haiti Red Cross has developed experience in disaster response due those disasters.
We are not accepting local volunteers to travel to Haiti. We are very careful about getting our volunteers both the training and experience they need before they are assigned to a Disaster Response Operation. We cannot send untrained people into potentially dangerous disaster situations.
If you would like to volunteer for the American Red Cross LOCALLY, please contact Genean Berggrun at the ARC of Upstate South Carolina. The best way to be get involved with helping in a situation like this is to get involved with local Red Cross units and get trained.
The best way YOU can help RIGHT NOW is to donate financially. We are not accepting any items such as clothing or food here locally. We will collect and receive bulk donations of items such as water, non-perishable food, clothing, etc. as close to the affected area as possible to reduce both the cost of shipping and the time it takes to get it to those who need it. Also, we will use cash donations to purchase items in Haiti when possible to help the local economy.
For inquiries about relatives living and who have citizenship in Haiti, please be patient and call repeatedly until the lines clear or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225.
