Haiti Earthquake Relief

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Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has a 5 Star rating from Ministrywatch.com.

Haiti Earthquake Response Set

CRS has mobilized an immediate major aid response to quake-ravaged Haiti and invites all concerned supporters to join us in the outreach.

Author: Michael Hill

Catholic Relief Services staff in Haiti is responding immediately to the earthquake that rocked Port -au- Prince, the capital of Haiti. Tuesday night the agency made an immediate commitment of $ 5 million for emergency supplies.

In a brief phone conversation before communication was lost, CRS Country Representative Karel Zelenka described Port -au- Prince as "covered with a plume of dust from damaged buildings."

"I've been in earthquakes before, but I've never felt anything like this," Zelenka said, speaking from the city of 2 million people. "This was a major hit. And it was direct. It is a disaster of the century. We should be prepared for thousands and thousands of dead and injured."

Zelenka, who was concerned about the safety of his staff, said that the building housing the CRS Haiti headquarters was intact but that several major buildings had collapsed in the 7. 0-magnitude quake, including one across the street . CRS staff members spent the night outside, fearing more damage due to aftershocks.

CRS has food and relief supplies pre-positioned in Haiti. Additional supplies such as plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, and water purification tablets are being loaded in the Dominican Republic for distribution in Haiti.

As dawn came to Port -au- Prince this morning, Zelenka and CRS staff were working to get food and other emergency supplies that CRS has in the country for our longer-range programs positioned to help those devastated by the quake. But, he said, communication and transportation remain challenging.

Meanwhile, CRS is gearing up a full-scale emergency response.

"We've been in Haiti for more than 55 years," said Bill Canny who, before he became CRS director of emergency operations in October was the country representative in Haiti and oversaw the response to two massive hurricanes in 2008. "This is going to be devastating to an already large, slum-like city."

"We're moving additional emergency staff in as quickly as possible, as we know it's chaos in Port -au-Prince and help is needed immediately," he said.

Canny said that CRS will be purchasing supplies in the Dominican Republic today and shipping them immediately to Haiti.

"We also have pre-positioned stocks in Miami that we are coordinating delivery for," he said.

But Canny knows that the need will be great. "Search and rescue will have to find people in the rubble, treat people who are injured, secure food and water, and set up shelter for the homeless," he said. "We will be working hard to bring help to these people who have suffered so much."

Michael Hill is CRS' communications officer for sub-Saharan Africa. He is based at the agency's headquarters in Baltimore.

[Niels Bohr 72]

I donated $500 to the RedCross already without telling my wife.

[NickD 203]

Got this e-mail yesterday, but using our spare cash to get my wife's son out of Venezuela, he also doesn't get drinkable water, and now they are shutting it off. If it's not one damn thing, it's another. One of my wife's apartment is in an earthquake zone, an earthquake could cure that problem for her. What can you say about people that live in a hurricane, tornado, sumani, or an earthquake zone? It's bound to happen. Or ten feet below sea level? Still can't figure out why property tax is really high on waterfront property, especially with the major floods Wisconsin had a year ago covering the half southern part of the state. No National guard to help, all are in Iraq including my neighbors wife leaving a seven year old daughter behind. One guy can only do so much, but family comes first.

"Good Afternoon, The reports and images from Haiti of collapsed hospitals, crumbled homes, and men and women carrying their injured neighbors through the streets are truly heart-wrenching. As we learn more about the extent of the devastation, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and Haitian Americans around our country who do not yet know the fate of their families and loved ones back home.

I have directed my Administration to respond with a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives. The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States Government in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble and to deliver the humanitarian relief -- the food, water and medicine -- that Haitians will need in the coming days.

This is also a time when we are reminded of the common humanity that we all share, and Americans have always responded to these situations with generosity of spirit. If you would like to support the urgent humanitarian effort in Haiti, I encourage you to visit our website where you can learn more about how to contribute:

http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake

Americans trying to locate family members in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at (888) 407-4747.

We will continue to stand with the people of Haiti and keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama"