Despite Bottlenecks, Red Cross Aid Getting to Haiti Survivors
Thursday, January 21, 2010 — More than a week after a catastrophic earthquake shattered the Port-au-Prince region and surrounding areas in Haiti, the Red Cross, with the help of the generosity of the American public, is delivering relief—through first aid posts, hospitals, relief distribution sites, water trucking programs and family linking stations—and helping to make life better for those affected.
Logistical challenges are still making it difficult to get aid into Port-au-Prince. Airports are crowded, roads are heavily congested and travel by road from the Dominican Republic has increased to an 18-hour journey.
Despite all the bottlenecks, supplies are slowly getting through. The Red Cross has now been able to reach survivors outside the capital city, providing first aid in camps and prioritizing the need for food, water and other basic supplies. Teams are focused on purifying the water supply available in the country and expect to deliver clean drinking water to 200,000 people each day by truck.
There are more than 400 Red Cross workers from around the world in Haiti, as well as thousands of local volunteers. Responders from seven countries are treating injuries and performing surgery at hospitals and medical centers throughout Port-au-Prince.
In just the first week of the relief operation in Haiti, the American Red Cross has committed and spent funds in three basic areas: food and water; relief supplies; and logistical and support services. So far, more than 100 tons of Red Cross aid has arrived in Haiti, and planes and trucks carrying additional assistance are arriving in the region every day.
Half of the funds are being used to bring food and water to earthquake survivors. The American Red Cross is providing more 3 million pre-packaged meals, more than 1 million water purification packets and thousands of jerry cans so people can collect and transport clean drinking water.
Thirty percent is for purchasing and distributing relief supplies, which includes items such as blanket, tarps, soap, hygiene supplies, kitchen sets and first aid supplies.
The remaining 20 percent of funds is to provide logistical support and other items needed to keep the relief effort running. This includes the purchase of vehicles to deliver relief supplies, warehouse space, gasoline, transportation costs and the deployment of relief specialists.
As the aid pipeline to Haiti improves, the American Red Cross will provide large tents for an initial 14,500 people and is working around the clock to find and send more.
In addition, nearly 70 Creole-speaking Red Cross volunteers left Miami today and will join the USNS Comfort on Friday to translate for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.
American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern traveled to Haiti on Tuesday to visit relief operations and help coordinate the distribution of aid. She witnessed firsthand the enormous devastation and the difficult of getting aid into the country. Yet even with these enormous challenges, McGovern said, the Red Cross is truly making a difference.
“I saw American Red Cross staff, armed with first aid kits, going out to treat people. They have a truck and a door that they were using as a stretcher, and they were taking injured to a field hospital run by another country’s Red Cross. And every time a Red Cross truck would go through the streets, the people would clear the way to let it pass.”
Seeing the resilient spirit of the Haitian people as well as the tireless efforts of Red Cross teams from around the world left a strong impression on the American Red Cross president.
“I feel like I left a piece of my heart in Haiti, “ McGovern said. “Know that the Red Cross is going to do whatever we can to help the people of Haiti, both in the short term but also as part of what we know will be a vast and long-term recovery for this nation and its people.”
You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at http://www.redcross.org/.
About the American Red Cross:The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcross.org/ or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org/
