MIAMI — Relief supplies are arriving more frequently and in larger quantities, and, although some bottlenecks still remain, aid is reaching the survivors in the capital city and outlying areas.
So far, more than 38 flights carrying Red Cross aid have arrived in Haiti. Additional planes, ships and trucks carrying Red Cross humanitarian assistance are expected every day.
Shelter remains an urgent need on the ground. Together with relief partners like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Red Cross is helping meet temporary shelter needs, whether in camps or in spontaneous settlements, and is working to provide support for host families sheltering the displaced. This immediate relief includes providing family-sized tents and kits with tarps, ropes and tools to construct shelter. At the same time, we are developing a strategy to meet long-term housing reconstruction needs.
The American Red Cross and its partners are distributing other relief items – such as hygiene kits, blankets and water containers – for up to 1,000 families (6,000 people) each day.
Approximately 3 million pre-packaged meals from the American Red Cross have left Miami via ship and will arrive later this week in Haiti, where we will partner with the UN’s World Food Programme to distribute them.
Locally, the American Red Cross in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties has assisted 9,065 US citizens who have been flown to South Florida by the United States government and we have offered mental health services and support to 168 people.
Last Friday, 70 American Red Cross Creole-speaking volunteers joined the USNS Comfort offshore in Haiti. While aboard, they are serving as interpreters for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.
More than 430 Red Cross and Red Crescent workers from around the world are in Haiti supporting thousands of local volunteers. Of that, more than 100 are representing the American Red Cross (Includes the Creole interpreters on the USNS Comfort).
Each Red Cross team has its own roles and expertise, and we’re all working together. That is a very powerful engine for relief. For example, Red Cross responders from eight countries are treating approximately 500 people each day at medical facilities throughout the capital city. An additional 100-bed Red Cross field hospital arrived this weekend and has been set up in the Carrefour soccer stadium.
Others are focused on purifying the water supply available in country and are delivering clean drinking water to 400,000 people each day. So far, more than 2 million liters of water has been distributed.
Local Haitian Red Cross volunteers are providing first aid support as well as emotional support for traumatized survivors. A special area has been established at each medical center where volunteers are comforting children, many of who are too young to even understand what happened.
This is already the largest single-country relief operation in global Red Cross history. The number of emergency response teams in or en route to Haiti equals those that responded to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami – an emergency that spanned 14 countries.
Because of the generosity of donors, people in Haiti will receive more than immediate relief — they will receive resources, support and training from the Red Cross that will help them thrive for years to come.
It is also clear that what took minutes to destroy will take many years and the collective support from governments and relief agencies across the world to help mend. The American Red Cross is working in close coordination with other responding organizations and will undoubtedly collaborate on joint, long-term recovery projects.
The American Red Cross is applying experience gained following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. For the past five years, we have been constructing water and sanitation systems, providing emotional support and healthcare, building shelters, restoring livelihoods, and preparing communities for the next disaster. We plan to offer a similar level of support in close collaboration with Red Cross partners and other international and local aid organizations in Haiti.
Since the earthquake struck on January 12, the American Red Cross has raised approximately $153 million. More than $29 million has been pledged through mobile giving (as of 9 a.m., Monday).
People can donate in support of the relief effort in Haiti at www.redcross.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS. Mobile donors can text “Haiti” to 90999 to make a $10 contribution.
