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1/26/2010

Red Cross Update on Haitian Relief

 

From a Straw to a Fire Hose:  The Pipeline of Help Widens to Haiti
 
 
BILOXI (January 25, 2010) — 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. The infrastructure of the country is severely damaged, making it difficult for aid to get in.   The airports remain jammed, the roads are debris-filled and congested, and the port is barely functioning.  The pipeline of aid was a straw only a few days ago, and now it’s a garden hose, but we need it to become a fire hose. 
 
There are more than 400 Red Cross workers from around the world in Haiti, as well as thousands of local volunteers, helping to establish and staff first aid posts, hospitals, relief distribution sites, water trucking programs and family linking stations.   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.
 
 On Friday, nearly 70 American Red Cross Creole-speaking volunteers joined the USNS Comfort offshore in Haiti. While aboard, they will serve as interpreters for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.
 
In just the first week of the short term relief operation we’ve committed and spent funds in three basic areas: food and water, relief supplies and logistical and support services. 50 percent of what has been committed or spent is being used to bring food and water to earthquake survivors. The American Red Cross is providing more than 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.
 
The following is a breakdown of how donor dollars are being spent for the relief effort:
 
·      $5 provides a water container to store clean drinking water
·      $10 provides a blanket that is appropriate to the climate of the disaster-affected area
·      $25 provides a family of 5 with a kitchen set giving them the ability to cook and serve food (a disaster can destroy even the most basic family possessions and restoring family’s self-sufficiency is essential). This includes two cooking pots, a frying pan, bowls, plates, cups, and utensils. 
·      $30 provides essential hygiene materials to 5 people for one month (ensuring adequate hygiene after a disaster is essential in promoting the health of those affected). This includes items like a toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, body soap, laundry soap, toilet paper, sanitary pads, a razor and a towel.
·      $60 provides tarps, rope, wood and tools for a family of five to build a temporary shelter. (2 tarps, rope, hoe, machete, tin snips, handsaw, roofing nails, shovel, long nails, tie wire, claw hammer)
·      $100 provides a cooking set, hygiene pack, blankets, and water containers for one family of five following a disaster.
·      $500 provides a family tent for a family of 5
 
The American Red Cross is keenly focused on establishing accountability and transparency for every dollar donated and every element of our relief programs, today and in the months and years to come. As always, the Red Cross will publicly report the details on how we use all donations to our relief programs in Haiti.
 
 
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. 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. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.


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