Thursday, January 14, 2010

Helping Haiti


 That sad and long suffering little place called Haiti has been struck down by a great catastrophe and assistance is urgently needed. The USA and many other countries have responded quickly and as usual many volunteers are rushing to the scene.The following account of the great loss suffered by the UN in  Haiti was received by email this morning. It includes links to facilitate donations to the relief effort and I urge everyone to contribute.


The UN headquarters building for the peacekeeping force was flattened with over 150 UN folks inside, including people from at least 20 countries (U.S. included).   All are missing and unaccounted for.   This may shape up to be the single largest loss of life for the UN ever.  Many of my colleagues fear that they have lost many good friends and mentors – Annabi (the head of the UN in Haiti) was one colleague’s direct boss for over 8 years. 

The good folks at the Fairfax Fire and Rescue arrived on the ground about 2 hours ago with 72 people, 6 dogs and all the equipment needed to find and dig people out.  LA search and rescue is loading up in California with a similar team to arrive overnight, and Miami Dade is loading up with an identical team.  UK, Netherlands, Iceland also sending smaller teams.   Next 48-60 hours is critical for getting to people.
  
Fastest and easiest way to give is on the front of the White House and USUN websites (www.whitehouse.gov and www.usun.state.gov) -  text  “HAITI” to 90999 and $10 will be added to your cell phone bill for a donation to the Red Cross.



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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2010 at 5:38 AM

    I'd like to mention that even the Washington Post has noted that donating through the above mentioned method can take months to get the money out the door. The cell phone providers wait until the cell phone bill has been paid and it often takes at least 60 days for the paperwork to be completed. A better, faster method of donating is through private charities like the Salvation Army. They were on the ground in Haiti on day 3.

    Peach

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2010 at 5:51 AM

    Thousands of Americans have pledged $9 million to Haitian relief agencies this week by punching a code and sending a text on their cellphones. But it could be weeks, if not months, before any of that money actually can be used.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN, and users of Twitter Inc. have urged people to punch... 90999 and then type in the word "HAITI" on their phones to send $10 to the American Red Cross. But the money won't be routed from most U.S. wireless carriers to relief efforts until cellphone users pay their phone bills.
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704381604575005412610261000.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

    Peach

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