UPDATE – Thursday, January 21, 2010
Haiti relief effort is largest single-country personnel deployment in global Red Cross history.
The Haiti relief effort is already the largest single-country personnel deployment 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.
In just the first week of the short term relief operation we’ve committed and spent $34 million (approximately 25 percent of what has been pledged or received) 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 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.
30 percent of what has been committed or spent so far is purchasing and distributing relief supplies. This includes items such as blanket, tarps, soap, hygiene supplies, kitchen sets and first aid supplies. Yesterday, the American Red Cross and our partners on the ground were able to provide 2,700 people with basic supplies like tarps, hygiene kits, water purification tablets and blankets. As the pipeline to get to the people in Haiti widens, 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.
20 percent of what has been committed or spent is providing the 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 our relief specialists. This category also includes the costs associated with the training and deployment of nearly 70 Creole speaking volunteers to the USNS Comfort.
It is still difficult to get planes caring humanitarian aid into the Port-au-Prince airport. The roads are heavily congested, and travel by road from the Dominican Republic has increased to an 18-hour journey (from a usual 6-8 hours). We are working with the U.S. government to discuss how these issues can be alleviated, and we applaud the U.S. Armed Forces, which are on the ground and doing a great job.
The American Red Cross is in Haiti as a part of the broader and coordinated Red Cross and Red Crescent network. For example, Red Cross responders from seven countries are treating injuries and performing surgery at hospitals and medical centers throughout the capital city. Red Cross teams from Latin America and Asia, trained in urban search and rescue, are supporting local authorities. Others are focused on purifying the water supply available in the country and expect to deliver clean drinking water to 200,000 people (17 settlements) each day by truck. Local Haitian Red Cross volunteers are providing emotional support for traumatized survivors and providing first aid support. The ICRC family links Web site (www.icrc.org/familylinks), designed to help reconnect separated families, has received 23,900 registrations since the earthquake.
This is an enormous relief operation now, but we also know it will be a massive long-term recovery effort and the Red Cross will be there throughout. It is 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.
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