Haiti Emergency Response Fund
CARE International , the leading humanitarian organization, is on the ground right now in Haiti helping to supply food, water and emergency health services
The exact death toll is unknown, but could rise greater than 100,000, and reports estimate that three million people – one-third of Haiti’s population – are in need of assistance. Immediate needs are first-aid supplies, water purification solution, body bags, and emergency food rations.
There is no electricity and no water; there are many bodies in the middle of the road and under the rubble. The buildings that housed several public institutions have been destroyed or damaged, including hospitals and the national palace. The hospitals are full of people with severe injuries; there is no more room for them to accept the wounded.
“Children were still in school when the earthquake hit, so there are many children trapped. It’s horrifying,” CARE Haiti Country Director Sophie Perez said. “The slums on the hills have also completely collapsed. We’ve heard of landslides, with entire communities being wiped out.”
According to our latest information from the CARE Country Office, all staff members have been accounted for. However some have lost children and other relatives. Many of their homes have been destroyed. We keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
Fear of more building collapses during aftershocks has forced many in the capital to stay outside, including our staff. “I spent the night outside by the gate with my children,” Sophie Perez said. “There were eight aftershocks during the night, and we woke up every time. My children are terrified. Everyone is terrified.”
CARE is distributing food, hygiene kits and water tablets, as well as providing emergency health services. We plan an initial 10-ton distribution of high-protein biscuits from our warehouses, enough for 60,000 emergency meals. And we are working together with the World Food Program, which is airlifting 86 metric tons of additional biscuits – enough for half a million emergency meals.
We are deploying emergency team members and more supplies, including water purification sachets being shipped from Panama. We are coordinating with other UN agencies and aid organizations to assess damage and on-the-ground needs, and our response will evolve as we get more information.
We have launched an appeal for $10 million to support immediate emergency operations. To date, we have received $2.7 million in gifts and pledges, including $1.4 million via the web. We are also receiving generous support from partners including Cargill, Delta Air Lines, Hanesbrands Inc., JPMorgan Chase and UPS. Many of these companies are offering to match dollars raised by their employees, including a matching offer of up to $250,000 by JP Morgan Chase.
To support Haiti Response Operations, we have put together a cross-divisional team to handle HR, procurement, logistics, IT, fundraising, security, administrative support and other needs. The Coordination is being handled by Rigoberto Giron, while David Gazashvili, Acting Emergency Director, is in Haiti.
Contact for media: Stephanie Libby, slibby@care.org and Brian Feagans, bfeagans@care.org.
The exact death toll is unknown, but could rise greater than 100,000, and reports estimate that three million people – one-third of Haiti’s population – are in need of assistance. Immediate needs are first-aid supplies, water purification solution, body bags, and emergency food rations.
There is no electricity and no water; there are many bodies in the middle of the road and under the rubble. The buildings that housed several public institutions have been destroyed or damaged, including hospitals and the national palace. The hospitals are full of people with severe injuries; there is no more room for them to accept the wounded.
“Children were still in school when the earthquake hit, so there are many children trapped. It’s horrifying,” CARE Haiti Country Director Sophie Perez said. “The slums on the hills have also completely collapsed. We’ve heard of landslides, with entire communities being wiped out.”
According to our latest information from the CARE Country Office, all staff members have been accounted for. However some have lost children and other relatives. Many of their homes have been destroyed. We keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
Fear of more building collapses during aftershocks has forced many in the capital to stay outside, including our staff. “I spent the night outside by the gate with my children,” Sophie Perez said. “There were eight aftershocks during the night, and we woke up every time. My children are terrified. Everyone is terrified.”
CARE is distributing food, hygiene kits and water tablets, as well as providing emergency health services. We plan an initial 10-ton distribution of high-protein biscuits from our warehouses, enough for 60,000 emergency meals. And we are working together with the World Food Program, which is airlifting 86 metric tons of additional biscuits – enough for half a million emergency meals.
We are deploying emergency team members and more supplies, including water purification sachets being shipped from Panama. We are coordinating with other UN agencies and aid organizations to assess damage and on-the-ground needs, and our response will evolve as we get more information.
We have launched an appeal for $10 million to support immediate emergency operations. To date, we have received $2.7 million in gifts and pledges, including $1.4 million via the web. We are also receiving generous support from partners including Cargill, Delta Air Lines, Hanesbrands Inc., JPMorgan Chase and UPS. Many of these companies are offering to match dollars raised by their employees, including a matching offer of up to $250,000 by JP Morgan Chase.
To support Haiti Response Operations, we have put together a cross-divisional team to handle HR, procurement, logistics, IT, fundraising, security, administrative support and other needs. The Coordination is being handled by Rigoberto Giron, while David Gazashvili, Acting Emergency Director, is in Haiti.
Contact for media: Stephanie Libby, slibby@care.org and Brian Feagans, bfeagans@care.org.
Donate: Your gift
to CARE’s Haiti Emergency Response
Fund will help us address the immediate needs of the survivors of
this catastrophic disaster. http://bit.ly/4X63HY.
