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Haiti - earthquake relief effort
Aid groups rally together in scramble to hurry supplies
Article published on the 2010-01-14 Latest update 2010-01-14 13:23 TU
A Red Cross worker loads humanitarian aid boxes to be sent to Haiti at the Red Cross Center in Toluca, Mexico
(Photo: Reuters)
Emergency aid has been slow to reach the increasingly desperate victims of the Haitian earthquake, where the United Nations World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarian organisation, is already on the ground and scrambling to speed up supplies.
A co-ordinated approach to relief efforts is essential in the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters, Bettina Luescher, of the World Food Program in New York, told RFI.
“The UN is working very hard under the leadership of the secretary general, so that the whole humanitarian community can work together, be it the UN agencies or the NGOs,” she said.
“We have joint logistic centres where there is a room full of people from different agencies, with people co-ordinating among each other. We all have different tasks – for example one agency brings in the water and another brings in the tents.”
Interview: Bettina Luescher, World Food Program New York
About 200 WFP staff are currently in Haiti, where an estimated two million people suffer from hunger. The organisation has food stocks to supply about 30,000 people with immediate assistance.
Meanwhile governments are unlocking funds and aid groups have been launching appeals via the Internet to rally donations and boost relief efforts in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
Luescher is urging members of the international community to make donations to the World Food Program’s website. The international Red Cross said Thursday it has set up a special web page to help Haitians locate family members.
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The Red Cross launched a 10-million-dollar appeal for donations and the World Food Programme said it could quickly provide 15,000 tonnes of food.
The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, has deployed specialists to help handle mass casualties and corpses, warning of the danger of communicable diseases such as diarrhea.
The World Bank said it would provide an extra 100 million dollars in aid, while the European Commission released 3 million euros in emergency assistance. Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg have all volunteered help.
The German government has earmarked 15 million euros in emergency aid, and France is sending two airplanes, a field hospital, rescue services and 12 tonnes of aid. The country’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, called an emergency meeting Thursday to intensify efforts.
Britain and Russia are sending a search and rescue teams, and heavy rescue equipment, with Russia also pledging a field hospital. Canada readied two warships, helicopters and planes with supplies, as well as a large relief and rescue force.
Cuba, which felt the quake, sent 30 doctors, with Brazil pledging 10 million dollars in immediate aid and Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Guatamala and Chile also promised help.
From the Asia-Pacific, Australia pledged nine million dollars, Japan pledged five million dollars and New Zealand one million. South Korea and Taiwan, whose ambassador to Haiti was hurt in the quake, also offered aid.
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