Backround History

One of the mojor history that Haiti has is the earth quake that happpen In January 2010 which alot of people suffer because of it. The people there have lost every thing such as their homes, their families, and some of them made it without anything.
On the evening of January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitude 6.5 to 7.3 struck Haiti in the highly populated area of Department Ouest, 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. Within hours of the earthquake, the American Red Cross made an initial contribution of $200,000 of our own funds for relief activities and as of this morning we have pledged a total of $1 million to the response effort in Haiti. The American Red Cross has an extensive partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, which is expected to lead the Red Cross response to the earthquake. The Haitian Red Cross was founded in 1932 and is one of the primary organizations in the country responding to disasters. Although earthquakes are less common, Haiti is frequently impacted by hurricanes including those in 2008, and the Haitian Red Cross has developed experience in disaster response due those disasters. As is typical in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, the full extent of damage is unknown at this time. However, initial reports indicate a high number of casualties with widespread damage and collapsed buildings, creating an urgent need for search and rescue activities. As many as three million people may be affected. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation), as well as UN agencies and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are deploying teams to coordinate humanitarian assistance and provide search and rescue services. As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. The American Red Cross has made available all of the relief supplies from its warehouse in Panama which would provide for the basic needs for approximately 5,000 families. In addition, at the International Federation’s request, the American Red Cross is deploying a five-member Relief Emergency Response Unit (ERU) to manage the distribution of relief items to earthquake survivors. A disaster specialist is also en route to Haiti to support disaster assessments, and additional disaster specialists are on standby if needed. DONATION INFORMATION The American Red Cross is accepting public donations to support the Haitian response. People wishing to make donations to the American Red Cross International Response Fund – which is used to respond to disasters such as the Haiti earthquake – may make a donation via 1-800-REDCROSS or www.redcross.org. The American Red Cross does not anticipate accepting in-kind donations for this international response. DISASTER WELFARE INQUIRIES For inquiries regarding relatives living and who have citizenship in Haiti, be patient and call repeatedly until the lines clear or contact other family members who live nearby. The Red Cross family linking response in Haiti will focus on allowing people in the affected areas to contact their relatives abroad. Please note that telephone, internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225. VOLUNTEERS We are not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti. If you would like to volunteer for the American Red Cross, please contact your local chapter. (thecitywire).