January 14, 2010
With the devastation in Haiti many organizations are looking to assist in the response and recovery efforts. Below are links to learn more about locating family members and information on how you and your organization can help. Please remember similar to domestic events, the launching of spontaneous volunteers and in-kind donations is discouraged. We do not wish to add to the problems Haiti is experiencing by sending unsolicited donated goods.
If you or your organization is looking for a way to help, the most effective way to support the individuals and families of Haiti is through cash donations and support in locating family members.
Locating family members:
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747.
Cash Donations
Cash donations allow for voluntary organizations to quickly pay for response and recovery efforts, and quickly provide direct financial assistance to disaster survivors to meet their own needs. Those interested in making contributions to help the victims in Haiti can do the following:
1. Go to www.whitehouse.gov for additional information regarding help for Haiti and watch the President’s remarks or read the transcript.
2. Contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI). The Center, operated under a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and initial support from IBM, has become a valuable resource to the public, as well as U.S. government agencies, foreign embassies and international corporations. CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/.
3. You can also go to http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/howtohelp.shtm to learn more about how best to donate or provide assistance.
4. To obtain a list of credible responding agencies for international emergencies go to www.interaction.org.
5. To obtain valuable information on making informed decisions when supporting charities go to www.give.org.
|
