Asia-Pacific
Haiti aid groups: Cash now, goods later
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-15 09:40
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 People line up for food distributed by UN forces after Tuesday's earthquake in Port-au-Prince January 14, 2010. [Agencies] |
SAN FRANCISCO: Aid groups asked companies to donate cash to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti instead of supplies like clothing and tents that they cannot distribute yet because of the devastation.
Relief groups are trying to address immediate needs such as clean water and medical supplies, and also are trying to keep airspace around Haiti clear for those needs.
"This is not the moment to drop a container of cinderblocks or roofing material onto the tarmac. We need to do first things first, and we're in emergency relief mode," said David Owens, vice president of corporate development for humanitarian group World Vision.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, on Tuesday. The quake flattened hillsides, knocked out communication systems, blocked roads, and rendered Haiti's main seaport unusable.
Companies, including Lowe's Cos Inc, Google, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group announced donations of $1 million each to help disaster relief efforts, but aid groups said many more millions of dollars will be needed.
"Right now, as of noon eastern, we've had $2.5 million worth of donations," said World Vision spokeswoman Anne Duffy. "Our (US) fund-raising goal right now is $20 million."
Troops arrived in Haiti on Thursday but U.N. peacekeepers around the city seemed overwhelmed by the enormity of the recovery task ahead.
"We just don't know what to do," a Chilean peacekeeper said. "You can see how terrible the damage is. We have not been able to get into all the areas."
The Haitian Red Cross said it believed 45,000 to 50,000 people had died and 3 million more were hurt or left homeless by the quake.
President Barack Obama said he had dispatched US troops and ships to Haiti to assist in earthquake rescue and recovery efforts, and he said the United States would spend $100 million for immediate relief efforts.
"We are telling people and corporations that it is most important to give cash, and then we will figure out what the most immediate needs are," said Joy Portella, communications director for relief group Mercy Corps.
"It's hard to throw a bunch of stuff into an environment when you don't know exactly what is needed."
Shipper FedEx urged people to donate money to legitimate charities. It said it cannot accept relief shipments of aid collected by individuals or local organizations.
"Because of severe damage caused by the earthquake, our operations have been suspended into and out of the island until further notice. All customer shipments are being held in Miami until we can resume operations."
Money Now, Clothes Later
MoneyGram International Inc said that through January 24, it would cut fees for money transfers to Haiti. Western Union is not charging a transfer fee for any amount sent to Haiti from the United States, Canada and France for seven days, once service was re-established throughout the country.
Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, said in an interview on Wednesday that cash is the easiest donation to put to use in the immediate wake of disaster.
"I heard from one of our terrific partners whose in the fashion industry offering, do you need clothes? There will be a moment that clothes will be needed for children. That's not what's needed today though because then we have to go through the expense of getting them there, distributing them," she said. "We can't do that right now."
