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Haiti Earthquake Tragedy
Responding to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti and its resulting devastation will take an international effort. NLC is requesting communities to encourage their citizens to support the relief efforts.
This page is a central source of information for cities wanting to know more about how to respond.
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Update February 9, 2010:
The State Department has said that the most urgent phase of the relief effort is over, but that much work still remains. Most of the residents are receiving water at stations set-up across the damaged areas.
Authorities continue to say they have enough supplies and are shipping them in as quickly as they can manage. It is still best for people wishing to contribute, to make monetary donations to international relief agencies or to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund at www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.
International relief agencies are beginning to hire the local population to clear streets and other jobs. They are trying to put cash into Haiti to provide a consumer base for local merchants to go back into business. Information on Oxfam’s program may be found at Oxfam.
There will be an international meeting of Haitian groups being sponsored by the Organization of American States. This meeting is expected to include the Haitian diaspora and map out ways for reconstruction to go forward. More details may be found at OAS.
Through the National Disaster Medical System, the Department of Health and Human Services allowing more medical evacuations of Haitians to the United States. These evacuations are for the most critical and will allow hospitals to receive federal reimbursement for the costs incurred. Please go to HHS for more information.
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Update January 20, 2010:
On January 20, 2010 the White House held a conference call discussing the United States response to the earthquake in Haiti. The State Department is estimating 4 million people are affected and is rushing aid to the region.
The White House says they have enough search and rescue teams and Creole translators. For any city wishing to contribute beyond monetary donations, they are encouraged to email helphaiti@state.gov and put the donation in the subject line. Monetary donations are still the preferred donation by the government and international relief organizations. Please see www.clintonbushhaitifund.org for more information.
The airport in Port-au-Prince is very small and is being overworked by the number of international flights coming into the country. The White House is asking that private citizens and groups wishing to go to Haiti not do so as it could jeopardize other relief flights.
Applications by Haitians wishing to remain in the United States under Temporary Protection Status has been extremely popular. Over 13000 individuals have called to receive protection status. On January 21, 2010 the Center for International Disaster Information (www.cidi.org) will launch a blog to answer many questions and give a tip sheet to help Haitians navigate the system.
A number of children have been flown to the United States to be adopted. These children and their parents already have gone through the process of adoption. The State Department is working with the Haitian government to move orphans with adopted United States parents to come to the United States. If the orphans were legally conferred as orphans for inter-country adoption by the Haitian government to US parents, then they are being moved. For more information, please contact haitianadoption@dhs.gov for more information. Please also see www.state.gov.
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As of Friday January, 15, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that Haitian nationals in the United States as of January 12, 2010 received the designation of Temporary Protected Status. This designation allows Haitian nationals to continue to work and live in the United States for the next 18 months.
Donations
The White House continues to emphasize that donations in the form of cash are best. Cash donations provide flexibility to relief agencies to purchase goods and services most needed by the affected community. Many times these purchases are made in the region affected by the disaster. Please see www.usaid.gov for more information on the benefits of monetary donations.
NLC encourages donations to established relief agencies with expertise in responding to disaster. One such agency is the American Red Cross. Donations may be made to the Red Cross at american.redcross.org/supporthaiti or through a cellphone by texting "HAITI" to 90999.
The White House has also set up a relief fund headed by former President Bush and former President Clinton. This may be accessed at www.ClintonBushHaitiFund.org.
City Responses
Cities are requested to keep track and report "in-kind" donations such as a local bottling facility offering bottled water. These contributions may be sent to the State Department at helphaiti@state.gov. Put in the subject line: Donation XXX - the XXX being the donation offering.
NLC encourages cities to find creative ways to encourage citizens and employees to assist the people of Haiti. Several Minnesota cities have challenged to raise money from their employees. And Newark is allowing municipal employees to deduct donations from their paychecks.
Go to the NLC Facebook page at facebook.com/NationalLeagueofCities to exchange ideas and information on getting your employees and citizens involved in raising funds for relief to Haiti.
NLC Corporate Partner Responses
Joining cities’ response to the Haiti tragedy, NLC Corporate Partners have shared resources and made contributions to national and international aid agencies. For more information, please click here:
Resources
Individuals seeking information on family members and loved ones should contact the United States State Department in Washington, DC at www.state.gov or 1.888.407.4747 and the International Red Cross at www.icrc.org/familylinks.
Information
For continuing information, we encourage you to monitor this site and news broadcasts. Additional information may be found at the following websites:
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