DEC Haiti Appeal total hits £31.5million

Exactly one week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal total has increased to £31.5million counted so far as the public responds to desperate need of Haiti’s survivors.

In the middle of an extremely challenging aid operation where many survivors are already terrified of aftershocks the news of today’s tremors are of grave concern. We are assessing the impact of the aftershock with our field staff to see if there has been further large-scale disruption to survivors and aid operations. 

Since our last update, DEC member agencies work has included:

• CARE is concentrating on meeting the specific needs of pregnant women, new mothers, and children through the distribution of water purification tablets, emergency food rations, infant kits for mothers with newborns and young babies, and hygiene kits. Yesterday CARE supported 10,800 people at camp sites in Leogane and Petionville, and plan to install water bladders and distribute mattresses and blankets to 500 people in Leoganes today.
• Merlin’s surgical team arrived in Haiti yesterday, along with 4.8 tonnes of medical equipment including vital medication, beddings, surgical drills, generators, solar kits and chlorine tablets. Merlin’s team on the ground now includes two surgeons, one focusing on limb salvaging, an anaesthetist, A&E consultants and nurses. Merlin is working with Christian Aid’s local partner Koral to identify and triage patients. Christian Aid is also working with Koral and other partners to distribute blankets, tarpaulins and food.
• The Red Cross are sending 200 latrines and a JCB digger by air today. Two Red Cross mobile health clinics are also working in some of the worst affected areas outside the capital with capacity to help 30,000 people every day. In total so far, the Red Cross have sent 55,000 blankets and 29,000 mosquito nets, with water being provided to over 12,000 makeshift camps. More than 23,055 people have also registered with the ICRC family links websitewww.icrc.org/familylinks to search for their loved ones, and 1,573 have registered to say they are safe and well.
• Tearfund and their local church partner are running a refugee camp in Delmas 33, Port-au-Prince, with capacity for 2000 people, as well as another large camp at a Catholic school compound with capacity for 10,000 people. Quisqueya Church, which has power and running water, is now being used as a neighbourhood feeding centre.
• Oxfam have delivered water to 5,000 people in Petionville and Carrefour, and plan to visit two new sites today, bringing the total number of people helped to 12,000 daily. Ten tonnes of water and sanitation equipment, plastic sheeting for shelter, and body bags, have already arrived in Port au Prince, with another 30 tonnes scheduled to arrive today, and 50 tonnes planned for Friday.
• Save the Children is sending two mobile health clinics to Leogane to start treating some of the children who will have been worst affected by the earthquake and have gone for a week without any medical care. They are also launching their child tracing programme to reunify lost children with their parents today.
• Islamic Relief are trucking clean water Delmas 18 and Le Blant South areas and are flying in 1,000 tents from Dubai stocks.

Disaster Emergency Committee Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said:

“Exactly a week on from the earthquake that hit Haiti, we continue to be stunned by the generosity of the UK public. The total raised so far stands at an amazing £31.5m, and as the full scale of the tragedy continues to unfold we rely on the generosity of donors.”

“Despite continuing logistical and communications challenges, our 13 member agencies have been working round the clock to meet the needs of the Haitian people but there is still a huge amount of work to be done.

“However, vital aid is starting to get through to in larger quantities, with some hospitals and clinics starting to receive life-saving medical supplies, food and water.”

Our agencies in Haiti continue to closely monitor the security situation.

Donations to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal counted so far have reached £31.5m. The massive response shows the UK public understand that member agencies need their support as they overcome communications and logistical problems to help people desperately needing assistance. The amount is mostly online and phone donations, with amounts from corporate, postal, events, SMS and over-the-counter donations coming through in the next few days.

To make a donation to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque made payable to ‘DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal’ to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’.

Anyone wanting to stay up to date with developments in Haiti, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts can follow the DEC on twitter at http://twitter.com/decappeal or become a fan of ‘Disasters-Emergency-Committee-DEC’ on Facebook.

Notes to editors:

• To make a postal donation make cheques payable to ‘DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal’ and mail to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA
• Donations can be made at any high street bank, or at a Post Office by quoting Freepay 1449.
• Text “GIVE” to 70077 to give £5 to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal. £5 goes to the DEC. You pay £5 plus the standard network SMS rate.
• The DEC consists of: Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision.
• The DEC criteria to launch an appeal are: The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift International humanitarian assistance. The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national Appeal. There must be reasonable grounds for concluding that a public appeal would be successful, either because of evidence of existing public sympathy for the humanitarian situation or because there is a compelling case indicating the likelihood of significant public support should an appeal be launched.
• The DEC is very grateful for the technical advice and strategic communications support provided by BT to help us respond immediately to international disasters like the recent earthquake in Haiti. We also welcome the fact that BT are encouraging the public and their own customers to support the appeal.